Comparative analysis of polyacrylate latex modified cement grout for water blocking and rock reinforcement with six alternative materials

Abstract

Grouting plays a crucial role in mitigating water inrush disasters and reinforcing weak surrounding rock formations, and the effectiveness of grouting operations is heavily dependent on the choice of grouting materials. This study undertakes an assessment of the feasibility of deploying polyacrylate latex modified cement grouting material (PLMC) for the purposes of water obstruction and surrounding rock reinforcement, achieved through a comparative analysis against six alternative grouting materials, each of which has been applied in practical engineering. The experimental results demonstrate that the initial setting time and fluidity of PLMC fall within the range of other grouting materials, meeting the project requirements. PLMC achieves the highest filling rate at 77.42%, while the filling rates of other grouting materials range from 39.69% to 74.13%. PLMC exhibits good performance in bleeding ratio (2.77%) and resilience against dynamic scouring (retention rate is 72.95%), ranking as the third highest among the seven compared materials for both indexes. Additionally, the uniaxial compressive strengths of PLMC grout stone body and grouting-reinforced body reached 11.94 MPa and 22.74 MPa, respectively, representing the best performances. In comparison, the highest levels of these two indexes for other grouting materials are 8.78 MPa and 21.46 MPa, respectively. Compared with other grouting materials, the porosity of PLMC grout stone body is the lowest, and the interface between rock and grout in PLMC-reinforced body exhibits no significant gaps. The findings suggest that polyacrylate latex modified cement grouting material exhibits exceptional workability characteristics, positioning it as a promising candidate for practical applications.