Suggested methods for the preparation and testing of various properties of resins and grouts

In the absence of bolting standards for strata reinforcement in the Australian mines, though individual mines or companies have their in house practices, there remains a visible vacuum in assessing credibly the various properties of chemical resins and cementitious grouts. Currently, all methods used in evaluating the mechanical properties of both chemical resins and other bolting reinforcement grouts are dependent on the American, British and South African standards and accordingly there is no uniform and unified methodology of testing. A simplified approach has been discussed to enable mine operators and other interested parties to determine various pertinent properties of chemical resins and grouts in the bolting system only and this paper describes the various methods used to test a set of resin properties. A special Resin Mixing Container (RMC) was developed to permit multiple resin samples to be cast with consistent resin / grout quality. Various conclusions were drawn from the study enabling a better understanding between suppliers and end users.