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Particle size distribution of aggregates effects on mesoscopic structural evolution of cemented waste rock backfill

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Abstract

The most economical, environmental, and friendly method for recycling gangue is filling mining with cemented waste rock backfill (CWRB), which solves the environmental problems caused by gangue discharge and reduces the mining damages. Evaluating the mesoscopic structure of CWRB is of great significance for maximizing the utilization of gangue recycling and improving the economic benefits of filling mining. This paper constructed the particle flow model of cemented waste rock backfill (CWRB) considering particle size distribution (PSD) of aggregates and hydration of cementing material to investigate the effect of the PSD of aggregates on its mesoscopic structural evolution. The strain energy, crack, force chain, and particle fragment of CWRB during the whole loading were discussed. The binary processing and calculation on the crack image were performed to analyze the fractal dimension of crack distribution by compiling program. The influencing mechanism of the PSD of aggregates on the strength of CWRB is revealed from the mesoscopic levels of crack evolution, force chain structure, and particle fragment. The results show that the strain energy increases firstly and then decreases with the PSD fractal dimension, while the crack number decreases firstly and then increases with that. The cracks with less number and more uniform distribution present the smaller fractal dimension, CWRB with a low fractal dimension of crack distribution has higher strength, the fractal dimension of crack distribution exhibits a correlation with the PSD of aggregates. CWRBs with the PSD fractal dimensions of 2.4–2.6 have the largest strain energy and the smallest crack number, performing the superior structural evolution during loading. This study presents the huge potential of optimizing PSD in CWRB application from a new perspective, it is of great significance for strengthening the internal structure of CWRB and reducing engineering cost.

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Abbreviations

CWRB:

Cemented waste rock backfill

d i :

Size of aggregate particles

d max :

Maximum size of aggregate particles

D :

PSD fractal dimension

D c :

Fractal dimension of crack distribution

M i :

Mass of aggregate particles in size below or equal to d, \( {M}_i={M}_{\mathrm{t}}{\left(\frac{d_i}{d_{\mathrm{max}}}\right)}^{3\hbox{-} D} \)

M t :

Total mass of aggregate particles

N i :

Crack number

N b :

Box count

N c :

Cumulative crack number

N t :

Total boxes

P i :

Mass ratio of aggregate particles, \( {P}_i=\frac{M_i}{M_{\mathrm{t}}}={\left(\frac{d_i}{d_{\mathrm{max}}}\right)}^{3-D} \)

PSD:

Particle size distribution

U :

Strain energy

SEM:

Scanning electron microscope

UCS:

Uniaxial compressive strength

XRD:

X-ray diffraction

σ 1 :

Axial stress

σ 1c :

Peak stress, σ1c = UCS

ε :

Axial strain

ε 1c :

Peak strain

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Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52004272, 51734009, 51904290), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK20200660, BK20180663), Engineering Research Center of Development and Management for Low to Ultra-Low Permeability Oil & Gas Reservoirs in West China, Ministry of Education, Xi’an Shiyou University (KFJJ-XB-2020-6), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2019M661987).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Geomechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu, China

    Jiangyu Wu, Qian Yin, Yuan Gao & Hongwen Jing

  2. School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu, China

    Bo Meng

Authors
  1. Jiangyu Wu
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  2. Qian Yin
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  3. Yuan Gao
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  4. Bo Meng
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  5. Hongwen Jing
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Contributions

J.Y. Wu and Q. Yin conceived and designed the experiments. J.Y. Wu, Q. Yin, Y. Gao, and B. Meng performed the experiments. J.Y. Wu, Q. Yin, and H.W. Jing analyzed the data. J.Y. Wu, Q. Yin, and H.W. Jing wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to Qian Yin or Hongwen Jing.

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Wu, J., Yin, Q., Gao, Y. et al. Particle size distribution of aggregates effects on mesoscopic structural evolution of cemented waste rock backfill. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 16589–16601 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11779-9

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