ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Geohazards and Georisks
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2025.1633717
This article is part of the Research TopicEvolution Mechanism and Prevention Technology of Karst Geological Engineering DisastersView all 11 articles
Mechanism of water plugging by dynamic grouting with self-expanding slurry in karst tunnels
Provisionally accepted
- 1Hunan Water Resources and Hydropower Survey, Design, Planning and Research Co., Ltd, Changsha, China
- 2Hunan Provincial Water Resources Development and Investment Co., Ltd, Changsha, China
- 3Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China
- 4Hunan Polytechnic of Water Resources and Electric Power, Changsha, China
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Clarifying the mechanism of grouting to block karst water outbursts is essential for ensuring effective sealing. This paper studies the grouting blocking problem related to the prevention and control of water surge disasters in karst tunnels, focusing on the grouting blocking mechanism of self-expanding slurry (EPEM) under dynamic water conditions. We propose a grouting diffusion formula and blocking criterion that take into account the self-expanding properties of the slurry. Firstly, based on the equilibrium relationship between the friction force and anti-splitting force between the blocking body and the rock wall, we establish an effective blocking condition. Secondly, by combining capillary theory with Newton's fluid constitutive equation, we derive the diffusion distance formula for self-expanding slurry under dynamic water conditions. Furthermore, we construct a mechanical model that uses the length of the critical blocking body as a criterion, revealing the coupling influences of groundwater pressure, grouting pressure, and grouting time. The results indicate that groundwater pressure is positively correlated with grouting pressure and grouting time, while grouting pressure is negatively correlated with grouting time.Finally, we verify the practicality of the proposed criterion through the project at Quanmutang Reservoir in Hunan Province, successfully implementing a parameter combination of 0.5 MPa grouting pressure and 20 minutes of grouting time to block surge water. This research provides a theoretical basis and engineering guidance for the design of water surge grouting in karst tunnels.
Keywords: Karst tunnel, surge water, self-expanding slurry, grouting plugging, dynamic water conditions, Plugging criterion
Received: 23 May 2025; Accepted: 16 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhan, Lu, Liu, Zhou, Chen and Cao. 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: Lei Cao, Hunan Polytechnic of Water Resources and Electric Power, Changsha, China
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