Roof sand inrush is one of the safety threats faced by mining in shallow coal seam in Western China. By using the self-developed test system of fracture sand inrush

the simulation test of sand inrush process of aeolian sand under the condition of no water are carried out in this paper. The effect of sand layer thickness

fracture angle and crack opening on the rate of sand inrush is studied; and then the quantitative relation between different influence factors and the flow rate of aeolian sand in the fissure is obtained. The research results show that the change of sand layer thickness has little effect on the rate of sand inrush; and the change of the slit angle has an obvious influence on the rate of sand inrush. In the case of a certain crack opening

the rate of sand inrush increases with the increase of the slit inclination

and they are logarithmic relation. When the fracture angle is fixed

the rate of sand inrush increases rapidly with the increase of the crack opening

which is in accordance with the exponential relationship

the crack opening has the greatest influence on the sand inrush rate; and the weight of the sand layer thickness can be ignored. The research results can provide theoretical basis and scientific guidance for prevention and control of sand disasters in coal mines in Western China.