Exploration on electrical resistance tomography in characterizing the slurry spatial distribution in cemented granular materials

Abstract

This study investigated the application of electrical resistance tomography (ERT) in characterizing the slurry spatial distribution in cemented granular materials (CGMs). For CGM formed by self-flow grouting, the voids in the accumulation are only partially filled and the bond strength is often limited, which results in difficulty in obtaining in situ samples for quality evaluation. Therefore, it is usually infeasible to evaluate the grouting effect or monitor the slurry spatial distribution by a mechanical method. In this research, the process of grouting cement paste into high alumina ceramic beads (HACB) accumulation is reliably monitored with ERT. It shows that ERT results can be used to calculate the cement paste volume in the HACB accumulation, based on calibrating the saturation exponent n in Archie’s law. The results support the feasibility of ERT as an imaging tool in CGM characterization and may provide guidance for engineering applications in the future.