AN ESTIMATION OF FUZZY RELIABILITY OF DISTINCT ELEMENT METHOD IN PREDICTION OF SURFACE SUBSIDENCE DUE TO COAL MINING

The quantitative evaluation of errors involved in a particular numerical modelling is of prime importance for the effectiveness and reliability of the method. Errors in Distinct Element Modelling are generated mainly through three resources as simplification of physical model, determination of parameters and boundary conditions. A measure of errors which represent the degree of numerical solution 'close to true value' is proposed through fuzzy probability in this paper. The main objective of this paper is to estimate the reliability of Distinct Element Method in rock engineering practice by varying the parameters and boundary conditions. The accumulation laws of standard errors induced by improper determination of parameters and boundary conditions are discussed in delails. Furthermore, numerical experiments are given to illustrate the estimation of fuzzy reliability. Example shows that fuzzy reliability falls between 75%-98% when the relative standard errors of input data is under 10 %.

Distinct element method investigation on mechanical behavior within shear bands in granulates under the Earth and the Moon conditions

This letter mainly aims to investigate the mechanical behavior within shear bands in regolith both under the Earth and the Moon conditions via the distinct element method, in which a novel contact model considering interparticle van der Waals forces and rolling resistance is employed. The results show that for regolith under both conditions the stress paths are almost identical inside and outside the shear bands but void ratio, average pure rotation rate, and strain paths are rather distinct with dilation, particle rotation and the second invariant of strain tensor mainly occurring within the bands. However, the regolith under the Moon condition has higher peak strength and more significant strain localization than those under the Earth condition.

Modelling of URM Walls Retrofitted with Cable: A Comparison Between a Basic Mechanical Model and Distinct Element Method

The Australian love of 'heritage' buildings (most of them are unreinforced masonry (URM)) means that greater attention is required to secure their performance under seismic or impact loading in the future. A research project has been carried out to develop a new, economic and high strength retrofitting technique for masonry structures. A series of experimental testing on URM walls retrofitted with an innovative technique by cable system have been conducted. In this paper, an analytical model which is based on distinct element method (DEM) is developed to simulate the behaviour of retrofitted walls. In DEM, a solid is represented as an assembly of discrete blocks. Joints are modelled as interface between distinct bodies. It is a dynamic process and specially designed to model the behaviour of discontinuities. In order to assist the practising engineers to design this new retrofitted wall system, a simple mechanical model was also developed to predict the strength of the retrofitted walls. The results obtained from this simple mechanical model are compared with those from both experiments and distinct element model.

Investigating Earth Reaction to Pull-Out Process of Frictional Rock Bolts Using Distinct Element Method

The reaction of earth to pull-out process of frictional rock bolts was here modeled by the distinct element method (DEM). Ten frictional bolts were prepared;the expanding shells of five bolts included convex edges and the others had the shells with concave bits. The strength of bolts was measured by applying a standard pull-out test;the results confirmed that the strength of shells with convex edges was remarkably more than the strength of other shells. Furthermore, a two-dimensional DEM model of the test was developed by a particle flow code;the obtained results showed that the reaction of rock particles to the contacts occurring between the convex edges and earth was considerably more than those of the concave bits. In the other words, the convex edges transferred the pull-out force into a large area of the surrounded rock, causing these bolts to have the highest resistance against earth movements.

Modeling and Simulation of Particle-Packing Structures and Their Stability Using the Distinct Element Method

A numerical method for simulating the stability of particle-packing structures is presented. The packing structures were modeled on the basis of face-centered cubic (fcc) and body-centered cubic (bcc) structures, and the stability of these structures was investigated using the distinct element method. The interaction between the particles was simplified by considering repulsive, adhesive, and damping forces, and the stability against the gravitational force was simulated. The results under a certain set of parameters showed characteristic deformation when the particles were arranged in an fcc array. Focusing on the local structure, the resulting model was divided into several domains: The bottom base, four top corners, and intermediate domains. The bottom base notably became a body-centered tetragonal (bct) structure, which corresponds to a uniaxially compressed bcc structure. Conversely, the models based on the bcc arrangement were structurally stable, as no specific deformation was observed, and a monotonously compressed bct structure was obtained. Consequently, the bcc arrangement is concluded to be more stable against uniaxial compression, such as the gravitational force, in a particle-packing system.

Distinct element method analysis and field experiment of soil resistance applied on the subsoiler

Since the design of the subsoiler is a complex work,the interaction between the subsoiler and soil was investigated by using Distinct Element Method(DEM)in this study.Based on the traditional discrete element theory,the 3D model of soil particles and the subsoiler were established after considering the liquid bridge force between soil particles.The operating resistance curves of the subsoiler were achieved after the DEM simulation at a speed of 1 m/s,and three depths of 180 mm,220 mm and 260 mm,respectively.The simulation curves agreed well with the field experimental results based on relative errors of 2.96%,14.95%and 7.15%,respectively,at three depths.All these data proved that it was feasible and favorable to analyze the performance of the subsoiler by using the DEM and it is of important significance for studying and further optimizing the structure of the subsoiler.

Application of the expanded distinct element method for the study of crack growth in rock-like materials under uniaxial compression

The expanded distinct element method(EDEM)was used to investigate the crack growth in rock-like materials under uniaxial compression.The tensile-shear failure criterion and the Griffith failure criterion were implanted into the EDEM to determine the initiation and propagation of pre-existing cracks,respectively.Uniaxial compression experiments were also performed with the artificial rock-like samples to verify the validity of the EDEM.Simulation results indicated that the EDEM model with the tensile-shear failure criterion has strong capabilities for modeling the growth of pre-existing cracks,and model results have strong agreement with the failure and mechanical properties of experimental samples.The EDEM model with the Griffith failure criterion can only simulate the splitting failure of samples due to tensile stresses and is incapable of providing a comprehensive interpretation for the overall failure of rock masses.Research results demonstrated that sample failure primarily resulted from the growth of single cracks(in the form of tensile wing cracks and shear secondary cracks)and the coalescence of two cracks due to the growth of wing cracks in the rock bridge zone.Additionally,the inclination angle of the pre-existing crack clearly influences the final failure pattern of the samples.

Strain localization analyses of idealized sands in biaxial tests by distinct element method

This paper presents a numerical investigation on the strain localization of an idealized sand in biaxial compression tests using the distinct element method(DEM).In addition to the dilatancy and material frictional angle,the principal stress field,and distributions of void ratio,particle velocity,and the averaged pure rotation rate(APR)in the DEM specimen are examined to illustrate the link between microscopic and macroscopic variables in the case of strain localization.The study shows that strain localization of the granular material in the tests proceeds with localizations of void ratio,strain and APR,and distortions of stress field and force chains.In addition,both thickness and inclination of the shear band change with the increasing of axial swain,with the former valued around 10-14 times of mean grain diameter and the later overall described by the Mohr-Coulomb theory.

Distinct element modelling of fracture plan control in continuum and jointed rock mass in presplitting method of surface mining

Controlled blasting techniques are used to control overbreak and to aid in the stability of the remaining rock formation. Presplitting is one of the most common methods which is used in many open pit mining and surface blast design. The purpose of presplitting is to form a fracture plane across which the radial cracks from the production blast cannot travel. The purpose of this study is to investigate of effect of presplitting on the generation of a smooth wall in continuum and jointed rock mass. The 2D distinct element code was used to simulate the presplitting in a rock slope. The blast load history as a function of time was applied to the inner wall of each blasthole. Important parameters that were considered in the analysis were stress tensor and fracturing pattern. The blast loading magnitude and blasthole spacing and jointing pattern were found to be very significant in the final results.

Three-dimensional distinct element modeling of fault reactivation and induced seismicity due to hydraulic fracturing injection and backflow

This paper presents a three-dimensional fully hydro-mechanical coupled distinct element study on fault reactivation and induced seismicity due to hydraulic fracturing injection and subsequent backflow process,based on the geological data in Horn River Basin,Northeast British Columbia,Canada.The modeling results indicate that the maximum magnitude of seismic events appears at the fracturing stage.The increment of fluid volume in the fault determines the cumulative moment and maximum fault slippage,both of which are essentially proportional to the fluid volume.After backflow starts,the fluid near the joint intersection keeps flowing into the critically stressed fault,rather than backflows to the wellbore.Although fault slippage is affected by the changes of both pore pressure and ambient rock stress,their contributions are different at fracturing and backflow stages.At fracturing stage,pore pressure change shows a dominant effect on induced fault slippage.While at backflow stage,because the fault plane is under a critical stress state,any minor disturbance would trigger a fault slippage.The energy analysis indicates that aseismic deformation takes up a majority of the total deformation energy during hydraulic fracturing.A common regularity is found in both fracturing-and backflow-induced seismicity that the cumulative moment and maximum fault slippage are nearly proportional to the injected fluid volume.This study shows some novel insights into interpreting fracturing-and backflowinduced seismicity,and provides useful information for controlling and mitigating seismic hazards due to hydraulic fracturing.

Distinct Element Modelling of Unreinforced Masonry Wall Under Seismic Loads with and without Cable Retrofitting

To retrofit and strengthen existing unreinforced masonry (URM) structures to resist the potential earthquake damages has become an important issue in Australia. In order to secure the performance of URM under seismic loading in the future, a research project was carried out aimed at developing a simple and high strength seismic retrofitting technique for masonry structures. A series of experimental testing on URM walls retrofitted with an innovative technique by cable system have been conducted. The results indicated that both the strength and ductility of the tested speci-mens were significantly enhanced with the technique. An analytical model which is based on Dis-tinct Element Method (DEM) has also been developed to simulate the behaviour of URM walls be-fore and after retrofitting. The model is then further developed by applying a seismic wave to the wall to simulate the wall behavior under earthquake loads before and after retrofitting.

Distinct element method simulation of mechanical properties of material layer of pellet belt roasting machine

The thick layer and graded feeding technology of a belt roasting machine is an effective method for improving the production efficiency and quality index of pellet production,and a reasonable design of the mechanical structure of the layer is the basis for optimizing the heat and mass transfer performance of the layer.Janssen effect and von Mises yield criterion were used to establish a simplified mathematical model describing the elastic and plastic deformation of the green pellet under the action of an external force.The mechanical characteristics of extrusion,contact,and elastic-plastic deformation between green pellet particles in the material layer of the belt roasting machine were modeled using EDEM software.For a green pellet size of 12 mm,as the layer height increases from 300 to 1000 mm,the maximum vertical pressure on the pellets increases from 11.64 to 24.01 N,and the porosity decreases from 27.04%to 22.01%.As the layer height increases,the contact between the green pellets becomes more intense,and the force chain structure of the layer becomes more stable;the Janssen effect is observed when the layer reaches 700 mm.The compressive strength of the green pellets is linearly related to the particle size,and the compressive strength increases with an increase in particle size.At a layer height of 600 mm,as the particle size of the green pellets increases from 8 to 20 mm,the maximum vertical pressure increases from 7.54 to 44.16 N,and the porosity increases from 23.20%to 31.47%,while the yield per unit of the layer decreased by 12.1%.Small particles have a more stable force chain structure,larger comparative area,and higher production efficiency;however,their compressive strength is lower.Large particles have higher compressive strength and good permeability in the layer,but the production efficiency is relatively low.In actual production,a variety of factors should be integrated to optimize the feeding,and a multi-granularity graded feeding is the most ideal feeding.

Distinct Element Modelling of Mahabaleshwar Road Cut Hill Slope

Reliable estimates of slope stability are essential for safe design and planning of road cut hill slopes which accommo-date a number of tourist destinations around the world. The failure of cut slopes along these hills puts human life in grave danger and it is also disastrous for the economy. In the present study, a section of 100 m high jointed basalt hill slope has been analyzed numerically in a distinct element code, which is apt for simulating the behavior for jointed rock. The analysis was carried out for both the dry and saturated conditions. The distinct element analysis of the hill slope demonstrates it to be marginally stable under dry condition, while for the saturated condition, the hill slope fails along well defined joint planes.

Borehole stability in naturally fractured rocks with drilling mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening:A coupled DFN-DEM approach

Borehole instability in naturally fractured rocks poses significant challenges to drilling.Drilling mud invades the surrounding formations through natural fractures under the difference between the wellbore pressure(P w)and pore pressure(P p)during drilling,which may cause wellbore instability.However,the weakening of fracture strength due to mud intrusion is not considered in most existing borehole stability analyses,which may yield significant errors and misleading predictions.In addition,only limited factors were analyzed,and the fracture distribution was oversimplified.In this paper,the impacts of mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening on borehole stability in fractured rocks under both isotropic and anisotropic stress states are investigated using a coupled DEM(distinct element method)and DFN(discrete fracture network)method.It provides estimates of the effect of fracture strength weakening,wellbore pressure,in situ stresses,and sealing efficiency on borehole stability.The results show that mud intrusion and weakening of fracture strength can damage the borehole.This is demonstrated by the large displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on natural fractures,and the generation of fracture at shear limit.Mud intrusion reduces the shear strength of the fracture surface and leads to shear failure,which explains that the increase in mud weight may worsen borehole stability during overbalanced drilling in fractured formations.A higher in situ stress anisotropy exerts a significant influence on the mechanism of shear failure distribution around the wellbore.Moreover,the effect of sealing natural fractures on maintaining borehole stability is verified in this study,and the increase in sealing efficiency reduces the radial invasion distance of drilling mud.This study provides a directly quantitative prediction method of borehole instability in naturally fractured formations,which can consider the discrete fracture network,mud intrusion,and associated weakening of fracture strength.The information provided by the numerical approach(e.g.displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on fracture,and fracture at shear limit)is helpful for managing wellbore stability and designing wellbore-strengthening operations.

块裂隧道围岩等效岩体变形参数研究

采用Voronoi离散单元方法建立块裂岩体隧道的随机DEM数值模型,通过大量随机数值计算结果验证采用岩体等效变形参数预测隧道收敛变形的可行性。在规则裂隙岩体等效变形参数计算方法的基础上,针对数值模拟揭示的深埋隧道变形特征提出改进的修正计算公式及相应的特征参数。通过与既有解答以及大量随机数值计算结果的对比和统计分析验证修正解的合理性,修正解较为合理改善既有规则裂隙岩体等效变形参数计算方法在反映随机块裂岩体在隧道卸荷条件下变形估算的较大误差。采用修正计算方法得到的岩体等效变形参数可以很好地预测随机块裂岩体中隧道开挖后收敛变形的数学期望值。提出的修正计算方法对当前深部岩体变形参数研究和隧道洞壁收敛位移的估算具有一定的参考价值。

基于离散元法三裂纹岩石裂纹扩展特征的试验与数值研究

为研究三裂纹岩石的静力学破坏特征,采用离散元数值模拟软件PFC2D和模型试验方法,分析三裂纹岩石的峰值应力、应力—应变曲线及裂纹扩展特性,验证离散元数值模拟方法的可行性。通过改变岩石的水平围压和裂纹长度,分析单轴压缩载荷作用下三裂纹岩石的力学响应机制。研究结果表明:中间横向裂纹对裂纹岩石的峰值应力影响较大,中间竖向裂纹对裂纹岩石的峰值应力影响较小;加载过程中裂纹尖端最先出现应力集中现象,最后形成2条约70°的主裂纹贯通3条预制裂纹;随着围压的增大,三裂纹岩石的峰值应力先增大后减小;随着裂纹长度的增加,三裂纹岩石的峰值应力不断减小。

基于PFC^(3D)的膨胀岩湿胀变形研究

为研究不同过程含水率下膨胀岩的湿胀变形特性,以侧限无荷载膨胀试验和双电层理论为依据,通过PFC^(3D)软件建立计算模型,对万州地区的膨胀岩地基进行研究.结果表明:数值模拟与室内试验结果吻合较好,整个湿胀变形过程按时程特征可划分为变加速“蠕变”、匀变速上升和变减速“蠕变”3个阶段;增大膨胀岩内部的含水率后,首先会引起其内部黏土矿物颗粒的膨胀,当颗粒膨胀累计到一定阶段时会导致宏观层面上的湿胀变形;湿胀变形与湿胀变形速率的关系本质上反映的是膨胀应变与膨胀应力之间的“应力-应变”本构;膨胀岩湿胀变形速率与细胞吸水膨胀速率相似,即随内部含水率的增大而呈现“Λ”字形的变化趋势;K_(0)应力状态下的侧限膨胀试验不能充分释放膨胀岩的膨胀潜势,因此后期需要三轴应力状态下的膨胀试验来进行进一步研究.

基于离散元法的岩质高边坡稳定性分析

岩质边坡的失稳往往是在不良结构面的控制下发生的,特别高陡岩质边坡的失稳破坏。某抽蓄电站下库库尾段为露采矿山遗留的岩质高边坡,距离拟建下水库库尾段直线距离仅45 m,对工程建设存在巨大安全隐患。在人工测窗的基础上,利用三维激光扫描技术获取了岩质边坡结构面的详细数据,并结合离散元PFC2D方法对该岩质边坡进行分析和评价。结果表明,该岩石边坡主要发育NE60°~70°/NW∠3°~7°、NE13°~70°/SE∠70°~87°和NW293°~330°/SW∠71°~90°三组结构面。岩石边坡在天然工况下基本稳定,在暴雨、地震工况下稳定性差或不稳定,5 m~10 m深度范围可能会产生垮落和掉块现象,估算潜在危岩体约4.8×10^(4)m^(3)。

降压开采条件下胶结型深海能源土力学特性离散元模拟

降压开采会造成影响深海能源土宏观力学特性发生显著变化,而胶结型是天然气水合物赋存于深海能源土储层的主要类型,因此降压开采条件下胶结型深海能源土力学特性研究对于提高天然气水合物开采效率,预防海洋灾害具有重要意义。研究了胶结型深海能源土降压开采时的胶结和损伤影响,构建了三维离散元(Discrete Element Method,DEM)数值模型,并分析了围压、饱和度和损伤对于降压开采条件下胶结型深海能源土力学性能影响。研究结论对于深海能源土储层中天然气水合物开采研究具有较好的借鉴意义。

基于离散元法的旋耕刀受力分析

为分析旋耕刀在有秸秆覆盖和无秸秆覆盖土壤中工作时的受力情况,该文采用离散元法构建土壤-旋耕刀相互作用和秸秆-土壤-旋耕刀相互作用的三维离散元模型。在土槽试验中采用扭矩传感器测量旋耕刀所受扭矩,在仿真中导出每个时刻旋耕刀受到的扭矩和力数据,试验和仿真都在恒定前进速度0.222 m/s和耕作深度100 mm及4种转速77、100、123、146 r/min下进行。结果显示旋耕刀最大扭矩值随着转速增加呈现增加的趋势;在无秸秆覆盖土壤中,试验值与仿真值的相对误差为16.3%;在有秸秆覆盖土壤中二者相对误差为19.1%。耕作过程中旋耕刀所受合力、水平力及侧向力都呈现先升后降的趋势;合力、水平力和垂直力的最大值,都随着转速的增加而增加。旋耕刀刚开始切土时,在有秸秆覆盖的土壤中受到的阻力总比无秸秆覆盖的土壤中所受阻力要大;之后旋耕刀在有秸秆覆盖的土壤中受到的最大力要大于在无秸秆覆盖的土壤中受到的最大力。仿真的水平力和垂直力与旋耕刀理论模型计算得到的旋耕刀水平力和垂直力变化一致。利用离散元法研究旋耕刀切土过程,对探讨刀具与土壤的相互作用机理及设计和优化高秸秆含量土壤中工作的耕作机械具有重要意义。