Theoretical Model of the Probability of Fusion between Deuterons within Deformed Lattices with Micro-cracks at Room Temperature

In this work, we wish to demonstrate that a reaction path as the following, dislocations, deformations due to thermodynamic stress and, finally, micro-crack occurrence, can enhance the process of fusion of the deuterons introduced into the lattice by deuterium loading. In fact, calculating the rate of deuteron-plasmon-deuteron fusion within a micro-crack, showed, together with an enhancement of the tunneling effect, an increase of at least 2-3 orders of magnitude compared to the probability of fusion on the no deformed lattice. In fact, strong electric fields can take place in the micro-crack and the deuterons are accelerated to the energy which are enough for the D-D tunnelling. These phenomena open the way to the theoretical hypothesis that a kind of chain reaction, catalyzed by the micro-cracks produced in the structure as a result of deuterium loading, can favour the process of deuteron-plasmon fusion.

Probability of Deuteron-Plasmon Fusion at Room Temperature within Micro-cracks of Crystalline Lattices with Deuterium Loading

This communication seeks to demonstrate that, at room temperature, the deformation of the crystalline lattice can influence the process of interaction of deuterons introduced within it. Calculations of this probability, in fact, showed an increase of at least 2-3 orders of magnitude with respect to the probability of fusion on the surface of the lattice. These phenomena open the way to the theoretical hypothesis of a kind of chain reaction, as a result of the deuterium loading and catalysed by micro-cracks formed in the structure by micro-explosions, can favour the process.

Displacive transformation as pathway to prevent micro-cracks induced by thermal stress in additively manufactured strong and ductile high-entropy alloys

The micro-cracking behaviors of two high-entropy alloys(HEAs) of the FeMnCoCrNi family prepared by selective laser melting were systematically studied. Residual stresses were also analyzed by X-ray diffraction technique. Results show that the equiatomic FeMnCoCrNi HEAs with a relatively stable single-phase face-centered cubic(FCC) structure suffered from micro-cracking with residual tensile stress after laser melting. In contrast, the metastable non-equiatomic Fe MnCoCr HEAs with reduced stacking fault energy are free of micro-cracks with residual compressive stress at various volumetric energy densities(VEDs). The displacive transformation from the FCC matrix to the hexagonal close-packed(HCP) phase during cooling prevents the micro-cracking via consuming thermal stress related internal energy. Further, the displacive transformation during tensile deformation contributes to the higher strength and ductility of the metastable dual-phase HEA compared to that of the stable single-phase HEA. These findings provide useful guidance for the design of strong, ductile, and crack-free alloys for additive manufacturing by tuning phase stability.

Image Preprocessing Methods to Identify Micro-cracks of Road Pavement

Standards of highway conservation and maintenance are improved gradually following the improvement of requirements of road service. Before obvious damage such as obvious cracking (block,transverse, longitudinal ) and rutting emerge, inconspicuous distress (micro-cracks, polishing, pockmarked) is generated previously. These inconspicuous distresses may provide basis and criteria for pavement preventive maintenance. Currently most of preventive conservation measures are determined by experienced experts in maintenance and repair of road after site visits. Thus method is difficult in operation, and has a certain amount of instability as it is based on experience and personal knowledge. In this paper, camera and laser were used for automated high-speed acquisition images. Methods to preprocess pavement image are compared. The pretreatment method suitable for analyze micro-cracks picture is elected, an effective way to remove shadow is also proposed.

Evolution mechanism and quantitative characterization of initial micro-cracks in marble under triaxial compression

The initial micro-cracks affect the evolution characteristics of macroscopic deformation and failure of rock but are often ignored in theoretical calculation,numerical simulation,and mechanical experiments.In this study,we propose a quantitative analysis model to investigate the effects of initial micro-cracks on the evolution of marble deformation and failure.The relationship between the micro-crack propagation and the marble failure characteristics was comprehensively studied by combining theoretical analysis with a micro-computed tomography(micro-CT)scanning technique.We found that with the increase of confining pressure,the matrix elastic modulus of the marble first increased and then tended to be stable,while the micro-cracks increased exponentially.The sensitivity ranges of the marble sample matrix elastic modulus and micro-cracks to confining pressure were 0–30 MPa and 30–50 MPa,respectively.The porosity and Poisson’s ratio decreased exponentially.The increasing proportion of internal micro-cracks led to an increase in the sample non-uniformity.The samples presented mainly shear failure under triaxial compression,and the failure angle decreased linearly with the increase of confining pressure.The convergence direction of cracks decreased gradually.This quantitative analysis model could accurately portray the relationship between the overall macroscopic deformation and the deviatoric stress of the samples at the compaction and the linear elastic stages,thus deepening the understanding of the stress–strain behavior of rocks.

Shear behavior and off-fault damage of saw-cut smooth and tension-induced rough joints in granite

The damage of rock joints or fractures upon shear includes the surface damage occurring at the contact asperities and the damage beneath the shear surface within the host rock.The latter is commonly known as off-fault damage and has been much less investigated than the surface damage.The main contribution of this study is to compare the results of direct shear tests conducted on saw-cut planar joints and tension-induced rough granite joints under normal stresses ranging from 1 MPa to 50 MPa.The shear-induced off-fault damages are quantified and compared with the optical microscope observation.Our results clearly show that the planar joints slip stably under all the normal stresses except under 50 MPa,where some local fractures and regular stick-slip occur towards the end of the test.Both post-peak stress drop and stick-slip occur for all the rough joints.The residual shear strength envelopes for the rough joints and the peak shear strength envelope for the planar joints almost overlap.The root mean square(RMS)of asperity height for the rough joints decreases while it increases for the planar joint after shear,and a larger normal stress usually leads to a more significant decrease or increase in RMS.Besides,the extent of off-fault damage(or damage zone)increases with normal stress for both planar and rough joints,and it is restricted to a very thin layer with limited micro-cracks beneath the planar joint surface.In comparison,the thickness of the damage zone for the rough joints is about an order of magnitude larger than that of the planar joints,and the coalesced micro-cracks are generally inclined to the shear direction with acute angles.The findings obtained in this study contribute to a better understanding on the frictional behavior and damage characteristics of rock joints or fractures with different roughness.

Micro-crack detection of nonlinear Lamb wave propagation in three-dimensional plates with mixed-frequency excitation

We propose a nonlinear ultrasonic technique by using the mixed-frequency signals excited Lamb waves to conduct micro-crack detection in thin plate structures.Simulation models of three-dimensional(3D)aluminum plates and composite laminates are established by ABAQUS software,where the aluminum plate contains buried crack and composite laminates comprises cohesive element whose thickness is zero to simulate delamination damage.The interactions between the S0 mode Lamb wave and the buried micro-cracks of various dimensions are simulated by using the finite element method.Fourier frequency spectrum analysis is applied to the received time domain signal and fundamental frequency amplitudes,and sum and difference frequencies are extracted and simulated.Simulation results indicate that nonlinear Lamb waves have different sensitivities to various crack sizes.There is a positive correlation among crack length,height,and sum and difference frequency amplitudes for an aluminum plate,with both amplitudes decreasing as crack thickness increased,i.e.,nonlinear effect weakens as the micro-crack becomes thicker.The amplitudes of sum and difference frequency are positively correlated with the length and width of the zero-thickness cohesive element in the composite laminates.Furthermore,amplitude ratio change is investigated and it can be used as an effective tool to detect inner defects in thin 3D plates.

An extended micromechanical-based plastic damage model for understanding water effects on quasi-brittle rocks

Water effects on the mechanical properties of rocks have been extensively investigated through experiments and numerical models.However,few studies have established a comprehensive link between the microscopic mechanisms of water-related micro-crack and the constitutive behaviors of rocks.In this work,we shall propose an extended micromechanical-based plastic damage model for understanding weakening effect induced by the presence of water between micro-crack’s surfaces on quasi-brittle rocks,based on the Mori-Tanaka homogenization and irreversible thermodynamics framework.Regarding the physical mechanism,water strengthens micro-crack propagation,which induces damage evolution during the pre-and post-stage,and weakens the elastic effective properties of rock matrix.After proposing a special calibration procedure for the determination of model parameters based on the laboratory compression tests,the proposed micromechanical-based model is verified by comparing the model predictions to the experimental results.The model effectively captures the mechanical behaviors of quasibrittle rocks subjected to the weakening effects of water.

Rock physical characteristics of deep dolomite under complex geological conditions:A case study of 4th Member of Sinian Dengying Formation in the Sichuan Basin,China

The deep-ultra deep carbonate reservoir in China,commonly subjected to modification of multi-stage diagenesis,has extremely high heterogeneity.Conventional rock physics analysis cannot accurately identify the elastic responses of reservoir.Here,the rock physics properties of the dolomite from the 4th Member of the Sinian Dengying Formation are experimentally measured,and the change law of rock physics characteristics is investigated within the framework of the diagenetic processes by the analysis of the elastic and petrologic characteristics,pore structure,and sedimentary environments.The results show that the differentiated diagenesis results in different pore structure characteristics and microtexture characteristics of the rock.The microbial dolomite of the algal mound-grain beach facies is subjected to the contemporaneous microbial dolomitization and seepage-reflux dolomitization,penecontemporaneous selective dissolution,burial dolomitization,and hydrothermal dolomitization.The resultant crystalline dolomite is found with one main type of the dolomite crystal contact boundaries,and the dissolution pore is extensive development.The siliceous,muddy,and limy dolomite of the interbeach sea environment mainly experiences the weak capillary concentration dolomitization,intensive mechanical compaction-induced densification,and burial dolomitization.Such crystalline dolomite is observed with four types of contact boundaries,namely the dolomite contact,clay contact,quartz contact,and calcite contact boundaries,and porosity mostly attributed to residual primary inter-granular or crystalline pores.The samples with the same crystal boundary condition have consistent correlations between the compressional-and shear-wave velocities,and between the compressional-wave velocity and the velocity ratio.Additionally,the variation of the acoustic velocity with effective pressure and the intensity of pore-scale fluid-related dispersion are controlled by the differentiation of pore structure types of the samples.The varied effects of soft pores like micro-cracks on the compressional-and shearwave velocity causes considerable changes in the relationships between the compressional-and shearwave velocities,compressional-wave velocity and velocity ratio,and porosity and acoustic velocity.This research is an attempt to demonstrate a novel method for investigating the rock physics variation of rock during the geological process,and the obtained findings can provide the rock physics basis for seismic prediction of the characteristics of deep carbonate reservoirs.

OMHT method for weak signal processing of GPR and its application in identification of concrete micro-crack

In the light of the problem of weak reflection signals shielded by strong reflections from the concrete surface,the detection and the recognition of hidden micro-cracks in the shield tunnel lining were studied using the orthogonal matching pursuit and the Hilbert transform(OMHT method).First,according to the matching pursuit algorithm and the strong reflection-forming mechanism,and based on the sparse representation theory,a sparse dictionary,adapted to the characteristics of the strong reflection signal,was selected,and a matching decomposition of each signal was performed so that the weak target signal submerged in the strong reflection was displayed more strongly.Second,the Hilbert transform was used to extract multiple parameters,such as the instantaneous amplitude,the instantaneous frequency,and the instantaneous phase,from the processed signal,and the ground penetrating radar(GPR)image was comprehensively analyzed and determined from multiple angles.The results show that the OMHT method can accurately weaken the effect of the strong impedance interface and effectively enhance the weak reflected signal energy of hidden micro-crack in the shield tunnel segment.The resolution of the processed GPR image is greatly improved,and the reflected signal of the hidden micro-crack is easily visible,which proves the validity and accuracy of the analysis method.

Modeling and Experimental Analysis of Roughness Effect on Ultrasonic Nondestructive Evaluation of Micro-crack

A high-precision evaluation of ultrasonic detection sensitivity for a micro-crack can be restricted by a corroded rough surface when the surface microtopography is of the same order of magnitude as the crack depth.In this study,a back-surface micro-crack is considered as a research target.A roughness-modified ultrasonic testing model for micro-cracks is established based on a multi-Gaussian beam model and the principle of phase-screen approximation.The echo signals of micro-cracks and noises corresponding to different rough front surfaces and rough back surfaces are obtained based on a reference reflector signal acquired from a two-dimensional simulation model.Further compari-son between the analytical and numerical models shows that the responses of micro-cracks under the effects of dif-ferent corroded rough surfaces can be accurately predicted.The numerical and analytical results show that the echo signal amplitude of the micro-crack decreases significantly with an increase in roughness,whereas the noise ampli-tude slightly increases.Moreover,the effect of the rough front surface on the echo signal of the micro-crack is greater than that of the rough back surface.When the root-mean-square(RMS)height of the surface microtopography is less than 15μm,the two rough surfaces have less influence on the echo signals detected by a focused transducer with a frequency of 5 MHz and diameter of 6 mm.A method for predicting and evaluating the detection accuracy of micro-cracks under different rough surfaces is proposed by combining the theoretical model and a finite element simulation.Then,a series of rough surface samples containing different micro-cracks are fabricated to experimentally validate the evaluation method.

Experimental and numerical investigation on the dynamic shear failure mechanism of sandstone using short beam compression specimen

In this study,a novel testing method is proposed to characterize the dynamic shear property and failure mechanism of rocks by introducing the short beam compression(SBC)specimen into the split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)system.Firstly,the stress distribution of SBC specimen is comprehensively analyzed by finite element method(FEM),and the results show that the optimal notch separation ratio of SBC specimen is C/H?0.2 to achieve successful dynamic simple-shear tests.Then,dynamic shear tests are conducted on sandstone using the SBC-SHPB method.Via careful pulse shaping technique,the dynamic force balance is guaranteed for SBC specimens,and the testing results show that the dynamic shear strength of sandstone is significantly rate-dependent.Combining the results of dynamic compression and tension tests,the failure envelopes of sandstone under different loading rates are obtained in the principle stress plane.It is found that the failure envelope of sandstone constantly expands outwards with increasing loading rate.Moreover,the energy partition of SBC specimen is quantified by virtue of high-speed digital image correlation(DIC)technique.The results show that the kinetic energy portion is non-negligible,and the shear fracture energy increases with increasing loading rate.In addition,the microscopic shear cracking mechanism of SBC specimen is analyzed by the thin section observation:the intra-granular(TG)fracture of minerals dominates the dynamic shear failure of sandstone,and the portion of TG fracture increases with increasing loading rate.This study provides a convenient and reliable method to investigate the dynamic shear property and failure mechanism of rocks.

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.

FORMULATION OF STATISTICAL EVOLUTION OF MICROCRACKS IN SOLIDS

The paper presents a principal formulation of statistical evolution of microcracks, occurring in solids, subjected to external loading. In particular, the concept of ideal microcracks is elaborated, in order to describe the fundamental features of damage resulting from nucleation and extension of microcracks. Relevant average damage functions are also discussed.

Strengthening leaching effect of Carlin-type gold via high-voltage pulsed discharge pretreatment

A high-voltage pulsed discharge(HVPD)pretreatment was used to strengthen the leaching effect of Carlin-type gold ore containing arsenic.Optimal results of the pretreatment experiments were obtained at the following operating conditions:a spherical gap spacing of 20 mm,pulse number of 100,and voltage of 30 kV.The leaching rate of gold was increased by 15.65%via the HVPD pretreatment.The mass fraction of–0.5+0.35 mm and–0.35+0.1 mm was increased by 10.97%and 6.83%compared to the untreated samples,respectively,and the Au grade of–0.1 mm was increased by 22.84%.However,the superiority of the HVPD pretreatment would be weakened by prolonged grinding time.Scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the pretreated products presented as a melting state and then condensation,accompanying by some pore formation.More micro-cracks were generated at the interface of the ore and the original crack were expended via pulsed discharge pretreatment,with the contact area between the leaching reagent and ore increased,the leaching reaction rate enhanced and the leaching effect strengthened.

Experimental Research on the Low Frequency Wave That Radiates into the Air before the Failure of Rock

Experiments on sonic transmission show that a slabstone can directly transmit part of the energy of a wave excited by knocking or by a transducer into the air. The other part of the wave energy can generate the normal mode of vibration on the slabstone and excite measurable acoustic signals in the air. The dominant frequency is related to the size of the slabstone. These results indicate that the acoustic emission (AE) in rock also displays similar behavior if the source is shallow. It is demonstrated that with the nucleation and propagation of cracks, the dominant frequency of the radiated wave will be lower. When the frequency becomes very low, the wave can be transmitted through the rock into the air and be received by a microphone. According to the theory of similarity of size, there will be low-frequency waves before strong earthquakes because of nucleation of cracks, which can be received by special low-frequency transducers or infrasonic detectors. Before earthquakes, the mechanism of precursors could be very complicated. They might be produced by plastic creep or attributed to liquids but not brittle fracture in most cases. So the periods of the produced waves will be longer. This perhaps accounts for the lack of foreshocks before many strong earthquakes.

Effect of Boundary Condition on Impact Response and Damage Meso-mechanism for Scarf Bonded Repair of Load-bearing Composite Structures

Composite scarf repair is applied in airplane load-bearing structures. But the repairs would have different boundary supports in real situation, such as simply support, clamped support and flexible support. With different boundary supports, the bonded scarf repair of composite structures could have diverse damage mechanisms and responses. This work intends to study the impact performance of different boundaries. For this purpose, experimental tests were carried out on the specimens with two sides support and four sides support. The impact load and deflection was monitored during the tests. After impact being finished, the meso-mechanism was studied by means of micro-cracks of the side section for two sides support condition and cross section for the four sides support condition. It was possible to conclude that the four sides boundary possess higher impact resistance maximum loads, lower displacements and lower extent load dropping. In terms of damage modes, as the impact energy relative low 12 J and 16 J, the central position of scarf bonding zone for two sides support appears adhesive cohesive failure and adhesive-composite interface failure. When the energy increases to 20 J, the dominated damage of two sides support moves down to the feathered tip. For four sides support, the critical energy level is 25 J, under which the scarf adhesive begins to be damaged.

Macro and micro mechanics behavior of granite after heat treatment by cluster model in particle flow code

In this paper, a cluster model in particle flow code was used to simulate granite specimens after heat treatment under uniaxial compression. The results demonstrated that micro-cracks are randomly distributed in the specimen when the temperature is below 300?C, and have partial coalescence when the temperature is up to 450?C, then form macro-cracks when the temperature is above 600?C. There is more inter-granular cracking than intra-granular cracking, and their ratio increases with increasing temperature.The micro-cracks are almost constant when the temperature decreases from 900?C to room temperature, except for quartz α–β phase transition temperature(573?C). The fracture evolution process is obviously affected by these cracks, especially at 600–900?C. Elevated temperature leads to easily developed displacement between the grains, and the capacity to store strain energy becomes weaker, corresponding to the plasticity of granite after heat treatment.

Stress-strain-acoustic responses in failure process of coal rock with different height to diameter ratios under uniaxial compression

Residual coal pillars play an important role in mining the adjacent coal seam safely,managing the gobs and maintaining the stability of abandoned coal mines.The height to diameter ratio(H/D)affects the stability of residual coal pillars.In this study,uniaxial compressive tests of coal specimens with five H/D(2.0,1.5,1.0,0.8 and 0.6)were performed,and the stress,strain and acoustic emission(AE)were monitored.Results show that the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)and peak strain increase with H/D decreasing.An empirical equation is proposed to calculate the UCS based on the H/D.The AE activities during coal failure process can be separated into four periods.The span of quiet period and rapid decline period shorten with H/D decreasing.The smaller the H/D is,the more complicated the failure characteristics of coal will be.The failure form of coal with H/D of 2.0,1.5,and 1.0 is primarily shear failure,while splitting failure along the axial direction is the mainly mode when H/D is 0.8 or 0.6.The initiation,expansion,aggregation and connection of micro-cracks can be reflected by the real-time spatial evolution of AE event points.

Influence of grain size on strength of polymineralic crystalline rock: New insights from DEM grain-based modeling

Grain size effect on rock strength is a topic of great interest in geotechnical engineering.A consensus obtained from earlier laboratory tests is that rock strength generally decreases with the increase of grain size for both silicate and carbonate rocks;however,some recent numerical results conflict with such laboratory test results.To address this intriguing issue,the effect of grain size on strength of polymineralic crystalline rock with low porosity is investigated numerically using the grain-based modeling(GBM)approach in discrete element method(DEM)by interpreting micro-cracking process in response to loading.In agreement with some previous DEM simulation results,the simulated rock strength is found to increase with increasing grain size for both homogeneous and heterogeneous models,even when the number of assembled disks in one mineral grain changes.The mechanism of strength increase with increasing grain size is mainly associated with the number of assembled smooth-joint contacts along grain interfaces and the generation of grain boundary cracks in response to loading.The grain interfaces significantly weaken the integrity of the rock model,which is similar to effects of inherent defects in real rock.As the grain size increases,fewer grain interfaces are built in the model and the rock strength becomes much higher.Hence,by solely changing the mineral grain size in a model,the mechanism of grain size effect as observed in laboratory tests cannot be replicated.To address this issue,a method of degradation of grain boundary strength parameters is used to mimic the possible mechanism of grain size effect.The simulated strength using the method becomes comparable with those obtained from laboratory tests when the heterogeneity in the rock is considered.Degradation of grain boundary parameters with increasing grain size provides a plausible explanation for the grain size effect on rock strength.