Investigates mechanical properties improvement in shield tunnel spoil, suggesting enhanced durability through innovative material use.
This study aims to develop a green composite cementitious material (GCCM) by partially replacing cement with multiple industrial solid wastes and to further enhance its toughness by incorporating basalt fibers (BF) for the effective disposal of shield tunnel spoil (STS). The deterioration behavior of STS synergistically improved by GCCM and BF was systematically investigated under drying–wetting (D-W) cycles using unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests, mass loss and P-wave velocity measurements, as well as industrial computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that BF significantly improves the early-age strength and deformation toughness of STS, with an optimal UCS increase of about 13% at 0.45% BF. Although the mechanical properties of the specimens deteriorated with an increasing number of D-W cycles, the “bridging effect” of BF effectively inhibited the propagation and coalescence of cracks. Quantitative CT analysis further revealed that the addition of 1.00% BF reduced the pore volume (Vk) and crack volume (Vl) by 54.3% and 63.2%, respectively, after eight D-W cycles. The damage mechanism is primarily attributed to the loss of cementitious materials caused by water migration and the swelling–shrinkage stress of clay minerals. The three-dimensional (3D) network structure formed by BF, through its pull-out energy dissipation mechanism, effectively maintained the macro- and microstructural integrity of the material. This study highlights the novelty of combining GCCM with BF to enhance the long-term durability of STS, providing a theoretical basis and technical support for its green disposal and engineering application in complex environments.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Li et al. (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: