Abstract In order to explore the propagation law of gas explosion in bend laneways, the propagation laws of flame and shock wave in bend duct are theoretically and experimentally investigated. The results show that the stress of shock wave is complicated and the flame velocity changes complicatedly in the bend duct; besides, the propagation process of gas explosion in the bend duct is the mutual action of explosion wave, flame and complicated flow. The explosion wave overpressure and flame velocity increase sharply at bend, which destroyed the surface of bend location especially seriously. Therefore, in the mine exploitation and laneway design, the bend laneway should be avoided and the obstruction should be eliminated as possible. When the bend is unavoidable, the relevant preventive measures should be adopted to suppress the gas explosion propagation, depress the intensity and diminish the loss due to gas explosion.