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Slaking Process and Mechanisms Under Static Wetting and Drying Cycles Slaking Tests in a Red Strata Mudstone

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Abstract

The slake durability of rocks is one of the important properties that influences geological hazards and engineering safety. Attaching the importance to the slaking of red strata mudstone is necessary especially when encountered it in underground engineering. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the process of slaking and characteristics of the slake durability of red mudstone taken from a stratum of the Jurassic System. Wetting and drying cycles slaking tests were simulated in consideration of that water is the most direct influencing factor on rocks slaking. The mechanisms for slake durability are studied through a series of slaking tests combined with an analysis of the results of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and chemical analyses of aqueous solutions of slaking. The results show that the slake durability of the red strata mudstone is “very low”, which must be considered in the process of shaft building or coal mining. The slaking process of mudstone is a gradual process and the mudstone is crushed into small pieces, step by step. The slake durability of the red strata mudstone is enhanced when the particle size of the stone is reduced to less than 5 mm. The fractal dimension of the micro pore morphology as well as the number of micro pores and the surface porosity increase with increasing cycles of slaking tests. Additionally, there is a significant increase in the concentrations of K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SO4 2−, CO3 2− in the aqueous solutions during the tests. It is concluded that the main mechanisms of slaking of red strata mudstone are caused by water-absorption, dehydration shrinkage during drying, and dissolving of minerals.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China with Grant Nos. 41172291 and the Innovation Project No. 201414 of CUMT. Editorial help from Ph.D. student Wenxue Wang and Ying Shao of the CUMT is greatly appreciated. The authors would like to express sincere thanks to the reviewers for their constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, 1 University Rd, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu, China

    Jianfeng Qi, Ying Liu & Dingyang Zhang

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

    Wanghua Sui

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  1. Jianfeng Qi
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  2. Wanghua Sui
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  3. Ying Liu
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  4. Dingyang Zhang
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Correspondence to Wanghua Sui.

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Qi, J., Sui, W., Liu, Y. et al. Slaking Process and Mechanisms Under Static Wetting and Drying Cycles Slaking Tests in a Red Strata Mudstone. Geotech Geol Eng 33, 959–972 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-015-9878-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-015-9878-4

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