It is of great significance, for economic, environmental and security reasons, to investigate the strength characteristic of underground cemented paste backfill (CPB). Consequently, an ultrasonic test, uniaxial and triaxial compression experiment, and acoustic emission (AE) monitoring were carried out on CPB, for which the particles satisfied Talbot gradation. The homogeneity of CPB specimens was evaluated by ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV). The stress–strain behavior and AE characteristic of CPB specimens under different Talbot indices and confining pressures were investigated. The effects of the particle size distribution and the confining pressure on the peak strength of CPB were analyzed. The strength parameter model of CPB under the coupled influence of the particle size distribution and the confining pressure was constructed based on the Mohr–Coulomb strength criterion. The results show that the peak strength of CPB is positively linear with confining pressure, however, the relationship between its strength parameters and the Talbot index can be characterized by a quadratic polynomial function. This suggests that there is an optimal gradation of particles reflected in the maximum strength of CPB.

It is of great significance for engineering safety, economic benefits, environmental protection, and sustainable development to investigate the strata stability in filling mining with cemented rockfill. Consequently, this paper is based on a specific coal mine where we applied the fully-mechanized longwall mining and filling and designed a cemented rockfill material for which the particles satisfied the Talbot gradation. Uniaxial and triaxial compression experiments were carried out on the cemented rockfill specimen, which obtained the relations between the mechanical parameters (Poisson ratio, elastic modulus, compressive strength, cohesive force, internal friction angle, and tensile strength) and the particle size distribution of the aggregate. The excavation and filling processes in the coal seam were simulated based on the numerical software FLAC^3D. The characteristics of the displacement and stress fields of the strata when the goaf was filled by cemented rockfill with different granule gradations were discussed. The influences of the particle size distribution and mining distance on the maximum subsidence displacement of the coal seam roof, internal stress of the backfill, and the stress of the rock mass in the coalface were analyzed. The feasibility and effectiveness of the filling mining with cemented rockfill to protect the integrity of the overlying strata were discussed. The results showed that optimizing the particle size distribution of the aggregate in cemented rockfill could increase the loading capacity of the backfill to improve the filling effect, effectively control the strata movement, and decrease the stress of rock mass in the coalface to reduce the potential danger.

Obtaining the optimal gradation of aggregate particles is beneficial for improving the strength of cemented paste backfill (CPB). Consequently, the uniaxial compression tests with acoustic emission (AE) monitoring were performed on CPB, for which the aggregate particles satisfied the Talbot grading theory. The effects of the Talbot indices of aggregate particles and types and contents of cementing materials on the mechanical properties of CPB were analyzed. The AE characteristics and stress-strain behaviors of CPB were discussed. The results show that the specific Talbot index reflected the optimal strength and deformation properties of CPB is 0.45, and the maximum UCS is 7.6 MPa. The mechanical properties of CPB also can be optimized by changing the type of cementing material and increasing the content of cementing material. The effects of the Talbot indices of aggregate particles and types and contents of cementing materials on the crack damages reflected by the AE signals of CPB are mainly observed in the oa stage and ab stage during the loading process.

During the construction of geotechnical engineering in cold regions, the stability of rock is inevitably affected by freeze-thaw cycles and hydrochemical corrosion. In order to study the effect of hydrochemical corrosion on dynamic mechanical properties of freeze-thaw rocks, dynamic compression tests were carried out on sandstone samples corroded by four different concentrations of HCl solutions with the same number of freeze-thaw cycles using split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test system. The coupling effects of freeze-thaw cycles with different concentrations of HCl solutions and strain rate on mechanical properties of sandstones were explored. The results showed that strain rate could enhance the dynamic compressive strength and peak strain but had no significant effect on the elastic modulus. The coupling effect of freeze-thaw cycles and acid corrosion weakened the dynamic compressive strength, and elastic modulus but enhanced the peak strain. In addition, X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to analyze the changes of mineral composition and microstructure damage of sandstone samples under the coupling effect of acid corrosion and freeze-thaw cycles. The analysis results were basically consistent with the damage characteristics of macro mechanical properties. The research results can provide reference for open pit coal mining in cold regions.