Full-field mapping of internal strain distribution in red sandstone specimen under compression using digital volumetric speckle photography and X-ray computed tomography

It is always desirable to know the interior deformation pattern when a rock is subjected to mechanicalload. Few experimental techniques exist that can represent full-field three-dimensional （3D） straindistribution inside a rock specimen. And yet it is crucial that this information is available for fully understandingthe failure mechanism of rocks or other geomaterials. In this study, by using the newlydeveloped digital volumetric speckle photography （DVSP） technique in conjunction with X-ray computedtomography （CT） and taking advantage of natural 3D speckles formed inside the rock due to materialimpurities and voids, we can probe the interior of a rock to map its deformation pattern under load andshed light on its failure mechanism. We apply this technique to the analysis of a red sandstone specimenunder increasing uniaxial compressive load applied incrementally. The full-field 3D displacement fieldsare obtained in the specimen as a function of the load, from which both the volumetric and the deviatoricstrain fields are calculated. Strain localization zones which lead to the eventual failure of the rock areidentified. The results indicate that both shear and tension are contributing factors to the failuremechanism. 2015 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Statistical analysis on the influence of mechanical parameters in the vibration of pylons

We present a statistical investigation of the degree of influence that assumptions made in relation to the mechanical parameters of a pylon have on its ground-induced vibrations.The study is set up by using as a key kinematic variable the displacement at the top of a reference,a stand-alone pylon with a uniform cross-section and fixity at its base.Next,statistics are produced using a dimensionless displacement ratio defined between the‘parental’and the‘subsidiary’cases,the latter defined for the pylon(a)resting on compliant soil,(b)having an attached top mass,and(c)being non-uniform with height.Furthermore,two materials are examined,namely,steel and reinforced concrete(R/C).More specifically,this displacement ratio is independent of the excitation and plays the role of a transfer function between the base and the top of the pylon.Both horizontal and vertical motions are considered,and the equations of motion are solved in the frequency domain.The ensuing statistical analysis is conducted for the following parameter combinations:(a)pylon founded on soft,intermediate,and stiff soil;(b)low,intermediate,and high-mass ratios of the attached mass to the pylon′s mass;(c)a constant and quadratic degree of pylon tapering with height.Spearman correlation coefficients are calculated for all the above combinations to arrive at statistical results that establish validity bounds and quantify the degree of influence of each assumption on the pylon′s response.