The rheological behaviour of cemented paste backfill (CPB) has an important influence on the stability of its transportation in pipelines. In the present study, the time-dependent rheological behaviour of CPB was investigated to elucidate the effects of time and solid content. Experimental results showed that when CPB is subjected to a constant shear rate, the shear stress gradually decreases with time before finally stabilis ing. When the solid content was 60%~62%, a liquid network structure was the main factor that influenced the thixotropy of CPB, and the solid content had less influence. When the solid content was 64%~66%, a floc network structure was the main factor that influenced the thixotropy of CPB, and the solid content had a more significant influence on the thixotropy than the shear rate. The initial structural stability of CPB increased with the solid content, and this relationship can be described by a power function. Based on the experimental results, a calculation model of pipeline resistance considering thixotropy was proposed. The model was validated by using industrial experimental data. The current study can serve as a design reference for CPB pipeline transportation.

The mechanical properties of cement paste modified by nano-TiO2 (nT) and nano-SiO2 (nS) were experimentally studied. The compressive strength increased first and then decreased with the increase of nanoparticle content. When nanoparticles were added into the cement paste as a filler to improve the microstructure, the two kinds of particles both could form a tighter mesh structure, which would enhance the density and strength of the structure. The elastic modulus increased rapidly with the increase of the nT content and reached a peak when the nanoparticle content is about 3%, which was about twice the elastic modulus of ordinary cement paste. The Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation results showed that the microstructure of cement was network connection and fiber tube. The hydration progress of ordinary cement slurry was insufficient, and many unreacted cement particles remained. With the addition of nanoparticles, the internal structure of the cement became denser, with fewer pore cracks, smaller pore diameters, more complex fiber tube arrangements, and significant anisotropy, thereby improving strength and mechanical properties.