Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Solid Earth Geophysics
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2024.1522502
This article is part of the Research Topic Advanced Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Development of Underground Resources View all 18 articles

Research on Damage and Degradation of Coal-bearing Sandstone under Freeze-thaw Cycles

Provisionally accepted
Mao yiwen Mao yiwen 1Ming Li Ming Li 1*Wu Peng Wu Peng 2*Guo Shuai Guo Shuai 1Zhu Fuqiang Zhu Fuqiang 1
  • 1 China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 2 Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Comprehending the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on the damage and degradation of coal-bearing sandstones is crucial for the end-wall slope stability of open-pit mines in cold areas. In this study, freeze-thaw cycle tests on water-saturated coal-bearing sandstone samples under different freezing temperatures and different freeze-thaw cycles were conducted by a fully automatic low-temperature freeze-thaw testing system, and the effects of freeze-thaw cycle parameters on P-wave velocity and porosity of sandstone samples were obtained. With the assistance of CT scanning imaging technology, the microscopic damage and deterioration mechanism of sandstone samples under freeze-thaw cycles was further revealed, and a characterization method for the damage and deterioration of sandstone samples under freeze-thaw cycles was established, and damage and degradation effects of freeze-thaw cycles on the sandstone samples were predicted. The research results suggest that as the freezing temperature decreases and the number of freeze-thaw cycles increases, the P-wave velocity of the sandstone sample decreases, while the volume of the sandstone sample increases. The relative change rate of P-wave velocity and porosity increment of the sample are positively correlated with freezing temperature, and negatively correlated with the number of freeze-thaw cycles. The CT scan results show that with the decrease of the freezing temperature and the increase of the number of freeze-thaw cycles, the number and geometric size of pores on the sample cross section increase significantly. Additionally, the evolution equation of freeze-thaw damage factors was established with freezing temperature and number of freeze-thaw cycles as parameters, and the internal mechanism and physical characterization of freeze-thaw damage degradation of coal measure sandstone were revealed. This research provides a reference for the safety and stability evaluation and technology research and development of related rock engineering in cold areas.

    Keywords: Freeze-thaw cycle, Coal-bearing sandstone, Pore structure, Damage and deterioration, Microscopic mechanism

    Received: 04 Nov 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 yiwen, Li, Peng, Shuai and Fuqiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Ming Li, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu Province, China
    Wu Peng, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.