Migration patterns of underground mine dust in the past two decades based upon the methods of bibliometric and visual analyses

Abstract

The investigation into the migration patterns of mine dust holds substantial significance for ensuring safety production and safeguarding on occupational health in mining operations. To thoroughly explain the present research situation and development tendencies in this area, this work employed bibliometric and visual analyses on 914 papers retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (2005–2025) using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software. The results revealed a dramatic upsurge in annual publications addressing mine dust migration, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 20 %. The research trajectory can be categorised into four distinct phases: Foundational exploration, technological introduction, rapid advancement, and in-depth applications. China, the United States, and Russia emerge as the leading nations in this field, with China contributing 68 % of the total publications. Notable institutions, such as Shandong University of Science and Technology, and China University of Mining and Technology, have established a core collaborative network. Highly cited papers predominantly focus on numerical simulations of dust diffusion, the development of dust suppressants, and ventilation optimization technologies. Keyword co-occurrence analysis highlights “numerical simulation”, “coal dust suppression”, and “respirable dust” as key research areas. Cluster analysis further revealed that dust explosion characteristics, wetting mechanisms, and multi-physical field coupling represented frontier research directions. Bursting word analysis indicated that nanomaterials, intelligent monitoring, and intelligent dust control were emerging themes gaining increasing attention. Looking ahead, it is imperative to enhance interdisciplinary integration to advance refined modelling and intelligent control technologies for dust migration patterns. The results provided a robust theoretical foundation for strategic planning and technological innovation in mine dust research through the construction of a comprehensive knowledge map.