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Volume 116
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Effect of aggregate gradation on the mesoscopic damage evolution of cemented gangue backfill
Xikun Chang a b, Lixia Gu a b, Dongmei Huang a c *, Xin Pan d, Bin Lu e, Shaoyu Liu a c, Zhixin Zhu a c
a State Key Laboratory of Disaster Prevention and Ecology Protection in Open-pit Coal Mines, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266590, China
b College of Energy and Mining Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266590, China
c College of Safety and Environmental Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266590, China
d Employee University of Xinwen Mining Group Co., Ltd., Jinan, 271100, China
e Inner Mongolia Green Mining Technology Co., Ltd., Ordos, 017000, China
10.1016/j.partic.2026.06.038
Volume 116, September 2026, Pages 396-410
Received 3 May 2026, Revised 26 June 2026, Accepted 28 June 2026, Available online 9 July 2026, Version of Record 15 July 2026.
E-mail: skd993906@sdust.edu.cn
Highlights

• Aggregate gradation governs the compressive behavior of coal gangue backfill.

• Skeleton gradation regulates force-chain evolution and crack propagation.

• Optimal aggregate gradation refines microstructure and enhances strength.

• Gradation-dependent meso-structure shapes damage evolution and failure modes.


Abstract

Cemented gangue backfill (CGB) is important for solid-waste utilization and goaf stability, and aggregate gradation strongly affects its performance. In this study, CGB specimens with different Talbot gradation indices were examined by uniaxial compression tests, pore-structure analysis, and PFC simulation to clarify the effects of gradation on mechanical behavior and mesoscopic damage. The UCS and elastic modulus first increased and then decreased with increasing gradation index. The best performance occurred at a gradation index of 0.4, with UCS 4%–50% higher than those of other gradations and a relatively high modulus. This gradation also produced the lowest two-dimensional porosity and probability entropy, 8.49% and 0.86, respectively, indicating denser particle packing and a more stable pore structure. Pore parameters were closely related to strength and stiffness, confirming that pore-structure optimization improves CGB performance. During loading, stress was mainly transferred through dominant force chains. At a gradation index of 0.4, the force-chain network was more continuous, delaying damage coalescence and stabilizing post-peak behavior. Tensile cracks dominated, accounting for more than 70% of all cracks, while shear cracks increased rapidly after peak stress, indicating a transition to mixed tensile–shear failure.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Cemented gangue backfill; Talbot gradation; Mesostructure; Particle flow code method; Mesoscopic damage evolution
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