Monitoring and Assessment of Cemented Paste Backfill Containing Coal Gangue and Fly Ash in an Underground Mine

Cemented coal gangue paste backfill (CCGPB) containing coal gangue and fly ash is a backfilling technique newly developed in coal mines in China that allows environmentally hazardous products, such as gangue and fly ash, to be reused in underground stopes. CCGPB materials provide efficient ground support for the caving of strata and reduce surface subsidence. In this paper, field monitoring of CCGPB properties was conducted in an underground coal mine, which mainly included the measurement of the longwall face temperature, humidity, CCGPB internal hydration temperature, stress conditions inside the backfills, and displacement. First, the components of the backfills, paste technique, slurry generation procedures, coalfield geology, and mining conditions were introduced. Then, a monitoring system was designed in the field. An online monitoring system was installed. The results of the field monitoring showed that the curing temperature significantly varied, i.e., from 26°C near the main gate to 37°C near the tailgate. The curing humidity had the same trends, increasing from 60% relative humidity (RH) near the main gate to 81% RH near the tailgate. The internal hydration process of the paste was divided into four stages, i.e., the rapid hydration stage, slower hydration stage, rapid decline hydration stage, and relatively stable stage. The highest hydration temperature was 50°C, which was measured on the second day after the backfill process. The temperature approached stability at 41°C. The evolution of the roof stress applied on the CCGPB was divided into four stages: the development stage, regulation stage, rapid growth stage, and relatively stable stage. The maximum roof loading was 12 MPa in the middle of the longwall face. The deformation of the backfill experienced four stages, i.e., the rapid deformation stage, slow deformation stage, relatively stable stage, and long-term stable stage. The maximum deformation was 104.3 mm, appearing in the middle of the face. In addition, the compression ratio of the backfill was approximately 4%. The results of this study showed that the working conditions of backfills in the field were different from those in the laboratory. This paper provides guidance for the design of the CCGPB technique and the predictions of surface subsidence induced by the production process of underground mining.