Abstract: Water inrush is one of the major disasters affecting coal mine safety production.This paper takes the roof water inrush of Shanxi Yangquan coal mine as an example,considers the judgment basis of rock mass damage in the process of water inrush failure,and its influence on the mechanical properties of coal and rock mass,establishes a stress-seepage-damage coupling model,and elaborates the failure of coal and rock mass of the damage evolution process and seepage water inrush mechanism.The results show that the penetration of the roof rock mass damage area and the intersection of the fissure networks on both sides are the fundamental reasons for the roof water inrush in Yangquan coal mine.In this process,the interaction between the fracture extension,seepage state and stress evolution in the coal and rock mass causes the damage and fracture of the rock mass to form a permeable water channel,which induces water inrush disasters.The research results provide a basis for the retention of water-proof coal pillars in mines,and also provide research ideas for the problem of coal mine roof water inrush.