Experimental investigation into material characteristics of pea gravel

Pea gravel is a kind of a coarse aggregate with a specific particle size used to fill the annular gap between the lining segments and the surrounding ground when tunnel construction with shield machines is performed in hard rock. The main purpose of the present study is to propose quantitative morphological indices of the pea gravel and to establish their relations with the void content of the aggregate and the compressive strength of the mixture of pea gravel and slurry (MPS). Results indicate that the pea gravel of the crushed rock generally have a larger void content than that of the river pebble, and the grain size has the highest influence on the void ratio. Elongation, roughness and angularity have moderate influences on the void ratio. The content of the oversize or undersize particles in the sample affects the void ratio of the granular assembly in a contrary way. The compressive strength of the MPS made with the river pebble is obviously smaller than that of the MPS made with the crushed rock. In the crushed rock samples, the compressive strength increases with the increase of the oversize particle content. The relations between the morphological properties and the void content, and the morphological properties and the compressive strength of the MPS are expressed as regression functions. The outcomes of this study would assist with quality assessments in TBM engineering for the selection of the pea gravel material and the prediction of the compressive strength of the MPS.