Damage evolution of rock-encased-backfill structure under stepwise cyclic triaxial loading

Rock-encased-backfill(RB)structures are common in underground mining,for example in the cut-andfill and stoping methods.To understand the effects of cyclic excavation and blasting activities on the damage of these RB structures,a series of triaxial stepwise-increasing-amplitude cyclic loading experiments was conducted with cylindrical RB specimens(rock on outside,backfill on inside)with different volume fractions of rock(VF=0.48,0.61,0.73,and 0.84),confining pressures(0,6,9,and 12 MPa),and cyclic loading rates(200,300,400,and 500 N/s).The damage evolution and meso-crack formation during the cyclic tests were analyzed with results from stress-strain hysteresis loops,acoustic emission events,and post-failure X-ray 3D fracture morphology.The results showed significant differences between cyclic and monotonic loadings of RB specimens,particularly with regard to the generation of shear microcracks,the development of stress memory and strain hardening,and the contact forces and associated friction that develops along the rock-backfill interface.One important finding is that as a function of the number of cycles,the elastic strain increases linearly and the dissipated energy increases exponentially.Also,compared with monotonic loading,the cyclic strain hardening characteristics are more sensitive to rising confining pressures during the initial compaction stage.Another finding is that compared with monotonic loading,more shear microcracks are generated during every reloading stage,but these microcracks tend to be dispersed and lessen the likelihood of large shear fracture formation.The transition from elastic to plastic behavior varies depending on the parameters of each test(confinement,volume fraction,and cyclic rate),and an interesting finding was that the transformation to plastic behavior is significantly lower under the conditions of 0.73 rock volume fraction,400 N/s cyclic loading rate,and 9 MPa confinement.All the findings have important practical implications on the ability of backfill to support underground excavations.

Phenomena and theoretical analysis for the failure of brittle rocks

Rockburst, an unstable failure of brittle rocks, has been greatly concerned in rock mechanics and rock engineering for more than 100 years. The current understanding on the mechanical mechanism of rockburst is based on the Coulomb theory, i.e. compressive-shear failure theory. This paper illustrates a series of tensile and tensile-shear fracture phenomena of rockburst, and proposes a methodology for the analysis of fracture mode and its energy dissipation process based on Griffith theory. It is believed that: (1) the fracture modes of rockburst should include compressive-shear, tensile-shear and pure tensile failures; (2) the rupture angle of rock mass decreases with the occurrence of tensile stress; (3) the proportion of kinetic energy in the released strain energy from a rockburst may be much larger than that transferred into surface energy; and (4) the understanding on the tensile and tensile-shear failure modes of rockburst may change the basic thinking of rockburst control, i.e. from keeping the reduction in initial compressive stress σ3 to restricting the creation of secondary tensile stress.

Experimental study on seismic response and progressive failure characteristics of bedding rock slopes

Bedding rock slopes are common geological features in nature that are prone to failure under strong earthquakes. Their failures induce catastrophic landslides and form barrier lakes, posing severe threats to people’s lives and property. Based on the similarity criteria, a bedding rock slope model with a length of3 m, a width of 0.8 m, and a height of 1.6 m was constructed to facilitate large-scale shaking table tests.The results showed that with the increase of vibration time, the natural frequency of the model slope decreased, but the damping ratio increased. Damage to the rock mass structure altered the dynamic characteristics of the slope;therefore, amplification of the acceleration was found to be nonlinear and uneven. Furthermore, the acceleration was amplified nonlinearly with the increase of slope elevation along the slope surface and the vertical section, and the maximum acceleration amplification factor(AAF) occurred at the slope crest. Before visible deformation, the AAF increased with increasing shaking intensity;however, it decreased with increasing shaking intensity after obvious deformation. The slope was likely to slide along the bedding planes at a shallow depth below the slope surface. The upper part of the slope mainly experienced a tensile-shear effect, whereas the lower part suffered a compressive-shear force. The progressive failure process of the model slope can be divided into four stages, and the dislocated rock mass can be summarized into three zones. The testing data provide a good explanation of the dynamic behavior of the rock slope when subjected to an earthquake and may serve as a helpful reference in implementing antiseismic measures for earthquake-induced landslides.

Shear mechanical properties and energy evolution of rock-like samples containing multiple combinations of non-persistent joints

Discontinuities are often considered as important factors responsible for the instability caused by shear failure in engineering rock mass,and energy-driven instability is the root cause of rock failure.However,few studies focus on the energy evolution during the failure process using a three-dimensional(3D)numerical model.In this study,a series of laboratory direct shear tests on rock-like samples is numer-ically simulated using bonded particle models(BPMs)with multiple combinations of discontinuous in the particle flow code(PFC3D),in which the location and size of the particles conform to the uniform distribution.The effects of joint row number and inclination on the stress-strain characteristics and failure mode of rock were studied from the perspective of microcrack growth and energy evolution.The results showed that,when the number of joint rows Nr>1,the shear failure region does not change with the increase of Nr for the type B(2-columnn multiple-row at center)and the type C(2-column multiple-row at edge)as compared to the type A(1-column multiple-row at center)joint models.Notably,joints significantly increase the post-peak energy dissipation but have little effect on the proportion of energy before the peak.Friction consumes most of the energy while kinetic energy accounts for less than 1%of total energy during the shear process.Peak elastic strain energy follows the variation trend of peak shear displacement.The development and accumulation of microcracks directly affect the energy dissipation,and there is a significant linear relationship between the cumulative number of critical microcracks and the critical dissipated energy at the failure,when the dip direction of joints is opposite to the shear direction,more microcracks will be accumulated at the peak time,resulting in more energy dissipation.The results contribute to deeply understanding the shear failure process of non-persistent jointed mass.

Heterogeneity induced strain localization in block-in-matrix-soils subjected to uniaxial loading using real-time CT scanning

Block-in-matrix-soils(bimsoils)are geological mixtures that have distinct structures consisting of relatively strong rock blocks and weak matrix soils.It is still a challenge to evaluate the mechanical behaviors of bimsoils because of the heterogeneity,chaotic structure,and lithological variability.As a result,only very limited laboratory studies have been reported on the evolution of their internal deformation.In this study,the deformation evolution of bimsoils under uniaxial loading is investigated using real-time X-ray computed tomography(CT)and image correlation algorithm(with a rock block percentage(RBP)of 40%).Three parameters,i.e.heterogeneity coefficient(K),correlation coefficient(CC),and standard deviation(STD)of displacement fields,are proposed to quantify the heterogeneity of the motion of the rock blocks and the progressive deformation of the bimsoils.Experimental results show that the rock blocks in bimsoils are prone to forming clusters with increasing loading,and the sliding surface goes around only one side of a cluster.Based on the movement of the rock blocks recorded by STD and CC,the progressive deformation of the bimsoils is quantitatively divided into three stages:initialization of the rotation of rock blocks,formation of rock block clusters,and formation of a shear band by rock blocks with significant rotation.Moreover,the experimental results demonstrate that the meso-motion of rock blocks controls the macroscopic mechanical properties of the samples.

In-situ Horizontal Extrusion Test of Herbaceous Root-Soil with Different Root Types

The influence of different types of roots on the soil is complex and still remains unclear.Four in-situ extrusion tests were conducted on two types of root systems,namely fibrous and tap root system,for three plants,Eleusine indica,Potentilla anserine,and Artemisia argyi,according to the classification in Botany,and the thrust-displacement curves and failure patterns of different samples were analysed by comparison to fill the aforementioned gap.Results reveal that the roots can reduce the characteristics of soil brittleness and enhance its capability to resist large deformation,and different root types contribute different effects to the strain-hardening behavior of the root-soil mass.The contribution of the fibrous root system to strength is limited,whilst the tap root system substantially enhances strength and stiffness.Results of failure patterns show that fibrous and tap root systems affect soil solidification and surface cracking reduction.However,the effect of the tap root system depends on the composition of lateral and tap roots:long and rich lateral roots are effective for resisting the creation of cracks,but thick tap roots with few and thin lateral roots may lead to several surface cracks.

Investigation on the Deformation and Failure Patterns of Loess Cut Slope Based on the Unsaturated Triaxial Test in Yan'an,China

The large-scale implementation of the Gully Stabilization and Land Reclamation(GSLR)project induces various failures of loess slopes due to excavation in Yan'an,China.However,the deformation and failure behavior of these excavated loess slopes have not been fully understood.In this study,field investigation was undertaken for analyzing the distributions and failure features of excavation-induced loess slope failures.It is found that plastic failure mainly occurs in Q_(3) loess layers and brittle failure in Q_(2).To understand the underlying failure mechanism,a series of triaxial shear tests were conducted on intact Q_(3) and Q_(2) loess samples that with different water contents,namely natural water content(natural),dry side of the natural value(drying 5%),and wet side(wetting 5%).The characteristics of stress-strain curves and failure modes of the samples were analyzed.Results show that the stress-strain curves of Q_(2) samples are dominated by strain-softening characteristics,while Q_(3) samples mainly exhibit strain-harden features except in the drying state.Correspondingly,shear failures of Q_(3) specimens are mainly caused by shear crack planes(single,X or V-shaped).For Q_(2) loess,the dominance of tensile cracks is observed on the surface of damaged specimens.These disclose the different failure modes of excavated slopes located in different strata,that is,the arc sliding failure of Q_(3) loess slopes and the stepped tensile failure of Q_(2) loess slopes,and are helpful in the design and management of the ongoing GSLR projects in the Loess Plateau.

压实黄土场地湿陷沉降机理与黄土高原平山造城适宜性

黄土高原城市用地紧张与用地需求日益增大的矛盾使得平山造城工程应运而生,大规模平山造城工程会引起场地水文环境变化,诱发填土地基失稳、建筑物破坏等,其工程长期适宜性是人们最关切的问题.通过现场调研、原位监测、室内试验、模型试验、数值模拟和InSAR分析等工作,探究了压实黄土场地湿陷沉降机理及黄土高原平山造城工程适宜性.研究结果发现,场地压实黄土的物理力学性质和微观结构同天然黄土差异较大,其力学性质差、孔隙连通性差、空间变异性大;湿陷变形本质为含水率增大引起土体刚度降低而发生的压密变形,湿陷过程中压实黄土的结构变化整体上表现为颗粒间孔隙的局部压密,颗粒及孔隙形态基本不变;非饱和压实黄土的蠕变特性同屈服应力与上覆荷载的大小密切相关,增大压实土体的干密度可提高屈服应力,缩短蠕变稳定时间,还可显著降低土体的渗透特性;典型平山造城场地厚层压实黄土中的含水状态基本能维持长期稳定,有缓慢的向下水流补给地下水;场地累积变形量随填方土厚度增大而增大,地表变形减缓,沉降速率递减,预测工后15年场地变形可达稳定;增大压实土体干密度和合理设置地下水排水设施可有效减小地表总变形量、变形稳定期和局部破坏.研究结果论证了整体地基的长期稳定性和局部灾害的工程可控性,从理论和实践上证实平山造城工程基本可行,提出了黄土高原平山造城工程的适宜性原则,为未来的平山造城工程提供科学指导.

Long-Term Settlement Characterization of High-Filling Foundation in the Mountain Excavation and City Construction Area of the Yan’an New District,China

Mountain Excavation and City Construction(MECC)represents a prominent anthropogenic endeavor aimed at facilitating urban expansion in the Loess Plateau of China.It is important to comprehend the long-term settlement behavior at MECC engineering sites to effectively assess the project’s success in reshaping landscapes and expanding urban areas.In this study,a typical MECC project,specifically the upstream area of the Liujiagou Valley within the new district of Yan’an City,is selected as a case study to investigate long-term settlement characteristics.The research involved conducting creep tests on soil samples with varying dry densities and moisture content and continuous in-situ monitoring of ground surface settlement at 17 specific points.Furthermore,a numerical model was developed and calibrated using the in-situ monitoring data to predict the long-term settlement.The findings reveal that an increase in soil dry density and a decrease in soil water content contribute to reduced deformation.Notably,settlement primarily manifests within the filled areas,with greater soil thickness exacerbating settlement effects.Over time,cumulative settlement exhibits a progressively diminishing rate of deformation until it attains a stable state.These results provide insights for assessing the long-term stability of MECC projects,facilitating decision-making in future endeavors within this region.

Geological evaluation for the carbon dioxide geological utilization and storage(CGUS)site:A review

Carbon dioxide(CO_(2))geological utilization and storage(CGUS)is the key link of CO_(2)capture,utilization,and storage(CCUS).The accurate characterization of the geological body structure is a vital prerequisite of CGUS.This paper gives a review of the multi-scale three-dimensional geological structure characterization and site selection of CO_(2)storage.It shows that there is a lack of systematic and high-precision methods for transparency characterization of multi-scale three-dimensional engineering geological structure and hydrogeological structure of a CO_(2)storage site.There is no clear understanding of the fracture evolution and gas-liquid migration process of multi-scale geological body structure under the disturbance of CO_(2)injection.There is a lack of sufficient quantitative methods for the dynamic evaluation of CO_(2)geological storage potential.The geological suitability evaluation method for site selection of CO_(2)storage is rough and has poor applicability,which is difficult to satisfy the urgent needs of CGUS site selection in the whole process of CO_(2)sequestration industrialization in the future.Thus,it is required to conduct studies on the transparency characterization of geological body structure and intelligent site selection for CO_(2)storage,which is of great importance for CGUS engineering practice.