Thermo-mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of waste ore-based geopolymer potentially used for mine road: experimental measurement and numerical simulation investigation
摘要
Investigating the mechanical behavior of waste ore-based geopolymer under different temperatures is important for further guiding civil and mine engineers in the construction and repair of open-pit mine roads. This study investigated the thermo-mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of waste ore-based geopolymer under uniaxial compression (UCS) and road structure numerical models using the discrete element method (DEM). The influence of cooling (-16 °C, 5 °C) and heating (20 °C, 35 °C, 50 °C, 65 °C) temperatures on compressive strength, displacement, and failure characteristics was analyzed. Results indicated that compressive strength remained stable at lower cooling temperatures but increased significantly at 20–35 °C, followed by a decline at higher temperatures due to mass loss and increased porosity. Displacement analysis showed that particle movement decreases with rising heating temperature, and UCS model shows reduced displacement while the road structure model remains stable as temperature decreases in the cooling stage. The UCS and road structure numerical model exhibited shear failure. The development of microcracks in the numerical model under different thermal conditions is different; with the increase of heating, the total number of fractures inside the model and the displacement of the particles decrease. The study confirms that temperature variation significantly impacts the brittle-ductile deformation characteristics of waste ore-based geopolymer.