Characterization and Testing of Coal and Rock

Coal and rock are complex porous-fractured media. Their pore heterogeneity, fracture roughness evolution, and multi-scale structural characteristics pose core challenges restricting energy exploitation, mine safety, and deep mining stability. Conventional characterization methods fail to quantitatively depict the “order within disorder” of coal and rock. Fractal theory serves as a fundamental mathematical tool for describing the complex morphology of coal and rock pore-fractures and quantifying structural evolution. Advanced testing technologies, including low-field nuclear magnetic resonance, micro CT, high-pressure mercury intrusion, low-temperature gas adsorption, acoustic emission, etc., provide high-precision and multi-scale data support for fractal characterization. This Research Topic focuses on the interdisciplinary integration of fractal theory and advanced testing, collecting the latest research achievements in coal and rock pore-fracture structure, mechanical damage, seepage evolution, energy exploitation and engineering application.

This Research Topic serves as an academic exchange platform to break barriers between basic theories, experimental techniques and engineering applications, and address industrial drawbacks including insufficient quantification, ambiguous mechanisms and backward technologies in traditional coal and rock research. Through interdisciplinary and multi-technology integrated innovation, it further optimizes the multi-scale quantitative characterization system for coal and rock, enhances the accurate prediction capability of evolutionary processes such as coal and rock damage, seepage and instability, and tackles key technical difficulties in deep coal mining disaster prevention, underground geotechnical engineering stability, and efficient development of energy.

This Research Topic invites submissions that highlight both characterization and application in coal and rock engineering grounded in fractal theory coupled with advanced testing technologies. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Fractal characterization of coal/rock microstructure based on advanced testing technology
• Fractal evolution characteristics and testing analysis of coal/rock damage and fracture process
• Characterization and fractal modeling of the mass transfer characteristics of coal/rock fluid transport
• Fractal prediction and evaluation of deformation and failure of surrounding rock in complex coal/rock engineering
• Fractal theory empowered intelligent testing and technological innovation in coal/rock engineering
• Fractal mechanism and engineering application of disaster prevention and control in deep coal/rock engineering

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Fractal theory, Advanced testing technology, Coal, Rock, Engineering practice and application, Coal geology, Engineering geology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.