Abstract：The removal speed of the fully-mechanized coal face with topped caving (FCFTC) can be increased by pre-excavating finishing cut on terminal mining line. Because the finishing cut is continuously affected by the abutment pressure in front of the face，its maintenance is much more difficult than that of the ordinary coal entry. Based on the law of the ground pressure and the the motion of overlying strata during the terminal mining in FCFTC，in order to avoid the influence of periodic roof pressure，the optimal position of finishing cut is determined by analogous simulation experiment. The stability of the surrounding rock masses of finishing cut is analyzed systemically and its support design is optimized by numerical simulation with RFPA2D. The application of the analysis results to 4303 FCFTC of Jisan Coal Mine shows that the finishing cut is safely jointed to coal face and the coal face finishes quickly. The effect of the finishing cut and its economic benefit are also evaluated.
