Abstract：The investigation on the mechanism of coal mine bumps is always one of the hot topics in the field of mining engineering and rock mechanical study all over the world. Coal mine bumps，which may expel large amounts of coal and rock into the face area and cause damages to underground openings and equipments，are sudden failures near the mine entries. Persistent bump problems not only threaten the safety of mine works，but also have caused the abandonment of large coal reserves. Researchers have made a large efforts to understand，anticipate，and control this kind of hazard and have achieved lots of helpful results. The characteristics and induced factors of coal mine bumps are briefly described based on the investigation of recent bumps accidents happened in China. According to the theory of non-equilibrium thermodynamics and dissipation structure，the process of energy accumulation and dissipation in the coal-surrounding rock system is discussed during the propagation of coal mine bumps. Moreover，a series of experiments are conducted to analyze the relationship between bump-proneness and microstructureal characteristics of coal. The process of coal mine bumps induced by propagation of fractures and deterioration of coal mass properties are also analyzed systematically.
