ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Solid Earth Geophysics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2025.1603348
This article is part of the Research TopicSustainability and Environmental Considerations in Mining: From Deep-Sea to Solid EarthView all articles
Thermal-Induced Damage Mechanisms and Permeability Evolution in Gneiss for Deep Mining Applications
Provisionally accepted
- 1Zhang jian, Ju'an Survey Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, China
- 2Rongda Mining Co., Ltd. of New Barag Right Banner, Hulunbuir, China
- 3Zhejiang Tongji Vocational College of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- 4Zhejiang Guangchuan Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, China
- 5Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
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With the rapid development of deep mining and geothermal exploitation, the influence of high-temperature environment on the me-chanical properties of rocks has become a core challenge for engineering safety. This study focuses on gneiss (a common rock type in deep mining environments) to systematically investigate the thermal effects (25 - 800°C) on multiscale structural damage and per-meability evolution. Through integrated experimental approaches including high-temperature treatment, uniaxial compressive strength tests, micro-CT scanning, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, and digital seepage simulations, we comprehensively characterize the temperature-dependent structural alterations and fluid transport properties. The results indicate that as the temper-ature increases, the mass loss rate and porosity of gneiss significantly increase, and the heterogeneity of pore distribution intensifies. Thermal cracks gradually coalesce and form macroscopic fracture surfaces above 600°C, leading to an increase in volumetric porosity from 1.87% to 6.78%. Seepage simulation reveals that the absolute permeability increases by approximately 135% at 800°C, showing a linear positive correlation with the total porosity. Microscopic analysis reveals that the evaporation of intercrystalline bound water and differential thermal expansion of minerals are the main causes of crack propagation, and the compressive strength of the rock de-creases by 35.6% at high temperatures. This study innovatively combines X-CT scanning technology with digital core analysis to establish a three-dimensional quantitative evaluation system for gneiss fractures under high-temperature conditions, offering theoretical and technical support for deep mining engineering.
Keywords: Deep mining, High-Temperature, Gneiss, Mechanical Properties, damage mechanism, Seepage simulation
Received: 31 Mar 2025; Accepted: 07 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Hu, Liu, Ji and AN. 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:
Dakang Liu, Zhejiang Tongji Vocational College of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Ran AN, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430081, Hubei Province, China
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