Application and prospects of 3D printing in physical experiments of rock mass mechanics and engineering:materials,methodologies and models

The existence of joints or other kinds of discontinuities has a dramatic efect on the stability of rock excavations and engineering.As a result,a great challenge in rock mass mechanics testing is to prepare rock or rock-like samples with defects.In recent years,3D printing technology has become a promising tool in the feld of rock mass mechanics and engineering.This study frst reviews and discusses the research status of traditional test methods in rock mass mechanics tests of making rock samples with defects.Then,based on the comprehensive analysis of previous research,the application of 3D printing technology in rock mass mechanics is expounded from the following three aspects.The frst is the printing material.Although there are many materials for 3D printing,it has been found that 3D printing materials that can be used for rock mass mechanics research are very limited.After research,we summarize and evaluate printing material that can be used for rock mass mechanics studies.The second is the printing methodology,which mainly introduces the current application forms of 3D printing technology in rock mass mechanics.This includes printed precise casting molds and one-time printed samples.The last one is the printing model,which includes small-scale samples for mechanical tests and large-scale physical models.Then,the benefts and drawbacks of using 3D printing samples in mechanical tests and the validity of their simulation of real rock are discussed.Compared with traditional rock samples collected in nature or synthetic rock-like samples,the samples made by 3D printing technology have unique advantages,such as higher test repeatability,visualization of rock internal structure and stress distribution.There is thus great potential for the use of 3D printing in the feld of rock mass mechanics.However,3D printing materials also have shortcomings,such as insufcient material strength and accuracy at this stage.Finally,the application prospect of 3D printing technology in rock mass mechanics research is proposed.

Effect of the benzene ring of the dispersant on the rheological characteristics of coal-water slurry:Experiments and theoretical calculations

In this study,low-rank coal-water slurry(LCWS)was prepared using polyoxyethylene dodecylphenol ether(PDPE)and polyoxyethylene lauryl ether(PLE),respectively.A combination of experiments and simulations was used to investigate the pulping properties and microscopic mechanism of the LCWS samples prepared using the two agents,so as to explore the influence of benzene ring on the performance of dispersant.The results of the LCWS preparation experiments revealed that the pulp-forming performance of PDPE exceeded that of PLE.When LCWS concentration is 62%,64%,and 66%,the apparent viscosity corresponding to PDPE is 247.80,504.17,and 653.10 mPa·s,and the apparent viscosity corresponding to PLE is 548.10,1470.61,and 1549.98 mPa·s,respectively.The C_(1000)(When the apparent viscosity is 1000 mPa·s,the corresponding concentration of LCWS is defined as C_(1000))values of PDPE and PLE are 67.60%and 62.95%,respectively.In addition to the van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds between the PDPE and/or PLE molecules and coal,the benzene rings of PDPE presentπ-πstacking effect with the aromatic rings of coal.That could facilitate and strengthen the adsorption of PDPE on coal,which would be conducive to further improving the dispersion of coal particles.The two dispersants have no significant difference in effect on the pyrolysis of LCWS.The simulation results indicated that the times for PDPE and PLE molecules to reach flat adsorption state on coal are approximately 290 and 565 ps,respectively.The self-diffusion coefficient(D)of the PDPE and PLE on coal is 3.16 x 10^(-6)and6.57×10^(-6)m~2/s,respectively,and their interaction energies with coal are 785.71 and 648.60 kcal/mol,respectively.The results of the simulation calculations demonstrated that PDPE adsorbed on coal easier than PLE,and its binding is more stable than that of PLE owing to theπ-πstacking effect,which is conducive to uniform dispersion of coal in solution.The simulation results confirmed the experimental results.