The primary functions of a three-dimensional test system for mimicking rock formations and surface movement caused by underground coal mining were detailed, and a series of associated tests were performed. An outside frame, a pressurization unit, a pulling unit, and a coal seam simulation component comprised the device. A model test research on the surface subsidence features produced by coal seam mining was carried out using this test apparatus, which was backed by monitoring methods such as the three-dimensional laser scanning method. The transfer law of surface subsidence produced by coal seam mining was discovered when combined with field measurements, and the entire surface subsidence reaction process was investigated. According to the experimental data, subsidence produced by mining disturbances below the coal seam accounts for 79.3 percent of overall subsidence, making it the dominating source of total surface subsidence. Surface subsidence following coal mining may be split into four phases based on long-term surface observations, with the obvious settlement stage accounting for more than 60% of the entire settlement value. The above test results fully reflect the feasibility and practicability of the three-dimensional test device for simulating rock strata and surface movement, as well as providing a new experimental research tool that can be used to further study the surface subsidence characteristics and control caused by coal mining.
