Abstract:
Gypsum poses significant risks to underground engineering due to its high solubility. The research on the gypsum dissolution in the Cretaceous Guankou Formation(K
2g)is predominantly confined to laboratory experiments, which are unable to represent the true temperature, pressure and hydrodynamic environment. This paper explored the in-situ borehole dissolution test and compared it with the laboratory dissolution test with the flow rate of 1 mL ·min
-1. The results showed that the dissolution rate and the chemical characteristics of groundwater were significantly stratified in the in-situ corrosion test. Specimens at 15 m and 25 m in the borehole exhibited intense karstification, while the dissolution rate at 35 m in the borehole was only 1/4 of the middle and upper specimens. The concentration of SO
42- and Ca
2+ in groundwater at 25 m was more than 1.5 times that at 15 m and 35 m depths, and the ratio of SO
42-/Ca
2+ was lower than that in gypsum molecule. The dissolution rate in laboratory test was half of that in the in-situ test. The p-wave velocity and uniaxial compressive strength of species decreased significantly due to dissolution, and the gypsum experienced a softening process from "elastic-plastic-elastic" to "elastic-plastic". Microstructure underwent a process from integrity to microcrack propagation and disintegration. The differences of dissolution between laboratory and in-situ test were mainly affected by specific surface area, ambient temperature, flow rate and head pressure. The in-situ borehole dissolution test had great significance for the study of the karstification mechanism of gypsum in the Cretaceous Guankou Formation.