Characterization of load-bearing and failure properties of fractured rock masses reinforced by negative pressure grouting

Abstract

Grouting injection is a vital technique for addressing the challenges of high stress and significant deformation in the surrounding rock during deep mining operations, playing a crucial role in promoting green and low-carbon extraction methodologies. In this study, grouting reinforcement processes were examined by conducting grouting experiments on a fractured rock with varying negative pressures (0-100 kPa), followed by uniaxial compression testing of the grout-reinforced bodies. This investigation explored the diffusion patterns of grout under negative pressure and established a constitutive model of damage-bearing capacity for bodies reinforced by negative pressure grouting. It further studied the enhancement effect of negative pressure on the load-bearing capacity of the reinforced bodies and analyzed the instability mechanism of damage and failure in these bodies. The results indicated that the diffusion of grout under negative pressure is influenced by four types of forces, which alter the extent of grout diffusion within the fractured rock mass. Introducing a damage constitutive model that serially connects pore and framework elements characterizes the damage and failure behavior of grout-reinforced bodies under different negative pressures. As the negative pressure increases, changes in porosity, water-to-cement ratio, and admixture quantity occur in the grout-reinforced specimens, with the strength mean curve showing a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, reaching a threshold at a negative pressure of 60 kPa. With increasing negative pressure, the negative pressure damage variable decreases and then increases, and the stronger the interfacial microelement connections caused by the negative pressure, the greater the bearing capacity, ultimately manifesting in different failure modes.