Mechanical behaviors of warm and ice-rich frozen soil stabilized with sulphoaluminate cement

The warm and ice-rich frozen soil is characterized by high unfrozen water content, low shear strength and large compressibility, which is unreliable to meet the stability requirements of engineering infrastructures and foundations in permafrost regions. In this study, a novel approach for stabilizing the warm and ice-rich frozen soil with sulphoaluminate cement was proposed based on chemical stabilization. The mechanical behaviors of the stabilized soil, such as strength and stress-strain relationship, were investigated through a series of triaxial compression tests conducted at -1.0℃, and the mechanism of strength variations of the stabilized soil was also explained based on scanning electron microscope test. The investigations indicated that the strength of stabilized soil to resist failure has been improved, and the linear Mohr-Coulomb criteria can accurately reflect the shear strength of stabilized soil under various applied confining pressure. The increase in both curing age and cement mixing ratio were favorable to the growth of cohesion and internal friction angle. More importantly, the strength improvement mechanism of the stabilized soil is attributed to the formation of structural skeleton and the generation of cementitious hydration products within itself. Therefore, the investigations conducted in this study provide valuable references for chemical stabilization of warm and ice-rich frozen ground, thereby providing a basis for in-situ ground improvement for reinforcing warm and ice-rich permafrost foundations by soil-cement column installation.

Effect of fractures on mechanical behavior of sand powder 3D printing rock analogue under triaxial compression

In practical engineering applications,rock mass are often found to be subjected to a triaxial stress state.Concurrently,defects like joints and fractures have a notable impact on the mechanical behavior of rock mass.Such defects are identified as crucial contributors to the failure and instability of the surrounding rock,subsequently impacting the engineering stability.The study aimed to investigate the impact of fracture geometry and confining pressure on the deformation,failure characteristics,and strength of specimens using sand powder 3D printing technology and conventional triaxial compression tests.The results indicate that the number of fractures present considerably influences the peak strength,axial peak strain and elastic modulus of the specimens.Confining pressure is an important factor affecting the failure pattern of the specimen,under which the specimen is more prone to shear failure,but the initiation,expansion and penetration processes of secondary cracks in different fracture specimens are different.This study confirmed the feasibility of using sand powder 3D printing specimens as soft rock analogs for triaxial compression research.The insights from this research are deemed essential for a deeper understanding of the mechanical behavior of fractured surrounding rocks when under triaxial stress state.

Intrinsic correlation between the generalized phase equilibrium condition and mechanical behaviors in hydrate-bearing sediments

The phase equilibrium and mechanical behaviors of natural gas hydrate-bearing sediment are essential for gas recovery from hydrate reservoirs.In heating closed systems,the temperature-pressure path of hydrate-bearing sediment deviates from that of pure bulk hydrate,reflecting the porous media effect in phase equilibrium.A generalized phase equilibrium equation was established for hydrate-bearing sediments,which indicates that both capillary and osmotic pressures cause the phase equilibrium curve to shift leftward on the temperature-pressure plane.In contrast to bulk hydrate,hydrate-bearing sediment always contains a certain amount of unhydrated water,which keeps phase equilibrium with the hydrate within the hydrate stability field.With changes in temperature and pressure,a portion of pore hydrate and unhydrated water may transform into each other,affecting the shear strength of hydrate-bearing sediment.A shear strength model is proposed to consider not only hydrate saturation but also the change in temperature and pressure of hydrate-bearing sediment.The model is validated by experimental data with various hydrate saturation,temperature and pressure conditions.The deformation induced by partial dissociation was studied through depressurization tests under constant effective stress.The reduction in gas pressure within the hydrate stability field indeed caused sediment deformation.The dissociation-induced deformation can be reasonably estimated as the difference in volume between hydrate-bearing and hydrate-free sediments from the compression curves.

Mechanical behavior and response mechanism of porous metal structures manufactured by laser powder bed fusion under compressive loading

Al Si10Mg porous protective structure often produces different damage forms under compressive loading,and these damage modes affect its protective function.In order to well meet the service requirements,there is an urgent need to comprehensively understand the mechanical behavior and response mechanism of AlSi10Mg porous structures under compressive loading.In this paper,Al Si10Mg porous structures with three kinds of volume fractions are designed and optimized to meet the requirements of high-impact,strong-energy absorption,and lightweight characteristics.The mechanical behaviors of AlSi10Mg porous structures,including the stress-strain relationship,structural bearing state,deformation and damage modes,and energy absorption characteristics,were obtained through experimental studies at different loading rates.The damage pattern of the damage section indicates that AlSi10Mg porous structures have both ductile and brittle mechanical properties.Numerical simulation studies show that the AlSi10Mg porous structure undergoes shear damage due to relative misalignment along the diagonal cross-section,and the damage location is almost at 45°to the load direction,which is the most direct cause of its structural damage,revealing the damage mechanism of AlSi10Mg porous structures under the compressive load.The normalized energy absorption model constructed in the paper well interprets the energy absorption state of Al Si10Mg porous structures and gives the sensitive location of the structures,and the results of this paper provide important references for peers in structural design and optimization.

Mechanical behavior of rock under uniaxial tension:Insights from energy storage and dissipation

Many rock engineering projects show that the growth of tensile cracks is often an important cause of engineering disasters,and the mechanical behavior of rocks is essentially the transmission,storage,dissipation and release of energy.To investigate the tensile behavior of rock from the perspective of energy,uniaxial tension tests(UTTs)and uniaxial compression tests(UCTs)were carried out on three typical rocks(granite,sandstone and marble).Different unloading points were set before the peak stress to separate elastic energy and dissipated energy.The input energy density ut,elastic energy density ue,and dissipated energy density ud at each unloading point were calculated by integrating stress-strain curves.The results show that there is a strong linear relationship between the three energy parameters and the square of the unloading stress in UCT,but this linear relationship is weaker in UTT.The ue and ud increase linearly with the increase in ut in UCT and UTT.Based on the phenomenon that ue and ud increase linearly with ut,the applicability of W_(et)^(p) index in UTT was proved and the relative energy storage capacity and absolute energy distribution characteristics of three rocks in UCT and UTT were evaluated.The tensile behavior of marble and sandstone in UTT can be divided into two stages vaguely according to the energy distribution,but granite is not the case.In addition,based on dissipated energy,the damage evolution of three types of rocks in UCT and UTT was discussed.This study provides some new insights for understanding the tensile behavior of rock.

Experimental study and numerical simulation of the impact of under-sleeper pads on the dynamic and static mechanical behavior of heavy-haul railway ballast track

Laying the under-sleeper pad(USP)is one of the effective measures commonly used to delay ballast degradation and reduce maintenance workload.To explore the impact of application of the USP on the dynamic and static mechanical behavior of the ballast track in the heavy-haul railway system,numerical simulation models of the ballast bed with USP and without USP are presented in this paper by using the discrete element method(DEM)-multi-flexible body dynamic(MFBD)coupling analysis method.The ballast bed support stiffness test and dynamic displacement tests were carried out on the actual operation of a heavy-haul railway line to verify the validity of the models.The results show that using the USP results in a 43.01%reduction in the ballast bed support stiffness and achieves a more uniform distribution of track loads on the sleepers.It effectively reduces the load borne by the sleeper directly under the wheel load,with a 7.89%reduction in the pressure on the sleeper.Furthermore,the laying of the USP changes the lateral resistance sharing ratio of the ballast bed,significantly reducing the stress level of the ballast bed under train loads,with an average stress reduction of 42.19 kPa.It also reduces the plastic displacement of ballast particles and lowers the peak value of rotational angular velocity by about 50%to 70%,which is conducive to slowing down ballast bed settlement deformation and reducing maintenance costs.In summary,laying the USP has a potential value in enhancing the stability and extending the lifespan of the ballast bed in heavy-haul railway systems.

Mechanical behaviors of coal measures and ground control technologies for China's deep coal mines-A review

This paper reviews the major achievements in terms of mechanical behaviors of coal measures,mining stress distribution characteristics and ground control in China’s deep underground coal mining.The three main aspects of this review are coal measure mechanics,mining disturbance mechanics,and rock support mechanics.Previous studies related to these three topics are reviewed,including the geo-mechanical properties of coal measures,distribution and evolution characteristics of mining-induced stresses,evolution characteristics of mining-induced structures,and principles and technologies of ground control in both deep roadways and longwall faces.A discussion is made to explain the structural and mechanical properties of coal measures in China’s deep coal mining practices,the types and dis-tribution characteristics of in situ stresses in underground coal mines,and the distribution of mining-induced stress that forms under different geological and engineering conditions.The theory of pre-tensioned rock bolting has been proved to be suitable for ground control of deep underground coal roadways.The use of combined ground control technology(e.g.ground support,rock mass modification,and destressing)has been demonstrated to be an effective measure for rock control of deep roadways.The developed hydraulic shields for 1000 m deep ultra-long working face can effectively improve the stability of surrounding rocks and mining efficiency in the longwall face.The ground control challenges in deep underground coal mines in China are discussed,and further research is recommended in terms of theory and technology for ground control in deep roadways and longwall faces.

Numerical investigation of the mechanical behavior of the backfill–rock composite structure under triaxial compression

To ensure safe and economical backfill mining,the mechanical response of the backfill–rock interaction system needs to be understood.The numerical investigation of the mechanical behavior of backfill–rock composite structure(BRCS)under triaxial compression,which includes deformation,failure patterns,strength characteristics,and acoustic emission(AE)evolution,was proposed.The models used in the tests have one rough interface,two cement–iron tailings ratios(CTRs),four interface angles(IAs),and three confining pressures(CPs).Results showed that the deformation,strength characteristics,and failure patterns of BRCS under triaxial compression depend on IA,CP,and CTR.The stress–strain curves of BRCS under triaxial compression could be divided into five stages,namely,compaction,elasticity,yield,strain softening,and residual stress.The relevant AE counts have corresponding relationships with different stages.The triaxial compressive strengths of composites increase linearly with the increase of the CP.Furthermore,the CP stress strengthening effect occurs.When the IAs are45°and 60°,the failure areas of composites appear in the interface and backfill.When the IAs are 75°and 90°,the failure areas of composites appear in the backfill,interface,and rock.Moreover,the corresponding failure modes yield the combined shear failure.The research results provide the basis for further understanding of the stability of the BRCS.

A multi-purpose prototype test system for mechanical behavior of tunnel supporting structure: Development and application

A multi-purpose prototype test system is developed to study the mechanical behavior of tunnel sup-porting structure,including a modular counterforce device,a powerful loading equipment,an advanced intelligent management system and an efficient noncontact deformation measurement system.The functions of the prototype test system are adjustable size and shape of the modular counterforce structure,sufficient load reserve and accurate loading,multi-connection linkage intelligent management,and high-precision and continuously positioned noncontact deformation measurement.The modular counterforce structure is currently the largest in the world,with an outer diameter of 20.5 m,an inner diameter of 16.5 m and a height of 6 m.The case application proves that the prototype test system can reproduce the mechanical behavior of the tunnel lining during load-bearing,deformation and failure processes in detail.

Interface Mechanical Behavior of Flexible Piles Under Lateral Loads in OWT Systems

This paper investigates the interface mechanical behavior of flexible piles with L_p/D>10 under lateral load and an overturning moment in monotonic loading conditions.To modify the beam-on-Winkler-foundation model of piles in offshore wind farms,the energy-based variational method is used.The soil is treated as a multi-layered elastic continuum with the assumption of three-dimensional displacements,the pile modeled as an Euler-Bernoulli beam.A series of cases using MATLAB programming was conducted to investigate the simplified equations of initial stiffness.The results indicated that the interaction between soil layers and the applied force position should be taken into account in calculating the horizontal soil resistance.Additionally,the distributed moment had a limiting effect on the lateral capacity of a flexible pile.Moreover,to account for the more realistic conditions of OWT systems,field data from the Donghai Bridge offshore wind farm were used.

Quasi-static and low-velocity impact mechanical behaviors of entangled porous metallic wire material under different temperatures

To improve the defense capability of military equipment under extreme conditions,impact-resistant and high-energy-consuming materials have to be developed.The damping characteristic of entangled porous metallic wire materials(EPMWM)for vibration isolation was previously investigated.In this paper,a study focusing on the impact-resistance of EPMWM with the consideration of ambient temperature is presented.The quasi-static and low-velocity impact mechanical behavior of EPMWM under different temperatures(25℃-300℃)are systematically studied.The results of the static compression test show that the damping energy dissipation of EPMWM increases with temperature while the nonlinear damping characteristics are gradually enhanced.During the impact experiments,the impact energy loss rate of EPMWM was between 65%and 85%,while the temperatures increased from 25℃to 300℃.Moreover,under the same drop impact conditions,the overall deformation of EPMWM decreases in the temperature range of 100℃-200℃.On the other hand,the impact stiffness,energy dissipation,and impact loss factor of EPMWM significantly increase with temperature.This can be attributed to an increase in temperature,which changes the thermal expansion coefficient and contact state of the internal wire helixes.Consequently,the energy dissipation mode(dry friction,air damping,and plastic deformation)of EPMWM is also altered.Therefore,the EPMWM may act as a potential candidate material for superior energy absorption applications.

Mechanical behavior of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy under tension in semi-solid state

In order to study the hot fractures in relation to the semi-solid processing, the tensile tests of an extruded 7075 aluminum alloy which is based on Al?Zn?Mg?Cu system were carried out in the high temperature solid and semi-solid states at different strain rates. The results show that the tensile behavior can be divided into three regimes with increasing the liquid fraction. The alloy first behaves in a ductile character, and as the temperature increases, the fracture mechanism changes from ductile to brittle which is determined by both of liquid and solid, and lastly the fracture mechanism is brittle which is totally dominated by liquid. At strain rates of 1×10?4, 1×10?3 and 1×10?2 s?1, the brittle temperature ranges are 515?526, 519?550 and 540?580 °C, respectively. Two equations which are critical for tensile behavior are proposed.

High temperature mechanical behavior of alumina dispersion strengthened copper alloy with high content of alumina

The microstructure and its effects on the high temperature mechanical behavior of Cu-2.7%Al_2O_3 （volume fraction） dispersion strengthened copper （ADSC） alloy were investigated. The results indicate that fine alumina particles are uniformly distributed in the copper matrix, while a few coarse ones are distributed on the grain boundaries. Tensile tests results show that Hall-Petch mechanism is the main contribution to the yield strength of ADSC alloy at room temperature. Its high temperature strength is attributed to the strong pinning effects of alumina particles on the grain and sub-grain boundaries with dislocations. The ultimate tensile strength can reach 237 MPa and the corresponding yield strength reaches 226 MPa at 700℃. Tensile fracture morphology indicates that the ADSC alloy shows brittleness at elevated temperatures. Creep tests results demonstrate that the steady state creep rates at 400 ℃ are lower than those at 700 ℃. The stress exponents at 400 ℃ and 700℃ are 7 and 5, respectively, and the creep strain rates of the ADSC alloy are controlled by dislocation core diffusion and lattice diffusion.

Effects of high temperature on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of hard coal

Coal is a common porous sedimentary rock whose microstructure and mechanical behavior are often affected by high temperature.In order to deeply investigate the effect of high temperature on the structure and mechanical properties of coal,six groups of coal samples with different heating temperatures were prepared.Various testing methods,including ultrasonic test,scanning electron microscopy,nuclear magnetic resonance and uniaxial compression test,were used in this study.The results showed that the physical and chemical change processes of coal samples under high temperature can be divided into two stages:the stage of drying and degassing and the stage of pyrolysis of the coal matrix.With the increase of heating temperature,the total porosity of coal samples increases,while the integrity and the deformation resistance of coal samples decrease.In addition,the elastic modulus and uniaxial compressive strength of the coal sample decrease with the increase of heating temperature.The Poisson’s ratio decreases firstly and then increases with the increase of heating temperature.

Mechanical behaviors and damage constitutive model of ceramics under shock compression

One-stage light gas gun was utilized to study the dynamic mechanical properties of AD90 alumina subjected to the shock loading. Manganin gauges were adopted to obtain the stress-time histories. The velocity interferometer system for any reflector （VISAR） was used to obtain the free surface velocity profile and determine the Hugoniot elastic limit. The Hugoniot curves were fitted with the experimental data. From Hugoniot curves the compressive behaviors of AD90 alumina were found to change typically from elastic to ＂plastic＂. The dynamic mechanical behaviors for alumina under impact loadings were analyzed by using the path line principle of Lagrange analysis, including the nonlinear characteristics, the strain rate dependence, the dispersion and declination of shock wave in the material. A damage model applicable to ceramics subjected to dynamic compressive loading has been developed. The model was based on the damage micromechanics and wing crack nucleation and growth. The effects of parameters of both the micro-cracks nucleation and the initial crack size on the dynamic fracture strength were discussed. The results of the dynamic damage evolution model were compared with the experimental results and a good agreement was found.

Experimental and numerical investigations on the tensile mechanical behavior of marbles containing dynamic damage

To investigate the degradation mechanism of static tensile mechanical behaviors of marble containing dynamic damage,multiple impact loading tests were performed on the disc marble samples,and then static Brazilian tests were conducted for the damaged samples.Besides,coupling modeling technology of finite difference method(FDM)—discrete element method(DEM)was used to carry out the numerical investigation.The results show that after multiple impacts,more white patches appear on the surface,and some microcracks,macro-fractures as well as pulverized grains are found by optical microscopic.The static tensile strength decreases with the increase of the dynamic damage variable characterized by the ultrasonic wave velocity of sample.The interaction between grains in the damaged sample becomes intense in the subsequent static loading process,causing a relatively large strain.The volume of the fragments falling off around the loading points becomes larger as impact number increases.As the dynamic damage increases,the absorbed energy of sample during the static loading first decreases and then tends to be stable.Both the stress concentration and the breakage of the force chains are the root causes of the degradation of the static tensile strength.

Mechanical Behavior and Failure Mechanism of Recycled Semi-flexible Pavement Material

The mechanical behavior and failure mechanism of recycled semi-flexible pavement material were investigated by different scales method. The macroscopic mechanical behavior of samples was studied by static and dynamic splitting tensile tests on mechanics testing system(MTS). The mechanical analysis in micro scale was carried out by material image analysis method and finite element analysis system. The strains of recycled semi-flexible pavement material on samples surface and in each phase materials were obtained. The test results reveal that the performance of recovered asphalt binder was the major determinant on the structural stability of recycled semi-flexible pavement material. The asphalt binder with high viscoelasticity could delay the initial cracking time and reduce the residual strain under cyclic loading conditions. The failure possibility order of each phase in recycled semi-flexible pavement material was asphalt binder, reclaimed aggregate, cement paste and virgin aggregate.

Influence of layer orientation and interlayer bonding force on the mechanical behavior of shale under Brazilian test conditions

The mechanical behavior of inherently anisotropic shale rocks under Brazilian test conditions are investigated in this study based on experimental studies and numerical simulations. The effects of the weak lamination planes and interlayer bonding force of these layers on the failure strength and fracture patterns are studied systematically. Numerical simulations using particle flow code in two dimensions based on the discrete element method showed a good agreement with the experimental results in the failure strength and fracture patterns. The shale revealed strong anisotropic behavior with the failure strength perpendicular to the lamination plane greater than failure strength parallel to lamination plane. The failure strength of the different interlayer bonding force against the layer orientations changed significantly. Four types of fracture patterns were observed: curved fracture, broken-linear fracture, layeractivated fracture, and central-linear fracture. The observed fracture patterns are either or a combination of tensile and/or shear fractures. Increase in interlayer bonding strength decreased the quantity of micro cracks and this directly led to reduction in the anisotropic behavior. Overall the layer orientation and interlayer bonding force of the shale thus play a very important role in the anisotropic behavior of the shale.

Interfacial microstructure and mechanical behavior of Mg/Cu bimetal composites fabricated by compound casting process

Mg/Cu bimetal composites were prepared by compound casting method, and the microstructure evolution, phase constitution and bonding strength at the interface were investigated.It is found that a good metallurgical bonding can be achieved at the interface of Mg and Cu,which consists of two sub-layers,i.e.,layer I with 30μm on the copper side composed of Mg2Cu matrix phase, on which a small amount of dendritic MgCu2 phase was randomly distributed;layerⅡ with 140μm on the magnesium side made up of the lamellar nano-eutectic network Mg2Cu+(Mg) and a small amount of detached Mg2Cu phase. The average interfacial shear strength of the bimetal composite is measured to be 13 MPa.This study provides a new fabrication process for the application of Mg/Cu bimetal composites as the hydrogen storage materials.

Sea Urchin Spines as a Model-System for Permeable,Light-Weight Ceramics with Graceful Failure Behavior. Part I. Mechanical Behavior of Sea Urchin Spines under Compression

The spines of pencil and lance urchins Heterocentrotus mammillatus and Phyllacanthus imperialis were studied as a model of light-weight material with high impact resistance.The complex and variable skeleton construction ('stereom') of body and spines of sea urchins consists of highly porous Mg-bearing calcium carbonate.This basically brittle material with pronounced single-crystal cleavage does not fracture by spontaneous catastrophic device failure but by graceful failure over the range of tens of millimeter of bulk compression instead.This was observed in bulk compression tests and blunt indentation experiments on regular,infiltrated and latex coated sea urchin spine segments.Microstructural characterization was carried out using X-ray computer tomography,optical and scanning electron microscopy.The behavior is interpreted to result from the hierarchic structure of sea urchin spines from the rnacroscale down to the nanoscale.Guidelines derived from this study see ceramics with layered porosity as a possible biomimetic construction for appropriate applications.