Gelfill (GF) is made of tailings, water, binder and chemical additives (Fillset, sodium silicate gel). The components of GF are combined and mixed on the surface and transported (by gravity and/or pumping) to the underground mine workings, where the GF can be used for both underground mine support and tailings storage. Thermal (T), hydraulic (H), and mechanical (M) properties are important performance criteria of GF. The understanding of these engineering properties and their evolution with time are still limited due to the fact that GF is a new cemented backfill material. In this thesis, the evolution of the thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and microstructural properties of small GF samples are determined. Various binder contents of Portland cement type I (PCI) are used. The GF is cured for 3, 7, 28, 90, and 120 days. It is found that the thermal, hydraulic and mechanical properties are time-dependent or affected by the degree of binder hydration index. Furthermore, a relationship is found between the compressive strength and the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the GF samples. The unsaturated hydraulic properties of GF samples have also been investigated. The outcomes show that unsaturated hydraulic conductivity is influenced by the degree of binder hydration index and binder content, especially at low suction ranges. Simple functions are proposed to predict the evolution of air-entry values (AEVs), residual water content, and fitting parameters from the van Genuchten model with the degree of hydration index (α). Furthermore, two columns are built to simulate the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behaviour of GF under drained and undrained conditions. The obtained results from the GF columns are compared with the small samples. It is observed that the mechanical properties, hydraulic properties (suction and water content), and temperature development are strongly coupled. The magnitude of these THM coupling factors is affected by the size of the GF. The findings also show that the mechanical, hydraulic and thermal properties of the GF columns are different from samples cured in plastic moulds.

An extensive amount of natural gas trapped in the subsurface is found as methane hydrate. A fundamental understanding of natural hydrate-bearing sediments is required to engineer production strategies and to assess the risks hydrates pose to global climate change and large-scale seafloor destabilization. This thesis reports fundamental studies on hydrate nucleation, morphology and the evolution of unsaturation during dissociation, followed by additional studies on sampling and pressure core testing. Hydrate nucleation is favored on mineral surfaces and it is often triggered by mechanical vibration. Continued hydrate crystal growth within sediments is governed by capillary and skeletal forces; hence, the characteristic particle size d10 and the sediment burial depth determine hydrate morphologies in natural sediments. In aged hydrate-bearing sand, Ostwald ripening leads to patchy hydrate formation; the stiffness approaches to the lower bound at low hydrate saturation and the upper bound at high hydrate saturation. Hydrate saturation and pore habit alter the pore size variability and interconnectivity, and change the water retention curve in hydrate-bearing sediments. The physical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments are determined by the state of stress, porosity, and hydrate saturation. Furthermore, hydrate stability requires sampling, handling, and testing under in situ pressure, temperature, and stress conditions. Therefore, the laboratory characterization of natural hydrate-bearing sediments faces inherent sampling disturbances caused by changes in stress and strain as well as transient pressure and temperature changes that affect hydrate stability. While pressure core technology offers unprecedented opportunities for the study of hydrate-bearing sediments, careful data interpretation must recognize its inherent limitations.

Gelfill (GF) is made of tailings, water, binder and chemical additives (Fillset, sodium silicate gel). The components of GF are combined and mixed on the surface and transported (by gravity and/or pumping) to the underground mine workings, where the GF can be used for both underground mine support and tailings storage. Thermal (T), hydraulic (H), and mechanical (M) properties are important performance criteria of GF. The understanding of these engineering properties and their evolution with time are still limited due to the fact that GF is a new cemented backfill material. In this thesis, the evolution of the thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and microstructural properties of small GF samples are determined. Various binder contents of Portland cement type I (PCI) are used. The GF is cured for 3, 7, 28, 90, and 120 days. It is found that the thermal, hydraulic and mechanical properties are time-dependent or affected by the degree of binder hydration index. Furthermore, a relationship is found between the compressive strength and the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the GF samples. The unsaturated hydraulic properties of GF samples have also been investigated. The outcomes show that unsaturated hydraulic conductivity is influenced by the degree of binder hydration index and binder content, especially at low suction ranges. Simple functions are proposed to predict the evolution of air-entry values (AEVs), residual water content, and fitting parameters from the van Genuchten model with the degree of hydration index (α). Furthermore, two columns are built to simulate the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behaviour of GF under drained and undrained conditions. The obtained results from the GF columns are compared with the small samples. It is observed that the mechanical properties, hydraulic properties (suction and water content), and temperature development are strongly coupled. The magnitude of these THM coupling factors is affected by the size of the GF. The findings also show that the mechanical, hydraulic and thermal properties of the GF columns are different from samples cured in plastic moulds.

Este trabalho apresenta uma revisão bibliográfica sobre os conceitos de solos não saturados e descreve os diversos tipos de camada de cobertura usadas em aterro de resíduos sólidos urbanos. Apresenta trabalhos científicos que contemplam curvas características de solos tropicais brasileiros. Caracteriza o solo usado antigamente como camada de cobertura do Aterro Morro do Céu e este solo com adição de 5% de bentonita. Determina a curva característica desses dois solos pelo Método do Papel Filtro e pela Placa de Sucção e, em seguida, Placa de Pressão. As curvas obtidas por esses métodos apresentaram diferenças. A adição da bentonita no solo teve como objetivo avaliar o desempenho do mesmo. O solo com adição de bentonita apresentou maior plasticidade, menor permeabilidade e maior capacidade de retenção de água no solo. Apresenta a modelagem de camadas monolíticas, camadas monolíticas evapotranspirativas, barreiras capilares, barreiras capilares evapotranspirativas através do uso do Programa VADOSE/W como ferramenta para aferição. / This study is a review about unsatured soils concepts and describes some types of soil cover systems used in landfills. It presents scientific works about Brazilian tropical soils Water Retention Curve. It characterizes the soil that was used as a cover layer system used at Morro do Céu landfill and the same soil with addition of 5% of bentonite. It determinates the soil water retention curve by Filter Paper Method and Suction Plate and, after that, Pressure Plate. The curves obtained by these two methods showed differences. The objective of the addition of the bentonite in the soil is to evaluate its performance. The soil with the addition of bentonite shows higher plasticity, lower hydraulic conductivity and higher moisture storage. It presents the modeling of monolithic covers, evapotranspirative monolithic covers, capillary barriers and evapotranspirative capillary barriers by the use of VADOSE/W Program as a tool for gauging.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:00:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5728.pdf: 4886967 bytes, checksum: 9a66021bc6eec94037ca58204cb8fb84 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-23 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / Stormwater flooding in urban centers today is the direct result of ground impermeabilization and the ineffective dimensioning of stormwater drainage systems. In order to control these events, innovative low impact stormwater drainage facilities are used in Brazil, which are efficient in controlling sharp peak flows in urban watersheds without, however, affecting the aesthetic appearance of the landscape in these environments. The purpose of this study is to model and estimate the volume of water infiltrated into the soil where a compensatory stormwater drainage system is inserted, which can contribute to groundwater recharge. Modeling was performed by means of a physical storage method and storage variation in soil using a tensiometer, and in digital form using the Hydrus 2D/3D software package. The monitored drainage system and the digitally designed system consist of a water retention basin, a ditch or filter, and an infiltration trench. Groundwater recharge was estimated based on soil analyses, geophysical investigations, flow measurements, and rainfall data, in addition to data collected during 454 days of continuous monitoring of the system by means of tensiometers installed on-site, rain gauges, and the construction of bimodal soil water retention curves using the filter paper method. The moisture content at different depths, the zero water flow plane, and the volumes moving in the soil matrix were calculated based on the identification of the soil water content and matric potential, the hydraulic conductivity in saturated conditions at the monitored depths, and the soil s characteristic curves. The results of the Soil Water Retention Curves (SWRC) and soil moisture content were negligible starting from a depth of 80cm. However, the groundwater recharge rate estimated by the tensiometer method and by the Hydrus digital model was about 45% of the total volume of rainfall. / Atualmente, eventuais problemas de enchentes e inundações, são causas diretas da impermeabilização de áreas nos centros urbanos e do ineficaz dimensionamento da drenagem pluvial nas cidades. No intuito de se controlar estes eventos, equipamentos de drenagem de baixo impacto são inovadoras no Brasil e eficientes no controle de vazões de pico acentuadas em bacias urbanas, sem sobretudo, renunciar à estética e à paisagem nestes ambientes. Neste trabalho objetivou-se modelar e estimar o volume de água infiltrado no solo, onde um sistema de drenagem pluvial compensatória está inserido, que é capaz de contribuir com a recarga freática. A modelagem foi realizada por meio do método de armazenamento e variação da armazenagem no solo com utilização de tensiômetro e de forma digital utilizando-se do software Hydrus 2D/3D. O sistema de drenagem monitorado e o diagramado digitalmente são constituídos de uma bacia de retenção de água, uma vala ou filtro gramado e uma trincheira de infiltração. Na tentativa de estimar a recarga freática realizaram-se, conjuntamente, análises de solo, investigações geofísicas, medidas de vazão, coleta de dados de chuva, além do monitoramento contínuo em 454 dias do sistema através da instalação de tensiômetros no local, pluviógrafos, além da construção de curvas bimodais de retenção de água nos solos por meio do método do papel filtro. A partir da identificação dos potenciais mátricos do solo, da condutividade hidráulica em condições saturadas para as profundidades monitoradas e da obtenção das curvas características do solo, foi possível calcular o teor de umidade em diferentes profundidades, identificar o plano de fluxo zero e calcular os volumes em movimento na matriz do solo. Os resultados obtidos pela verificação das Curvas de Retenção de Água no Solo (CRAs) e umidades de campo foram pouco expressivos a partir de 80cm de profundidade, entretanto, a recarga estimada obtida pelo método dos tensiômetros e pelo modelo digital Hydrus ficou em torno de um valor médio de 45% do volume total precipitado.

Soil compaction under traffic of animals has become an increasingly significant problem in soils used for crop-livestock integration. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of integration crop-livestock and different soil management systems on their attributes water and mechanical and relate them to the development and productivity of soybean. The specific objectives were: to investigate the effect of the absence of animal trampling on the water and mechanical attributes of soil and growth of soybean; to evaluate susceptibility to soil compaction by the parameters of the compressibility of the soil; determine the relationship of permeability to air with the tension of the water and soil pore space; evaluate the relationship between plant growth and water content; evaluate the residual effect of chiseling. The experiment was installed in 2007, in a commercial agricultural area in the municipality of Ibirubá (RS). The soil of the place is classified as Oxisol. Bulk density (Ds), macroporosity (Ma), microporosity (Mi) total porosity (Pt) resistance to penetration (RP) and soil moisture (θ), emergence and plant height, root growth and yield of soybean were evaluated. The experimental design was randomized blocks with three replications. The treatments were: tillage without grazing (SDS / P), tillage with grazing (SDC / P) and chiseling (Esc). The Ds, Mi, Ma, En, CRA and Ka were determined in soil samples collected with the structure preserved in layers: 0-0,07; 0,07- 0,15 e 0,20-0,30 m in three periods: before grazing (August 2007), post-grazing (December 2007) and post-grazing (October 2008). The soil compression curve in balanced sample was determined in tension of 0.03 MPa in the first two layers above. The results indicated that the chiseling sporadic in soils under crop-livestock integration without tillage provides soil hydro-physical conditions less favorable for the development of plants. The preparation with chisel negatively affected grain yield of soybean. The soil whit chiseling had its proprieties changed by the treading of animals, reducing the residual effect of it. The absence of animals did not promote significant changes in Ds, Mi, Ma and Pt managed under the soil tillage. The chiseling decreased soil moisture compared to other treatments. The PR showed a direct relationship with soil moisture, for below 20% obtained values above 2 MPa for RP were. In SD/CP, the root system showed deviation of growth in depth, especially in the 0-0,07 m layer. The deviation unobserved in SD/SP and Esc. The same behavior was not observed in SD/SP and Esc. in years with water deficit. The plant height in SD/SP was higher than in other treatments and the lowest grain yield was obtained in Esc. Highest Ka was observed in lower potential matric and the surface layer of soil, where there is greater presence of macroporosity, with reduction in depth. A direct relationship between the soil Ka and εa was observed. The pressure applied by the traffic of animals increased the values of σp in the surface layer. With chiseling of the soil, the surface layer had less ability to support loads and greater susceptibility to compaction. / A compactação do solo sob tráfego de animais vem se tornando um problema crescente em solos utilizados sob integração lavoura-pecuária. O objetivo deste estudo foi de determinar o efeito da integração lavoura-pecuária e diferentes manejos de manejo do solo nos seus atributos hídricos e mecânicos e relacioná-los com o desenvolvimento e a produtividade da soja. Os objetivos específicos foram: verificar o efeito da ausência do pisoteio animal sobre os atributos hídricos e mecânicos do solo e crescimento da soja; avaliar a suscetibilidade do solo à compactação, através dos parâmetros de compressibilidade do solo; verificar a relação da permeabilidade ao ar com a tensão da água e o espaço poroso do solo; avaliar a relação entre o crescimento das plantas e conteúdo de água; avaliar o efeito residual da escarificação. O experimento foi instalado no ano de 2007, numa área agrícola comercial, no município de Ibirubá (RS). O solo do local é classificado como Latossolo Vermelho distrófico. Avaliaram-se a densidade (Ds), macroporosidade (Ma), microporosidade (Mi) e porosidade total (Pt) a resistência do solo à penetração (RP) e a umidade (θ)do solo, bem como emergência e altura de planta, crescimento radicular e produtividade da soja. O delineamento experimental foi blocos ao acaso com três repetições. Os tratamentos foram: semeadura direta sem pastejo (SD/SP), semeadura direta com pastejo (SD/CP) e escarificado (Esc). A Ds, Mi, Ma, Pt, CRA e a Ka foram determinadas em amostras de solo coletada com estrutura preservada nas camadas de 0-0,07; 0,07- 0,15 e 0,20-0,30 m, em três épocas: antes do pastejo (agosto de 2007), pós-pastejo (dezembro de 2007) e pós-pastejo (outubro de 2008). A curva de compressão do solo foi determinada em amostra equilibrada na tensão de 0,03 MPa nas duas primeiras camadas acima citadas. Os resultados indicaram que a escarificação em solos sob integração lavoura-pecuária sob plantio direto proporciona condições físico-hídrica do solo menos favoráveis ao desenvolvimento das plantas, afetando negativamente o rendimento de grãos da cultura da soja. O solo escarificado sofreu alterações impostas pelo pisoteio dos animais, reduzindo o efeito residual do mesmo. A ausência dos animais não promoveu alterações expressivas na Ds, Mi, Ma e Pt no solo manejado sob plantio direto. A escarificação diminuiu a retenção de água comparado com solo não escarificado. A RP apresentou relação direta com a umidade, abaixo de 20 % obteve-se valores acima de 2 MPa de RP. Na SD/CP o sistema radicular apresentou desvio de crescimento em profundidade, principalmente na camada 0-0,07 m, desvio não observado na SD/SP e no Esc. A altura de planta no SD/SP foi maior do que nos demais tratamentos e a menor produtividade de grãos foram obtidos no Esc. em ano com déficit hídrico. A maior Ka foi observada nos menores potenciais matriciais e na camada superficial do solo, onde há maior presença de macroporos, com redução em profundidade. Obteve-se uma relação direta entre a Ka e o εa do solo. A pressão aplicada pelo tráfego dos animais elevou os valores de σp na camada superficial. Com a escarificação do solo a camada superficial, houve menor capacidade de suporte, ou seja, maior suscetibilidade à compactação.

Este trabalho apresenta uma revisão bibliográfica sobre os conceitos de solos não saturados e descreve os diversos tipos de camada de cobertura usadas em aterro de resíduos sólidos urbanos. Apresenta trabalhos científicos que contemplam curvas características de solos tropicais brasileiros. Caracteriza o solo usado antigamente como camada de cobertura do Aterro Morro do Céu e este solo com adição de 5% de bentonita. Determina a curva característica desses dois solos pelo Método do Papel Filtro e pela Placa de Sucção e, em seguida, Placa de Pressão. As curvas obtidas por esses métodos apresentaram diferenças. A adição da bentonita no solo teve como objetivo avaliar o desempenho do mesmo. O solo com adição de bentonita apresentou maior plasticidade, menor permeabilidade e maior capacidade de retenção de água no solo. Apresenta a modelagem de camadas monolíticas, camadas monolíticas evapotranspirativas, barreiras capilares, barreiras capilares evapotranspirativas através do uso do Programa VADOSE/W como ferramenta para aferição. / This study is a review about unsatured soils concepts and describes some types of soil cover systems used in landfills. It presents scientific works about Brazilian tropical soils Water Retention Curve. It characterizes the soil that was used as a cover layer system used at Morro do Céu landfill and the same soil with addition of 5% of bentonite. It determinates the soil water retention curve by Filter Paper Method and Suction Plate and, after that, Pressure Plate. The curves obtained by these two methods showed differences. The objective of the addition of the bentonite in the soil is to evaluate its performance. The soil with the addition of bentonite shows higher plasticity, lower hydraulic conductivity and higher moisture storage. It presents the modeling of monolithic covers, evapotranspirative monolithic covers, capillary barriers and evapotranspirative capillary barriers by the use of VADOSE/W Program as a tool for gauging.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T14:36:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_ Alvaro_ Luiz_ Carvalho_ Nebel.pdf: 1615608 bytes, checksum: cf5d12660d9ae82ddc2e973b92c9812e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-04-24 / The understanding of the dynamics of the water in the soil-plant-atmosphere system, including the water availability to the crops, soil water infiltration, drainage and soil solute movement, depends on the knowledge of the relation between the soil water content and the matric potential, represented by the soil water retention curve (SWRC). However, the establishment of SWRCs is laborious and time consuming, besides being costly. A alternative is its estimate through statistical equations called Pedotransfer Functions (PTFs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of some existing PTFs, in predicting the soil water retention and to capture its spatial variability structure, using geostatistical tools, when applied in a lowland soil of the south region of Brazil. For this, an experimental 10 x 10 m grid was established and soil disturbed and undisturbed samples were collected in the 0-0.20 m soil depth, totaling 100 experimental points. The following soil attributes were determined in each point: soil texture, soil organic carbon, pH, cation exchange capacity, soil bulk density, and the soil water retention curve. Eight developed PTFs for estimating gravimetric soil water content, eight for estimating volumetric water content and five for estimating the van Genuchten model parameters were evaluated using the statistical measures mean error (ME), and the root mean square error (RMSE). Results indicated that the Oliveira et al. (2002) PTF presented the best performance for estimating the gravimetric soil water content at the tension of 33kPa, with mean error (ME) value of 0.0136g.g-1, while for the gravimetric water content at tension of 1500kPa the Pidgeon (1972) FPT was the best, with ME value of -0,0054g.g-1. Concerning to the potential of describing the spatial variability structure the Bell & van Keulen (1995 and 1996) and of Urach (2007) PTFs presented the best performance based on the results from the cross validation technique. For estimating the soil water volumetric content at the tension of 10kPa the Tomasela et al. (2002) was the best (ME of 0.019cm3.cm-3), while Rawls et al. (1982) and van den Berg et al. (1997) PTFs were the best for estimating soil water content at the tension of 33kPa (ME of 0.001cm3.cm-3) and 1500kPa (ME of -0.008cm3.cm-3), respectively. The range and sill geostatistical parameters for the tension of 33kPa were reasonable estimated, while for the tension of 1500kPa they were underestimated by the evaluated PTFs. The Parametric Pedotransfer Function constructed by Vereecken et al.(1989) presented the lowest value of ME (0.0247cm3.cm-3), while the Hodnett and Tomasella (2002) PTF presented the lowest value of RMSE (0.0367 cm3.cm-3). Both PTFs well described the experimental semivariograms of the soil water content at the tensions of 10kPa and 33kPa, however their performance was not good for the tension of 1500kPa. / Estudos que envolvem a dinâmica da água no sistema solo-planta-atmosfera tais como disponibilidade de água no solo para as culturas, infiltração, drenagem e movimento de solutos no solo necessitam do conhecimento da relação entre o conteúdo de água no solo e o potencial matricial, representada pela curva de retenção de água no solo. No entanto, sua execução é laboriosa, demanda considerável tempo e custos. Uma alternativa é sua estimativa através de equações estatísticas denominadas Funções de Pedotransferência (FPTs). O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o desempenho de funções de pedotransferência em estimar a retenção de água no solo e capturar a sua estrutura de variabilidade espacial, usando ferramentas geoestatísticas, quando aplicadas em um solo de várzea da região sul do Brasil. Para isto, uma malha experimental de 10m x 10m foi estabelecido e amostras deformadas e indeformadas do solo foram coletadas representativas da camada de 0 0,20m, totalizando 100 pontos amostrais. Os seguintes atributos do solo foram determinados em cada ponto: textura, carbono orgânico, pH, capacidade de troca de cátions, densidade do solo e a curva de retenção de água no solo. Oito FPTs desenvolvidas para estimar o conteúdo gravimétrico de água no solo, oito para estimar o conteúdo volumétrico e cinco para estimar os parâmetros do modelo de van Genuchten foram avaliadas, usando as medidas estatísticas erro médio (ME) e raiz quadrada do erro médio ao quadrado (RMSE). Os resultados obtidos para a estimativa do conteúdo de água gravimétrico mostram que a FPT de Oliveira et al. (2002) apresentou o melhor desempenho para a tensão de 33kPa, com erro médio (ME) de 0,0136g.g-1, enquanto para a tensão de 1500kPa a FPT de Pidgeon (1972) foi melhor, com ME de -0,0054g.g-1. Com relação ao potencial de descrever a estrutura de variabilidade espacial do conjunto de dados medidos, as FPTs desenvolvidas por Bell & van Keulen (1995 e 1996) e Urach (2007) foram as que apresentaram melhor desempenho baseado nos resultados da validação cruzada. Para o conteúdo volumétrico de água retida no solo, os melhores desempenhos foram obtidos pela FPT de Tomasela et al.(2003) para a tensão de 10kPa, Rawls et al. (1982) para 33kPa e van den Berg et al.(1997) para 1500kPa, com ME iguais a 0,019cm3.cm-3, 0,001cm3.cm-3 e -0,008cm3.cm-3, respectivamente. Os parâmetros da estrutura de dependência espacial, alcance e patamar, para a tensão de 33kPa foram razoavelmente estimados, enquanto para a tensão de 1500kPa foram subestimados pelas FPTs avaliadas. A FPT paramétrica desenvolvida por Vereecken et al. (1989) apresentou o menor valor de ME (0,0247cm3.cm-3), enquanto a FPT de Hodnett e Tomasella (2002) apresentou o menor valor de RMSE (0,0367 cm3.cm-3). Ambas FPTs descreveram bem os semivariogramas experimentais do conteúdo de água retido no solo a 10kPa e 33kPa, entretanto para a tensão de 1500kPa nenhuma das FPTs testadas apresentou bom desempenho.

Forms of cavernous weathering - tafoni and honeycombs - belong to long-term investigated and discussed phenomena in geology. The reason for the difference in size between few centimetres- long honeycombs and the several-metres-long tafoni has not been yet studied. In my master thesis I compared the hydraulic properties of rocks with developed honeycombs and tafoni. The research consists of field measurements (measurement of suction pressures and capillary water absorption using Karsten tube) and laboratory measurements on tafoni and honeycomb samples (retention curve measurement, capillary water absorption, water vapour diffusion rate and saturated hydraulic conductivity). I have been studing honeycombs from various sites in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin and tafoni from three different sites: Carbon Arkoses near Kralupy nad Vltavou, Cambrian Sandstone in Petra (Jordan) and Tunnel Spring Tuff in Crystal Peak (Utah). The measurements showed that values of suction pressure are far higher inside tafoni than inside honeycombs. This observation corresponds to different retention curves of studied rocks: steeper retention curve for honeycomb's quartz sandstone than for fine-grained arkosic sandstones to arkoses with tafoni. In the other part of my research I have compared the properties of hydrophobic...

Gelfill (GF) is made of tailings, water, binder and chemical additives (Fillset, sodium silicate gel). The components of GF are combined and mixed on the surface and transported (by gravity and/or pumping) to the underground mine workings, where the GF can be used for both underground mine support and tailings storage. Thermal (T), hydraulic (H), and mechanical (M) properties are important performance criteria of GF. The understanding of these engineering properties and their evolution with time are still limited due to the fact that GF is a new cemented backfill material. In this thesis, the evolution of the thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and microstructural properties of small GF samples are determined. Various binder contents of Portland cement type I (PCI) are used. The GF is cured for 3, 7, 28, 90, and 120 days. It is found that the thermal, hydraulic and mechanical properties are time-dependent or affected by the degree of binder hydration index. Furthermore, a relationship is found between the compressive strength and the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the GF samples. The unsaturated hydraulic properties of GF samples have also been investigated. The outcomes show that unsaturated hydraulic conductivity is influenced by the degree of binder hydration index and binder content, especially at low suction ranges. Simple functions are proposed to predict the evolution of air-entry values (AEVs), residual water content, and fitting parameters from the van Genuchten model with the degree of hydration index (α). Furthermore, two columns are built to simulate the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behaviour of GF under drained and undrained conditions. The obtained results from the GF columns are compared with the small samples. It is observed that the mechanical properties, hydraulic properties (suction and water content), and temperature development are strongly coupled. The magnitude of these THM coupling factors is affected by the size of the GF. The findings also show that the mechanical, hydraulic and thermal properties of the GF columns are different from samples cured in plastic moulds.