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.

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.

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.

Prediction of brittle rock failure severity:An approach based on rock mass failure progress

This study presents the classification and prediction of severity for brittle rock failure,focusing on failure behaviors and excessive determination based on damage depth.The research utilizes extensive field survey data from the Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station and previous research findings.Based on field surveys and previous studies,four types of brittle rock failure with different failure mechanisms are classified,and then a prediction method is proposed.This method incorporates two variables,i.e.Kv(modified rock mass integrity coefficient)and GSI(geological strength index).The prediction method is applied to the first layer excavation of the powerhouse cavern of Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station.The results show that the predicted brittle rock failure area agrees with the actual failure area,demonstrating the method’s applicability.Next,it extends to investigate brittle rock failure in two locations.The first is the k0-890 m section of the traffic cavern,and the second one is at K0-64 m of the main powerhouse.The criterion-based prediction indicates a severity brittle rock failure in the K0-890 m section,and a moderate brittle rock failure in the K0-64 m section,which agrees with the actual occurrence of brittle rock failure in the field.The understanding and application of the prediction method using Kv and GSI are vital for implementing a comprehensive brittle rock failure prediction process in geological engineering.To validate the adaptability of this criterion across diverse tunnel projects,a rigorous verification process using statistical findings was conducted.The assessment outcomes demonstrate high accuracy for various tunnel projects,allowing establishment of the correlations that enable valuable conclusions regarding brittle rock failure occurrence.Further validation and refinement through field and laboratory testing,as well as simulations,can broaden the contribution of this method to safer and more resilient underground construction.

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.

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.