Development and prospect of artificial ground freezing technology for vertical mine shafts in China
YANG Weihao
LI Wei
WANG Yansen
MENG Xiangjun
YANG Zhijiang
REN Yanlong
HAN Tao
ZHANG Chi
ZHANG Tao
LUO Tingting
ZHANG Yu
Abstract：In the context of China's mineral resource exploitation and underground space development moving towards greater depths,vertical shaft construction is confronted with harsh conditions such as high earth pressure,high ground stress,high water pressure,rapid groundwater flow,and poor rock properties.This urgently demands breakthroughs in shaft sinking technological bottlenecks.By summarizing historical experiences,this paper identifies the freezing method as the predominant technique for groundwater sealing and strata reinforcement in deep shaft construction under complex conditions.It reviews the state of frozen shaft sinking technology in China and abroad prior to 2002,outlines major break-throughs and applications of artificial ground freezing(AGF)technology in China from 2002 to 2022 for vertical shafts in deep soil layers(400-800 m)and water-rich rock strata(500-1 000 m),and synthesizes advancements in key areas includ-ing:physical simulation equipment for shaft sinking by freezing method,experimental systems and methods for deep arti-ficial frozen soils,mechanics of deep artificial frozen soils,the mechanical properties of frozen rock,refrigeration techno-logy and equipment for ground freezing,ultra-deep freeze hole construction technology and equipment,temperature field variation laws of multi-ring pipe freezing,deformation laws of frozen soil wall in deep soil layers,the design theories for freezing wall thickness in deep soil/water-rich rock strata,new mechanisms and prevention strategies for freezing pipe fractures,process innovations(e.g.,zoned asynchronous freezing,controlled zoned freezing,localized freezing),freeze hole sealing techniques in deep rock strata,combined freezing technology for shafts and adjacent chambers.To address challenges in applying AGF to ultra-deep soil layers(1 500 m)and water-rich rock strata(3 000 m),the paper highlights critical research priorities:-80℃ cryogenic refrigeration systems with compatible materials/equipment,mechanical beha-vior of deep cryogenic frozen soils and frozen soil walls,design methodologies for deep cryogenic frozen soil walls,high-precision ultra-deep directional freezing hole technology,novel techniques for forming/maintaining freezing walls in ultra-deep shafts.
Keywords：deep soil layerswater-rich rock stratavertical shaftshaft sinking by freezing methodground freezingartificial frozen soilfrozen soil wallfreezing pipetemperature fieldmechanical properties
Publication Date：2025-10-31
Online Publishing Date：2025-11-20(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：22( 4707-4728 )