Study on Microstructural Evolution and Strength Growth and Fracture Mechanism of Cemented Paste Backfill

The relations among the uniaxial compressive strength of cemented paste backfill (CPB) with solid phase mass fraction, cement sand ratio, and curing age were studied. The UCS of CPB samples increased exponentially with the increase of solid phase mass fraction and curing age but increased linearly with the increase of cement sand ratio. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the strength was determined by the amount of ettringite and C-S-H gelling. With the increase of ettringite and C-S-H gelling, the strength became larger. The triaxial compression test was conducted by selecting four kinds of CPB samples. The results showed that, with the increase of confining pressure, peak and residual strength became larger, but the elastic modulus decreased. When the ratio of confining pressure and uniaxial strength is about 1 : 2, the CPB samples show significant ductility characteristics and the ratio of residual strength and peak strength increased obviously.