Development of polymer reinforcement methods for loose rocks to improve the efficiency of exploitation of mines and engineering structures

The method for reinforcement of loose rocks, that includes sequential injection of components of two-component resins with subsequent displacement of each solution deep into the rock by gas, is proposed. It is established that sequential injection of individual components of silicate and polyurethane compositions provides a decrease in polymer consumption, a two-fold increase in the volume of reinforced sand, compared to the standard injection of two-component compositions. A structure with a reinforcing frame of cured polymer is formed, which helps to increase the mechanical strength of the formed geomaterial. It is revealed that the compressive strength of the reinforced sand is on average more than two times higher than the values obtained with standard injection. The method is most effective with sequential injection of components of compositions by small portions with their displacement deep into the rock by gas at each stage. The method for increasing the strength of loose rocks reinforced with highly elastic polymer resins, is proposed in the paper. The method consists in consolidation of loose rock with a two-component highly elastic polyurethane composition and additional treatment with a small volume of fast-acting rigid resin to increase the strength of the formed geomaterial. It has been established that the addition of 5 vol. % of a one-component polyurethane resin increases the strength of reinforced low-moisture sand by 1.3–1.5 times, relative to strengthening only with a highly elastic composition. For water-saturated sands, the efficiency of the method increases, with a small addition of a rigid polymer, the mechanical strength increases more than two times, compared to rock strengthened only with a highly elastic composition. The proposed methods allow optimizing the consumption of reagents, increasing the efficiency of technologies for physical and chemical reinforcement of rocks with polymer compositions.

Shilova T. V., Serdyukov S. V., Drobchik A. N., Ivanova O. A. Development of polymer reinforcement methods for loose rocks to improve the efficiency of exploitation of mines and engineering structures. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2026;(2-1):46-60. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2026_21_0_46.

The study was supported by the grant of the Russian Science Foundation No. 25-27-20055, https://rscf.ru/project/25-27-20055/, and financial support from the Government of the Novosibirsk Region.

T.V. Shilova¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Researcher, e-mail: shilovatanya@yandex.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5056-9279,
S.V. Serdyukov¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Head of Laboratory, e-mail: ss3032@yandex.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1295-4122,
A.N. Drobchik¹, Research Engineer, e-mail: valker.tiamant@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0009-0002-7567-6497,
O.A. Ivanova¹, Junior Researcher, e-mail: ksu_88@bk.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9334-4173,
¹ N.A. Chinakal Institute of Mining, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630091, Novosibirsk, Russia.

T.V. Shilova, e-mail: shilovatanya@yandex.ru.

1. Faramarzi L., Rasti A., Abtahi S. M. An experimental study of the effect of cement and chemical grouting on the improvement of the mechanical and hydraulic properties of alluvial formations. Construction and Building Materials. 2016, vol. 126, pp. 32—43. DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.09.006.

2. Dirgėlienė N., Kordušas V. Stabilization of soil using polyurethane resin injection technology. International Conference Modern Building Materials, Structures and Techniques. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2023, pp. 605—611. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-44603-0_62.

3. Vasil'ev V. V. Polimernye kompozitsii v gornom dele [Polymer compositions in mining], Moscow, Nauka, 1986, 294 p.

4. Sabri M. M., Shashkin K. G. The mechanical properties of the expandable polyurethane resin based on its volumetric expansion nature. Magazine of Civil Engineering. 2020, vol. 6, no. 98, article 9811. DOI: 10.18720/MCE.98.11.

5. Liu H., Wang F., Shi M., Tian W. Mechanical behavior of polyurethane polymer materials under triaxial cyclic loading: a particle flow code approach. Journal of Wuhan University of Technology Materials Science Edition. 2018, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 980—986. DOI: 10.1007/s11595-018-1922-9.

6. Chen Q. S., Peng W., Tao G. L., Nimbalkar S. Strength and deformation characteristics of calcareous sands improved by PFA. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering. 2021, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 60—69. DOI: 10.1007/s12205-020-0458-7.

7. Feng W. Q., Bayat M., Bin L., Mousavi Z., Lin J. F., Li A. G. Shear strength enhancement in soil using polyurethane foam adhesive and cement injections. International Journal of Geosynthetics and Ground Engineering. 2024, vol. 10, no. 6, article 97. DOI: 10.1007/s40891-024-00603-w.

8. Bodi J., Bodi Z., Scucka J., Martinec P. Polyurethane grouting technologies. Polyurethane. 2012, vol. 1, pp. 307—336. DOI: 10.5772/35791.

9. Wang J., Fan K., Du J., Xu J., Dong X., Li X., Ding Y. Effect of organosilicon modified epoxy resin on slurry viscosity and mechanical properties of polyurethane grouting materials. Construction and Building Materials. 2023, vol. 387, article 131585. DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.131585.

10. Cornely W. Elastified silicate resins and polyurethane foam resins for the stabilization of strata-a comparison. Proceedings of the 6th International Seminary Reinforcement and Sealing of Rock and Construction at the Beginning of 21st Century, Ostrava, Czech Republic. 2001.

11. Wu L., Wu Z., Weng L., Liu Y., Chu Z., Chen J. Comparative analysis of polyacrylate latex modified cement grout for water blocking and rock reinforcement with six alternative materials. Construction and Building Materials. 2024, vol. 429, article 136377. DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.136377.

12. Tratsevskaya E. Yu. Geological hazards when justifying the regulations of urban development. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Assets Engineering. 2024, vol. 335, no. 9, pp. 73—83. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.18799/24131830/2024/9/3915.

13. Toumpanou I. C., Pantazopoulos I. A., Markou I. N., Atmatzidis D. K. Predicted and measured hydraulic conductivity of sand-sized crushed limestone. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment. 2021, vol. 80, no. 2, pp. 1875—1890. DOI: 10.1007/s10064-020-02032-1.

14. Silchenko V., Baev O., Kosichenko Y. Effect of subsoil moisture on filtration through a screen defect. Magazine of Civil Engineering. 2022, vol. 111, no. 3, article 11109. DOI: 10.34910/MCE.111.9.

15. Kharchenko I. Y., Panchenko A. I., Erofeev V. T., Mirsayapov I. T., Khozin V. G., Tarakanov O. V., Zavalishin E. V. Injection technologies for elimination of karst-suffosion hazard and soil subsidence in the foundation of buildings and structures. Structural mechanics of engineering constructions and buildings. 2024, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 593—612. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.22363/1815-5235-2024-20-6-593-612.

16. Velez D., Alumbreros D., Carpintero D., Tsakas P., Tsaka E., Sakellariadis K., Papachatzaki Z. R. Consolidation and waterproofing by injection of PU resins. Ilarion Dam-treatment on the spillway tunnel. Expanding Underground-Knowledge and Passion to Make a Positive Impact on the World. London: CRC Press, 2023, p. 1048—1056. DOI: 10.1201/9781003348030-125.

17. Shilova T. V., Serdyuk I. M., Serdyukov S. V., Ivanova O. A., & Serdyukov A. S. Change in permeability of loose rocks in partial impregnation with high-elastic polymer. Journal of Mining Sciences. 2024, vol. 1, pp. 26—32. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.15372/FTPRPI20240103.

18. Ortiz R. C. Mechanical behavior of grouted sands [master’s dissertation]. Kentucky: University of Kentucky, 2015, 117 p.

19. Miranda L., Caldeira L., Serra J. B., Gomes R. C. Geotechnical characterization of a novel material obtained by injecting a closed cell expansive polyurethane resin into a sand mass. Transportation Geotechnics. 2023, vol. 42, article 101051. DOI: 10.1016/j.trgeo.2023.101051.

20. Shilova T. V., Serdyukov S. V., Rybalkin L. A. Soft Rock Reinforcement by Bicomponent Organomineral Resin Injection. Journal of Mining Sciences. 2022, no. 5, pp. 178—187. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.15372/FTPRPI20220517.

21. Shilova T. V., Serdyukov S. V., Drobchik A. N. Experimental research of stress-strain properties of sandy soil when strengthened with polyurethane compounds. Mining Science and Technology (Russia). 2025, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 15—24. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.17073/2500-0632-2024-08-303.

22. Razavifar M., Mukhametdinova A., Nikooee E., Burukhin A., Rezaei A., Cheremisin A., Riazi M. Rock porous structure characterization: a critical assessment of various state-of-the-art techniques. Transport in Porous Media. 2021, vol. 136, no. 2, pp. 431—456. DOI: 10.1007/s11242-020-01518-6.

23. Meng Q., Wang H., Wang W., Shen W., Zhu C. Microscopic structure effect on the macroscopic property of geomaterials. Frontiers in Physics. 2022, vol. 10, article 1046888. DOI: 10.3389/fphy.2022.1046888.