Crack initiation stress and strain of jointed rock containing multi-cracks under uniaxial compressive loading: A particle flow code approach

The ratio of crack initiation stress to the uniaxial compressive strength(SCI,B/SUC,B) and the ratio of axial strain at the crack initiation stress to the axial strain at the uniaxial compressive strength(B,UCB,CI,A,A/SSSS) were studied by performing numerical stress analysis on blocks having multi flaws at close spacing's under uniaxial loading using PFC3 D. The following findings are obtained: SCI,B/SUC,B has an average value of about 0.5 with a variability of ± 0.1. This range agrees quite well with the values obtained by former research. For joint inclination angle, β=90°,B,UCB,CI,A,A/SSSS is found to be around 0.48 irrespective of the value of joint continuity factor, k. No particular relation is found betweenB,UCB,CI,A,A/SSSS and β; however, the average B,UCB,CI,A,A/SSSS seems to slightly decrease with increasing k. The variability ofB,UCB,CI,A,A/SSSS is found to increase with k.Based on the cases studied in this work,B,UCB,CI,A,A/SSSS ranges between 0.3 and 0.5. This range is quite close to the range of 0.4to 0.6 obtained for SCI,B/SUC,B. The highest variability of ± 0.12 forB,UCB,CI,A,A/SSSS is obtained for k=0.8. For the remaining k values the variability ofB,UCB,CI,A,A/SSSS can be expressed within ± 0.05. This finding is very similar to the finding obtained for the variability of SCI,B/SUC,B.

Mechanical Behavior of Polyurethane Polymer Materials under Triaxial Cyclic Loading:A Particle Flow Code Approach

Polyurethane polymer grouting materials were studied with conventional triaxial tests via the particle flow code in two dimensions（PFC^（2D）） method, and the simulation results agreed with the experimental data. The particle flow code method can simulate the mechanical properties of the polymer. The triaxial cyclic loading tests of the polymer material under different confining pressures were carried out via PFC^（2D） to analyze its mechanical performance. The PFC^（2D） simulation results show that the value of the elastic modulus of the polymer decreases slowly at first and fluctuated within a narrow range near the value of the peak strength; the cumulative plastic strain increases slowly at first and then increases rapidly; the peak strength and elastic modulus of polymer increase with the confining pressure; the PFC^（2D） method can be used to quantitatively evaluate the damage behavior of the polymer material and estimate the fatigue life of the materials under fatigue load based on the number and the location of micro-cracks. Thus, the PFC^（2D） method is an effective tool to study polymers.

A Modified Lattice Model of the Reversible Effect of Axial Strain on the Critical Current of Polycrystalline REBa2Cu3O7-δ Films

The strain effect on the critical current is one of the most important properties for polycrystalline YBa2 Cu3O7-δ （REBCO, RE： rare earth） films, in which the reversible effect is intrinsic in the range of strain 0 and the irreversible strain εirr. By introducing the applied strain, a modified grain boundaries （GBs） in the REBCO film is developed. lattice model combining the strain and misorientation of A good agreement of the calculation on the lattice model with the experimental data shows that the lattice model is able to well describe the reversible effect of axial strain on the critical current of the REBCO film, and provides a good understanding of the mechanism of the reversible effect of the strain. Moreover, the effects of the crystallographic texture of the REBCO film and the residual strain εr on the variation of the critical current with the applied strain are extensively investigated. Furthermore by using the developed lattice model, the irreversible strain εirr of the REBCO film can be theoretically determined by comparing the calculation of the critical current-strain curve with the experimental data.

Analyses of axial,lateral and circumferential deformations of rock specimen in triaxial compression

The axial,lateral and circumferential strains were analyzed for a rock specimen subjected to shear failure in the form of a shear band bisecting the specimen in triaxial compression.Plastic deformation of the specimen stemmed from shear strain localization initiated at the peak shear stress.Beyond the onset of strain localization,the axial,lateral and circumferential strains were decomposed into two parts,respectively.One is the elas- tic strain described by general Hooke's law.The other is attributable to the plastic shear slips along shear band with a certain thickness dependent on the internal length of rock. The post-peak circumferential strain-axial strain curve of longer specimen is steeper than that of shorter specimen,as is consistent with the previous experiments.In elastic stage, the circumferential strain-axial strain curve exhibits nonlinear characteristic,as is in agreement with the previous experiment since confining pressure is loaded progressively until a certain value is reached.When the confining pressure is loaded completely,the circumferential strain-axial strain curve is linear in elastic and strain-softening stages.The predicted circumferential strain-axial strain curve in elastic and strain-softening stages agrees with the previous experiment.

Intermittent swelling and shrinkage of a highly expansive soil treated with polyacrylamide

This laboratory study examines the potential use of an anionic polyacrylamide(PAM)-based material as an environmentally sustainable additive for the stabilization of an expansive soil from South Australia.The experimental program consisted of consistency limits,sediment volume,compaction and oedometer cyclic swell-shrink tests,performed using distilled water and four different PAM-to-water solutions of P_(D)=0.1 g/L,0.2 g/L,0.4 g/L and 0.6 g/L as the mixing liquids.Overall,the relative swelling and shrinkage strains were found to decrease with increasing number of applied swell-shrink cycles,with an‘elastic equilibrium’condition achieved on the conclusion of four cycles.The propensity for swelling/shrinkage potential reduction(for any given cycle)was found to be in favor of increasing the PAM dosage up to P_(D)=0.2 g/L,beyond which the excess PAM molecules self-associate as aggregates,thereby functioning as a lubricant instead of a flocculant;this critical dosage was termed‘maximum flocculation dosage’(MFD).The MFD assertion was discussed and validated using the consistency limits and sediment volume properties,both exhibiting only marginal variations beyond the identified MFD of P_(D)=0.2 g/L.The accumulated axial strain progressively transitioned from‘expansive’for the unamended soil to an ideal‘neutral’state at the MFD,while higher dosages demonstrated undesirable‘contractive’states.

Entire deformational characteristics and strain localization of jointed rock specimen in plane strain compression

Shear band (SB), axial, lateral and volumetric strains as well as Poisson’s ratio of anisotropic jointed rock specimen (JRS) were modeled by Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua (FLAC). Failure criterion of rock was a composited Mohr-Coulomb criterion with tension cut-off. An inclined joint was treated as square elements of ideal plastic material beyond the peak strength. Several FISH functions were written to automatically find the addresses of elements in the joint and to calculate the entire deformational characteristics of plane strain JRS. The results show that for moderate joint inclination (JI), strain is only concentrated into the joint governing the behavior of JRS, leading to ideal plastic responses in axial and lateral directions. For higher JI, the post-peak stress-axial and lateral strain curves become steeper as JI increases owing to the increase of new SB’s length. Lateral expansion and precursor to the unstable failure are the most apparent, resulting in the highest Poisson’s ratio and even negative volumetric strain. For lower JI, the entire post-peak deformational characteristics are independent of JI. The lowest lateral expansion occurs, leading to the lowest Poisson’s ratio and positive volumetric strain all along. The present prediction on anisotropic strength in plane strain compression qualitatively agrees with the results in triaxial tests of rocks. The JI calculated by Jaeger’s formula overestimates that related to the minimum strength. Advantages of the present numerical model over the Jaeger’s model are pointed out.

Effect of height of rock specimen on strain localization, precursor to failure and entire deformational characteristics

Patterns of shear band, precursors to shear failure occurring in strain-softening stage, axial, lateral and volumetric strains as well as Poisson＇s ratio of plane strain rock specimens in compression for different heights were investigated by use of Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua（FLAC）. A material imperfection closer to the lower-left corner of the specimen was prescribed. For finer mesh, the imperfection was modeled by four null elements, while it was modeled by a null element for coarser mesh. FISH functions were written to calculate the entire deformational characteristics of the specimen. In elastic stage, the adopted constitutive relation was linear elastic; in strain-softening stage, a composite Mohr-Coulomb criterion with tension cut-off and a post-peak linear constitutive relation were adopted. Height of rock specimen does not influence shear band＇s pattern （including the thickness and inclination angle of shear band）. The slopes of the post-peak stress-axial strain curve, stress-lateral strain curve, lateral strain-axial strain curve, Poisson＇s ratio-axial strain curve and volumetric strain-axial strain curve depend on the height. Hence, the slopes of these curves cannot be considered as material properties. Nonlinear deformation prior to the peak stress is a kind of precursors to shear failure, which is less apparent for shorter specimen. For the same axial strain, lower lateral expansion is reached for shorter specimen, leading to lower Poisson＇s ratio and higher volumetric strain. The maximum volumetric strain of longer specimen is less than that of shorter specimen. The conclusions drawn from numerical results using finer mesh qualitatively agree with those using coarser mesh.

Band alignment in SiC-based one-dimensional van der Waals homojunctions

The density functional theory method is utilized to verify the electronic structures of SiC nanotubes(SiCNTs) and SiC nanoribbons(SiCNRs) one-dimensional(1D) van der Waals homojunctions(vdWh) under an applied axial strain and an external electric field. According to the calculated results, the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs are direct semiconductors with a type-II band alignment and robust electronic structures with different diameters or widths. Furthermore,the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs are direct semiconductors with a type-I band alignment, respectively, in a range of[-0.3,-0.1] V/A and [0.1, 0.3] V/A and change into metal when the electric field intensity is equal to or higher than0.4 V/A. Interestingly, the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs have robust electronic structures under axial strain. These findings demonstrate theoretically that the SiCNTs/SiCNRs 1D vdWhs can be employed in nanoelectronics devices.

Simultaneous measurement of axial strain and temperature based on twisted fiber structure

In this Letter, an alternative solution is proposed and demonstrated for simultaneous measurement of axial strain and temperature. This sensor consists of two twisted points on a commercial single mode fiber introduced by flame-heated and rotation treatment. The fabrication process modifies the geometrical configuration and refractive index of the fiber. Different cladding modes are excited at the first twisted point, and part of them are coupled back to the fiber core at the second twisted point. Experimental results show distinct sensitivities of 34.9 pm/με with 49.23 pm/℃ and -36.19 pm/με with 62.99 pm/℃ for the two selected destructive interference wavelengths.

Effect of loading rate on shear strength parameters of mechanically and biologically treated waste

Mechanical biological treatment(MBT)technology has attracted increasing attention because it can reduce the volume of waste produced.To deal with the current trend of increasing waste,MBT practices are being adopted to address waste generated in developing urban societies.In this study,a total of 20 specimens of consolidated undrained triaxial tests were conducted on waste obtained from the Hangzhou Tianziling landfill,China,to evaluate the effect of loading rate on the shear strength parameters of MBT waste.The MBT waste samples exhibited an evident strain-hardening behavior,and no peak was observed even when the axial strain exceeded 25%.Further,the shear strength increased with an increase in the loading rate;the effect of loading rate on shear strength under a low confining pressure was greater than that under a high confining pressure.Furthermore,the shear strength parameters of MBT waste were related to the loading rate.The relationship between the cohesion,internal friction angle,and logarithm of the loading rate could be fitted to a linear relationship,which was established in this study.Finally,the ranges of shear strength parameters cohesion c and effective cohesion c′were determined as 1.0–8.2 kPa and 2.1–14.9 kPa,respectively;the ranges of the internal friction angleφand effective internal friction angleφ’were determined as 16.2°–29°and 19.8°–43.9°,respectively.These results could be used as a valuable reference for conducting stability analyses of MBT landfills.