The analysis of industrial activity of mines in Ukraine, developing the seams at big depths under conditions of soft surrounding rock, shows that the significant part of extensive mine workings is constantly being repaired. These repairing workings engage about 42 thousand underground workings. Structurally the works are connected first of all with liquidation of consequences of rock heaving in mine workings (60 %) or re-supporting (40 %). Thus, in 2000 the specific volume of workings re-supporting at operating mines equaled 7,5 m per 1000 t extraction, and the labour expenses on the repair and maintenance were 565,2 men-shift per 1 km of the supported workings a year or about 50 men-shift per 1000 t of extraction.

    At operating mines under the conditions of annual growth of workings extent about 2-3% of workings are in unsatisfactory condition, from 31,2 % to 77,8 % are being re-supported.

    To decrease the expenses on liquidation of rock heaving consequences is quite difficult, as it is almost impossible to predict the parameters, characterizing it process. There is a number of hypotheses explaining the reason of rock squeezing. On their basis the ways and methods of liquidation and decrease of intensity of this process are developed.

    Mountain pressure in workings in the form of rock heaving is caused by a number of natural-geological and production factors. However stability of rock exposures of mine workings and surrounding rocks depends mainly on physical and mechanical properties of rocks and their tensions, conditioned by weight of upper layers, tectonic processes and developing workings. That’s why all measures to decrease rock heaving are aimed at the change of these two groups of factors indices or their optimum combination.

    All the measures of treating rock heaving may be divided into 5 groups:

   1) the use of favorable mountain-geological and technical conditions;

   2) hardening of rocks;

   3) discharge of rock mass;

   4) combined methods;

   5) special methods.

   To the first group belong the following methods: developing the coal-beds near to the developed space; carrying out of a mine working behind of a face; carrying out of a mine working in the caved or condensed rocks.

   The second group includes: application roof bolting; polymeric hardening of floor and use of pitch; hardening of the floor by cementation.

   The following ways belong to the third group: explosive-cracking way of the rock developing; control of workings stability by explosive pack; arrangement of the caved cracks; discharge of rocks by the seam drilling; shoofing of the roof rocks in extraction workings.

    To the combined ways belong: active extraction with the subsequent hardening; explosive hardening; discharge of the floor rocks by blast-hole drilling with subsequent of strengthening support.

    The special methods include the closed and strengthening support as well combined support.

    Hence, the investigation of rock heaving process with the purpose to establish its physical character and to use it in order to develop measures to treat the heaving is an extremely important scientific and technical problem.