Cross-scale characteristics of backfill material using NMR and fractal theory

Abstract

Abstract This paper analyzed the pore structure, quantified the pore fractal dimension, calculated the grading index (GI) of mixed aggregate, and studied the relationship among GI, pore structure, and strength to describe the cross-scale characteristics of backfill, which is made from stone powder and cemented tailing. A series of experiments were conducted on stone powder cement tailings backfill (SPCTB). The GI formulas for mixed aggregates, containing stone powder and tailings, were derived based on the Fuller theory. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) fractal dimensions of backfills were derived using fractal geometry principles. Compared to the mesopore and macropore fractal dimensions, the correlation between micropore fractal dimension and macro-properties in terms of NMR porosity, pore structure complexity, uniaxial compression strength (UCS), and GI is the most significant. Macropore fractal dimension is generally correlated with UCS and GI and the other properties such as the shape of mixed aggregates also have an impact on fractal dimension. However, mesopore fractal dimension has no obvious relationship with macro-properties. Finally, the relationship between GI and UCS was studied, which contributed to improving backfill’s strength and optimizing gradation.