Construction and Building Materials 166 (2018) 271–279

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Construction and Building Materials

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Shear behaviour of a cement grout tested in the direct shear test

Jianhang Chen a,b,⇑, Paul C. Hagan b, Serkan Saydam b
a
College of Resources and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083, China
b
School of Mining Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2032, Australia

h i g h l i g h t s

The shear behaviour of a Portland cement was studied with the direct shear test.

Two different boundary conditions, e.g., constant normal load and constant normal stiffness were applied.

The shear strength envelope of the tested cement was acquired.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Portland cement grouts are widely used in the mining industry to bond cable bolts with the surrounding
Received 25 June 2017 rockmass. Numerous laboratory and field tests showed that bond failure of the cable/grout interface is
Received in revised form 9 January 2018 the dominant failure mode. Previous research has found that shear behaviour of the grout along a pre-
Accepted 25 January 2018
defined plane plays a significant role in determining the nature of the bond failure in a cable bolt rein-
Available online 22 February 2018
forcement system. In this study, the shear behaviour of a Portland cement grout was investigated based
on a direct shear test. Two different boundary conditions were considered being a constant normal load
Keywords:
(CNL) and constant normal stiffness (CNS). Under CNL condition, five different normal pressures between
Shear behaviour
Shear strength
0.1 MPa and 6.0 MPa were examined. While under CNS condition, the initial normal pressure was set to
CNS value within the same range. Also, a CNS of 10 kN/m was added. The cohesion, internal friction angle and
shear strength of the grout were acquired. The results showed that there is a linear relationship between
the shear strength of the grout and resultant normal pressure. However, under the CNS condition, the
shear strength of the grout was found to be generally higher comparing to the CNL condition, most likely
because sample dilation resulted in an increase in the normal pressure. Consequently, shear strength of
the grout also increased.
Ó 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction the primary failure mode in field applications [3–7], as shown in

Portland cement is a product of clay and limestone, which are
heated together and then pulverised to form a powder rich in cal-
cium silicates [1].
While there are various types of cement-based grouts, Portland
cement grouts are the dominant primary grouting materials widely
used in the mining industry. Specifically, this type of grout is com-
monly used in rock reinforcement systems in mining to ensure the
safety of mine personnel. In cable bolt installations, Portland
cement is mixed and poured into boreholes to bond cable bolts
to the surrounding rockmass [2]. Numerous laboratory and field
tests have shown that bond failure at the cable/grout interface is
⇑ Corresponding author at: College of Resources and Safety Engineering, China
University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083, China.
E-mail address: jianhang.chen@cumtb.edu.cn (J. Chen).
Fig. 1.
Bond failure at the cable/grout interface is due to low bond
strength between the cable bolt and grout column [9–18]. Moosavi
[19] conducted a comprehensive study on the bond failure beha-
viour of cable bolts, finding that shear of the cement grout is the
key parameter in determining the performance of cable bolts.
Therefore, understanding the shear behaviour of the grout is ben-
eficial to optimising cable bolt reinforcement design and prevent-
ing cable bolts failing in field applications.
Although Portland cement has long been used in the industry,
most research only focused on its axial loading performance. Feld-
man and Beaudoin [20] conducted a number of Uniaxial Compres-
sive Strength (UCS) tests on several grouts, finding that porosity is
a main factor in determining the UCS and Young’s modulus of the
grout. Domone and Thurairatnam [21] tested the axial perfor-
mance of an ordinary grout with different curing temperatures.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.01.151
0950-0618/Ó 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
272 J. Chen et al. / Construction and Building Materials 166 (2018) 271–279
Fig. 1. Bond failure of the cable/grout interface in a pull-out test, after Chen, Hagan
[8].
The results showed that the grout strength increased with curing
temperature. Hyett, Bawden [22] conducted a detailed study to
evaluate the axial performance of grout. The influence of several
parameters including water-to-cement (w/c) ratio and curing time,
were studied. It was found that the UCS of the grout decreased sig-
nificantly as the w/c ratio increased from 0.25 to 0.70, as shown in
Fig. 2. However, the Poisson’s ratio remained almost constant.
Li, Xiao [23] compared the performance of a plain grout and
grout containing nanophase materials, finding that adding nano-
phase materials increased the compressive strength of the grout.
Chen, Hagan [24] conducted a series of UCS tests on a Portland
cement grout, finding that the w/c ratio obviously influenced the
UCS and Young’s modulus of the grout when the w/c ratio ranged
from 0.35 to 0.45.
On the other hand, less work has concentrated on the shear
behaviour of the Portland cement grout. For example, Reichert
[25] used triaxial compressive tests to evaluate the shear perfor-
mance of grout. In his work, three different w/c ratios including
0.3, 0.4 and 0.5, were used. It was found that the internal friction
angle of the grout is very low, which was likely due to the presence
of very fine particles in the grout. Hyett, Bawden [26] also tested
the shear behaviour of grout using a triaxial test. It was found that
the shear strength and internal friction angle of the grout were
Fig. 2. Influence of w/c ratio on the UCS of the Portland cement grout, after Hyett,
Bawden [22].
much smaller than rock. Moosavi [19] adopted triaxial tests to
evaluate the shear performance of cement grout. He found that
the w/c ratio has an impact in determining the shear strength of
the grout. Specifically, the shear strength and internal friction
angle of the grout increased as the w/c ratio decreased from 0.5
to 0.4. This work has been beneficial for researchers and engineers
in understanding the shear performance of Portland cement grout.
Furthermore, it provides input values in numerical simulation
work to study the shear behaviour of the grout column and bond
failure mechanism in cable bolt reinforcement systems.
Nevertheless, Moosavi and Bawden [27] indicated that for cable
bolts, the direct shear test is more appropriate to study the shear
behaviour of the cement grout, compared with triaxial testing. This
is because in cable bolt reinforcement, bond failure usually occurs
along the cable/grout interface that is a pre-defined plane. Since
the shear failure in the direct shear test is also a pre-defined plane,
they recommended using the direct shear test to evaluate the shear
behaviour of the grout. They conducted a number of direct shear
tests and the shear strength envelopes of the grout with two differ-
ent w/c ratios were acquired as shown in Fig. 3. However, their test
was only conducted under CNL condition and the influence of nor-
mal stiffness was not considered.
Until now, no research has been conducted on the shear beha-
viour of the Portland cement grout under CNS condition using a
direct shear test. It should be noted that in the case of cable bolt
reinforcement, the boundary of CNS does occur [26,28]. For exam-
ple, researchers have generally preferred to use metal pipes to con-
fine the grouted cable bolt and conduct pull-out tests on cable
bolts [29,30]. Either split-pipe pull test or double embedment pull
test can be used to test cable bolts [31–33]. For these scenarios, the
cable bolt can be prevented from rotating during testing. For exam-
ple, Satola [30] welded steel rods on the pipe surface to prevent the
cable bolt rotating, as shown in Fig. 4. Under this condition, the
cable bolt does not rotate and the cable wires cross over grout
ridges due to cable wire/grout printed images, creating CNS condi-
tion, as shown in Fig. 5. This paper aims at examining the differ-
ences in behaviour of the Portland cement grout between CNL
and CNS conditions.
In this paper, the experimental direct shear test process is firstly
illustrated. Then, the results from shear behaviour of the cement
grout under CNL condition are presented. After that, the shear
behaviour of the grout under CNS condition was provided. Finally,
the shear behaviour of the grout under CNL and CNS conditions are
compared and analysed.
Fig. 3. Shear strength envelopes of the Portland cement grout, after Moosavi and
Bawden [27].
 J. Chen et al. / Construction and Building Materials 166 (2018) 271–279 273

Fig. 4. Welding rods on the pipe surface to prevent the grouted cable bolt from
rotating [30].

cable
contant
normal
stiffness

Fig. 6. An outline of the prepared cubic sample.

grout metal pipe deformation and shear deformation. Different components of the
direct shear box are shown in Fig. 7, including the normal load cell,
Fig. 5. The cross-section of a grouted cable bolt. shear boxes, Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT) and
the shear load cell.

2. Experimental test process

2.4. Direct shear test under CNL condition
2.1. Cement selection
The first series of tests was conducted under CNL condition.
A Stratabinder HS cement was selected and tested in this study Specifically, the bottom shear box was pulled out before testing.
because it is widely used in the mining industry [34]. The Strata- Then the assembled sample and sample holder were installed in
binder HS is a modified Portland cement. This cement has high
strength and thus, it is commonly used for bottom up cable bolt
grouting.

2.2. Sample preparation

Cubic samples of grout material were cast and prepared in the

laboratory. It should be mentioned that in cement shear testing,
there is no test standard and few references have been reported.
However, in concrete shear testing, cubic samples were always
used [35,36]. Therefore, following the method used in concrete
testing, cubic samples were used in this study. Specifically, the
Stratabinder HS cement was mixed with a w/c ratio of 0.42 and
then poured into cubic casting moulds. The mould has an internal
length, width and height of 100 mm.
After the grout had set in the mould for 24 h, the samples were
removed from the mould and left to cure. Then, all fully immersed
in a water basin, for 28 days. After curing, each surface of the sam-
ples was ground to ensure a flat surface. An outline of a prepared
sample is shown in Fig. 6.

2.3. Shear box

Direct shear box RDS-300 manufactured by the Geotechnical

Consulting and Testing Systems was used in this study.
The direct shear box is a servo control machine, composed of
two main elements: the shear loading section and the normal load-
ing section. The shear loading actuator can provide a maximum
shear capacity of 300 kN and the normal loading actuator can pro-
vide a maximum normal load of 500 kN. Two different boundary
conditions: CNL and CNS, can be applied. During testing, the GCTS
software package automatically calculates shear stress, normal Fig. 7. Main components of the direct shear box.
274 J. Chen et al. / Construction and Building Materials 166 (2018) 271–279

the bottom of the shear box, as shown in Fig. 8. After that, the top
sample holder was installed. The top shear box was moved down
until a low normal force of 0.5 kN was applied to the sample.
To acquire the shear strength envelope of the grout, a number of
different normal pressures should be applied [37]. Furthermore,
the normal pressures applied should be larger than zero and smal-
ler than the UCS of the sample. Chen, Hagan [24] conducted UCS
tests on the Stratabinder HS grout and found that when a w/c ratio
of 0.42 was used, the grout had a mean UCS of 54 MPa.
In the first series of test, a low normal pressure of 0.1 MPa was
applied on the sample to check whether the direct shear test can be
conducted successfully. Then, the normal pressure was increased
with a small internal to make sure that the shear load is within
the capacity of the apparatus. As a result, the normal pressures
of 0.5 MPa, 1.5 MPa and 3.0 MPa were used. When the normal
pressure was higher than 6 MPa, the shear load was close to the
capacity of the apparatus. Consequently, it was determined that
in this study, the maximum normal pressure was 6 MPa.
Specifically, when a low normal pressure of 0.1 MPa was
applied to the sample, the feedback of the normal actuator was
set to stress control. After the normal load cell was able to record
a stable stress of 0.1 MPa, the normal actuator was set up as well. Fig. 9. Tightening the connector between the load cell and the bottom shear box.
Then, the connector between the shear load cell and the bottom
shear box was tightened, as shown in Fig. 9. After the load cell and
displacement transducers were zeroed, the direct shear test was recorded. And the maximum normal displacement that the sample
commenced. reached is named the dilation limit.
In the direct shear test, a constant shear speed of 0.5 mm/min After the test, the connector was released and the top shear box
was applied to the sample. During the test, the shear stress, shear was lifted up. Then, the sample holders were removed and the fail-
displacement and normal displacement (or dilation) were ure status of the sample was examined.
Following the same process, when different normal pressures
were applied, the shear behaviour of the grout could be studied.
Each test was replicated three times. The best two sets of test
results were selected and averaged as the final results.

2.5. Direct shear test under CNS condition

Theoretically, CNS condition was realised by adding a spring

with a constant stiffness on the sample boundary. And the normal
pressure generated by the spring in the shear process can be calcu-
lated with Eq. (1) [38]:
d
rn ¼ rn0 þ kn ð1Þ
As
Where, rn0 = initial normal pressure applied on the sample, Pa;
kn = normal stiffness, N/m; d = dilation in the test process, m; and
As = shearing area of the sample, m2.
As for the experiment, the test process under CNS condition was
basically consistent with the test under CNL condition. However,
the difference is that under CNS condition, an initial normal pres-
sure e.g., 0.1 MPa, was applied to the sample and then a normal
stiffness of 10 kN/mm was applied to the sample. During the whole
test, the normal stiffness remained constant. It should be men-
tioned that under CNS condition, the initial normal pressure ran-
ged from 0.1 MPa to 6.0 MPa in different tests, being consistent
with the normal pressure used under CNL condition.
By using this method, the shear behaviour of the grout under
CNS condition was studied. Again each test was replicated three
times and the best two were averaged as the final results.

3. Test results and analysis

3.1. Shear behaviour under CNL condition

When a CNL of 0.1 MPa was applied on the sample, the shear
stress versus shear displacement relationship of the sample was
Fig. 8. Sample installation in the direct shear box. determined as shown in Fig. 10. It shows that there is little shear
 J. Chen et al. / Construction and Building Materials 166 (2018) 271–279
Fig. 10. Shear stress versus shear displacement relationship of the grout when a
normal pressure of 0.1 MPa was applied.
stress until a shear displacement of 1.4 mm. The reason is that
there was a small gap between the sample and the mould after
the sample was installed. In the initial loading stage, the gap was
squeezed. And after the side of the sample fully contacted with
the mould, shear stress started to increase. At a shear displacement
of 6.7 mm, the shear stress reached a peak of 12.2 MPa. Meanwhile,
the dilation reached the maximum value of 0.7 mm. Since the
cement sample was intact, after the peak, the energy stored in
the sample released suddenly. Consequently, the bearing capacity
of the sample decreased directly and there was no residual load
recorded.
After each test was completed, the shear box was lifted up to
check the failure status of the sample, as shown in Fig. 11. An
apparent shear failure plane occurred in the middle of the sample.
Also, it was found that the failure plane was not perfectly horizon-
tal. This is because after the sample was installed in the shear box,
there was a small gap between the top shear box and the bottom
shear box. The height of the gap is around 4 mm. After the direct
shear test started, shear stress concentration occurred in the gap
area. As a result, the sample in the gap area first cracked and the
cracks propagated in the sample. When the cracks propagated in
the sample, they may not propagate in the horizontal direction.
Consequently, the shear failure plane was not perfectly horizontal.
This uneven failure plane resulted in dilation during the test
process.
Each test condition was repeated three times. Then the normal
pressure increased to 0.5 MPa, 1.5 MPa, 3 MPa and 6 MPa respec-
tively, and the shear tests were conducted. The test results under
the CNL condition were tabulated in Table 1.
Fig. 11. Shear failure plane of the sample under CNL condition.
275
After the test, it was found that:

when a CNL of 0.1 MPa was used, the average shear strength is
11.8 MPa and the dilation limit is 0.6 mm.

when a CNL of 0.5 MPa was used, the average shear strength is
13.4 MPa and the dilation limit is 0.7 mm.

when the CNL increased to 1.5 MPa, the average shear strength
increases to 14.1 MPa and the dilation limit is 0.5 mm.

when the CNL increased to 3 MPa, the average shear strength is
15.1 MPa and the dilation limit is 0.6 mm.

when the CNL was 6 MPa, the average shear strength is 17.7
MPa and the dilation limit is 0.6 mm.
The shear performance of the grout under CNL condition is
shown in Fig. 12. It shows that the normal pressure has a signifi-
cant effect in determining the shear performance of the grout.
Specifically, as the normal pressure increases, there is a corre-
sponding increase in shear strength as well. The shear stiffness of
the grout also increases. Under all different normal pressure condi-
tions, the bearing capacity of the grout decreases directly after the
maximum shear stress.
The influence of normal pressure on grout dilation is shown in
Fig. 13. It shows that the normal pressure has no apparent influ-
ence in determining the dilation of the grout. Specifically, in differ-
ent normal pressure conditions, the grout dilation limit is around
0.6 mm. A summary of the results under CNL condition is tabulated
in Table 2.
The shear strength versus normal pressure relationship of the
grout is shown in Fig. 14. It shows that the shear strength increases
almost linearly with normal pressure. A Mohr-Coulomb model was
used to fit the shear strength envelope, as shown in Eq. (2). It was
found that under the CNL condition, the cohesion of the grout is
12.4 MPa and the internal friction angle is 42.3, as tabulated in
Table 3.
s ¼ 12:4 þ 0:91r ð2Þ
Where, s = shear strength of the grout, Pa; and r = normal pressure,
Pa.
3.2. Shear behaviour under CNS condition
Under CNS condition, a normal stiffness of 10 kN/mm was used.
When an initial normal pressure of 0.1 MPa was used, the shear
stress versus shear displacement relationship of the grout is shown
in Fig. 15. It shows that shear stress increases with shear displace-
ment. When the shear displacement equals around 6 mm, the
276 J. Chen et al. / Construction and Building Materials 166 (2018) 271–279

Table 1
Sample dimension and test results under the CNL condition.

Normal pressure (MPa) Sample number Length (mm) Width (mm) Shear strength (MPa) Dilation limit (mm)
0.1 1 100.1 99.1 12.2 0.7
2 99.3 99.3 11.4 0.6
Mean 99.7 99.2 11.8 0.6
0.5 2 99.7 99.6 13.3 0.7
3 99.2 98.8 13.4 0.7
Mean 99.4 99.2 13.4 0.7
1.5 2 99.8 98.9 13.8 0.4
3 99.0 98.8 14.4 0.6
Mean 99.4 98.9 14.1 0.5
3 2 99.5 99.1 15.1 0.6
3 98.9 98.6 15.0 0.7
Mean 99.2 98.9 15.1 0.6
6 2 99.6 98.8 18.2 0.7
3 99.6 99.1 17.3 0.6
Mean 99.6 98.9 17.7 0.6

Fig. 12. Shear performance of the grout under CNL condition.

Fig. 14. Shear stress versus normal pressure relationship under CNL condition.

Table 3
Mechanical properties of the grout under CNL condition.

Cohesion (MPa) Internal friction angle (°) Frictional coefficient

12.4 42.3 0.91

After the test, the failure surface of the sample was inspected, as
shown in Fig. 17. There was an apparent uneven shear plane,
explaining the dilation apparent in the shear process.
Replication tests were conducted and the results are tabulated
in Table 4. It shows that under CNS condition, when an initial nor-
Fig. 13. Grout dilation under CNL condition.
mal pressure of 0.1 MPa was used, the average shear strength of
the grout is 12.8 MPa and the dilation limit is 0.7 mm.

Table 2
Summary of the results under CNL condition.

Number Normal pressure Shear strength Dilation limit

(MPa) (MPa) (mm)
1 0.1 11.8 0.6
2 0.5 13.4 0.7
3 1.5 14.1 0.5
4 3.0 15.1 0.6
5 6.0 17.7 0.6

shear stress reaches its peak value of 13.0 MPa. Meanwhile, dila-
tion reaches a maximum of 0.7 mm, as shown in Fig. 16. Post peak,
the bearing capacity of the grout decreases dramatically, showing Fig. 15. Shear stress versus shear displacement relationship of the grout when an
apparent brittle behaviour. initial normal pressure of 0.1 MPa was applied.
 J. Chen et al. / Construction and Building Materials 166 (2018) 271–279 277

from 6 mm to 7.9 mm. For dilation, the initial normal pressure

has little effect in affecting the dilation limit, as shown in Fig. 19.
A summary of the results under CNS condition is tabulated in
Table 5.
The shear strength versus normal pressure relationship of the
grout is shown in Fig. 20. There is almost a linear relationship
between the shear strength and the initial normal pressure. A
Mohr-Coulomb model was adopted to fit the shear strength envel-
ope, as shown in Eq. (3). Then, the cohesion and the internal fric-
tion angle of the grout under CNS condition can be acquired,
which are 13.1 MPa and 47.5 respectively, as tabulated in Table 6.

Fig. 16. Dilation of the grout when an initial normal pressure of 0.1 MPa was
s ¼ 13:1 þ 1:09r ð3Þ
applied.

3.3. Comparison between CNL and CNS

The shear performance of the grout under CNS condition is
shown in Fig. 18. It shows that under CNS condition, the initial nor-
mal pressure has an important effect in determining the shear per-
formance of the grout. The shear strength increased with the initial
normal pressure. The initial normal pressure also has a significant
effect on the shear displacement. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 18,
with the initial normal pressure increasing from 0.1 MPa to 6 MPa,
the shear displacement where shear strength occurred increased
A comparison between the shear behaviour of the grout under
CNL and CNS conditions is shown in Fig. 21. It shows that adding
a normal stiffness of 10 kN/m at the boundary of the sample does
not significantly influence the shear behaviour of the grout. Specif-
ically, there is generally a linear relationship between the grout
shear strength and the normal pressure not only under CNL but
also under the CNS condition.

Fig. 17. Shear failure plane of the sample under CNS condition.

Table 4
Sample dimension and test results under the CNS condition.

Initial normal pressure (MPa) Sample number Length (mm) Width (mm) Shear strength (MPa) Dilation limit (mm)
0.1 1 99.5 98.7 12.6 0.6
3 99.2 98.9 13.0 0.7
Mean 99.3 98.8 12.8 0.7
0.5 1 99.6 98.9 13.4 0.7
3 99.3 99.2 14.0 0.7
Mean 99.5 99.0 13.7 0.7
1.5 1 99.2 99.0 15.4 0.6
3 99.8 99.5 14.6 0.6
Mean 99.5 99.2 15.0 0.6
3 2 99.5 98.7 16.3 0.7
3 100.0 98.2 16.9 0.6
Mean 99.7 98.5 16.6 0.6
6 2 99.1 99.5 19.9 0.6
3 99.9 99.3 18.9 0.8
Mean 99.5 99.4 19.4 0.7
278 J. Chen et al. / Construction and Building Materials 166 (2018) 271–279

Table 6
Mechanical properties of the grout under CNS condition.

Cohesion (MPa) Internal friction angle (degree) Frictional coefficient

13.1 47.5 1.09

Fig. 18. Shear performance of the grout under CNS condition.

Fig. 21. Comparison of the grout shear behaviour under CNL and CNS conditions.

on normal pressure since the hydraulic system kept the normal

pressure constant and stable in the whole shear process. While
under the CNS condition, after dilation occurred, because of the
normal stiffness, there was a gradual increase in normal pressure.
The extra normal pressure generated by the normal spring had a
Fig. 19. Grout dilation under CNS condition for varying levels of initial normal positive effect on the shear strength, resulting in an increase in
pressure. grout shear strength. Nevertheless, since the normal stiffness used
in this study was quite small, it appeared that grout shear beha-
viour was less sensitive to normal stiffness.
Table 5
Summary of the results under CNS condition.
4. Conclusions
Number Initial normal pressure Shear strength Dilation limit
(MPa) (MPa) (mm) The shear behaviour of a Portland cement grout was studied in a
1 0.1 12.8 0.7 direct shear test. Two different boundary conditions were consid-
2 0.5 13.7 0.7 ered: CNL and CNS. Under the CNL condition, five different normal
3 1.5 15.0 0.6
4 3.0 16.6 0.6
pressures were examined: 0.1 MPa, 0.5 MPa, 1.5 MPa, 3.0 MPa and
5 6.0 19.4 0.7 6.0 MPa. As for the CNS condition, the initial normal pressure was
set between 0.1 MPa and 6.0 MPa. Also, a CNS of 10 kN/m was
added.
Test results showed that there is a general linear relationship
between the shear strength of a grout and the normal pressure in
both the CNL and CNS conditions. During the shearing process,
inclined shear failure plane occurred in the sample, resulting in
the sample dilating. Under the CNL condition, the cohesion of the
grout was determined to be 12.4 MPa and the internal friction
angle 42.3. While, under CNS condition, the cohesion of the grout
was 13.1 MPa and the internal friction angle was 47.5. The shear
strength of the grout under CNS condition is generally higher than
that under CNL condition. This is because under CNS condition, the
sample dilation resulted in the normal spring generates extra nor-
mal pressure. Consequently, the extra normal pressure leads to an
increase in the grout shear strength. However, since the normal
stiffness used in this study was quite small, the effect of an
increase in grout shear strength was less obvious.
Fig. 20. Shear stress versus normal pressure relationship under CNS condition.
Acknowledgements

The shear strength of the grout under CNS condition is generally
higher than that under CNL condition. This is because during the
shear process, the sample did not fail along a horizontal plane. In
fact, an inclined shear failure plane apparently occurred, resulting
in the sample dilating. Under CNL condition, dilation has no effect
The authors would like to thank Minova Australia for providing
the Stratabinder HP grout. Also, the authors especially thank the
Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP C22010).
This paper was also supported by the Fundamental Research Funds
for the Central Universities (Grant No. 2018QZ06).
 J. Chen et al. / Construction and Building Materials 166 (2018) 271–279 279

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