Preliminary Results of In-situ Stress Measurements along the Longmenshan Fault Zone after the Wenchuan M_s 8.0 Earthquake

Four months after the Wenchuan Ms 8 earthquake in western Sichuan, China, in situ stress measurements were carried out along the Longmenshan fault zone with the purpose of obtaining stress parameters for earthquake hazard assessment. In-situ stresses were measured in three new boreholes by using overcoring with the piezomagnetic stress gauges for shallow depths and hydraulic fracturing for lower depths. The maximum horizontal stress in shallow depths （-20 m） is about 4.3 MPa, oriented N19°E, in the epicenter area at Yingxiu Town, about 9.7 MPa, oriented N51°W, at Baoxing County in the southwestern Longmenshan range, and about 2.6 MPa, oriented N39°E, near Kangding in the southernmost zone of the Longmenshan range. Hydraulic fracturing at borehole depths from 100 to 400 m shows a tendency towards increasing stress with depth. A comparison with the results measured before the Wenchuan earthquake along the Longmenshan zone and in the Tibetan Plateau demonstrates that the stress level remains relatively high in the southwestern segment of the Longmenshan range, and is still moderate in the epicenter zone. These results provide a key appraisal for future assessment of earthquake hazards of the Longmenshan fault zone and the aftershock occurrences of the Wenchuan earthquake.

Advance of in-situ stress measurement in China

In-situ stress is an essential parameter for design and construction of most engineering projects that involve excavation in rocks. Progress in in-situ stress measurement from the 1950s in China is briefly introduced. Stress relief by overcoring technique and hydraulic fracturing： technique are the two main techniques for in-situ stress measurement in China at present. To make them suitable for application at great depth and to increase their measuring reliability and accuracy, a series of techniques have been developed. Applications and achievements of in-situ stress measurement in Chinese rock engineering, including mining, geotechnical and hydropower engineering, and earthquake prediction, are introduced. Suggestions for further development of in-situ stress measurement are also proposed.

New development of hydraulic fracturing technique for in-situ stress measurement at great depth of mines

In-situ stress measurement using the hydraulic fracturing technique was made at Wanfu Coal Mine in Shandong Province, China. To solve problems caused by great measuring depth and extra thick overburden soil layers in the mine, a series of improved techniques were developed for the traditional hydraulic fracturing technique and equipment to increase their pressure-enduring ability and to ensure safe and flexible removal of the sealing packers with other experimental apparatus. Successful in-situ stress measurement at 37 points within 7 boreholes, which were mostly over 1000 m deep, was completed. Through the measurement, detailed information of in-situ stress state has been provided for mining design of the mine. The improved hydraulic fracturing technique and equipment also provide reliable tools for in-situ stress measurement at great depth of other mines.

Techniques for in-situ stress measurement at great depth

Reliable information of in--situ stress state is necessary for the design andconstruction of most important rock projects. As most rock projects are getting deeper and deeper,traditional techniques of in--situ stress measurement are not very suitable. The current techniquesof in--situ stress measurement and their insufficiency for use at great depth are analyzed. Somebasic ideas of the development of new techniques and the improvement of current techniques for useat great depth are provided.

Analysis on method for effective in-situ stress measurement in hot dry rock reservoir

With the rapid increase of energy demand and the increasingly highlighted environmental problems, clean, safe and widely distributed geothermal resources have become a hot spot for renewable resources development. The state of in-situ stress is a major control parameter for multiple links including well location, fracture inspiration and reservoir assessment, so how to determine the accurate state of in-situ stress in the deep thermal reservoir becomes a core problem drawing widely attention and urgent to be solved. Based on features of hot dry rock reservoir in terms of temperature and pressure and the comparison analysis, this article proposes the method of Anelastic Strain Recovery(ASR) as an effective method for determining the state of in-situ stress in the area with HDR resources distributed and explains the availability of ASR method by application examples.

Reliability analysis of in-situ stress measurement using circumferential velocity anisotropy

In-situ stress measurement for deep reservoir formation is difficult in terms of security, reliability and technique. Acoustic velocity anisotropy test is a basic method for stress measurement of rock cores, which is based on the distribution of acoustic velocity in different directions around rock cores. The heterogeneity of core samples, such as fractures and gravel contained, can also lead to wave velocity anisotropy. Therefore, the corresponding reliability evaluation method is established to exclude some other anisotropy factors caused by non-tectonic stresses. In this paper, the reliability of testing results is evaluated from three aspects, i.e. phase difference, anisotropy index and waveform, to remove the factors caused by non-tectonic stresses.

Study on in-situ stress measurement around coastal marginal land in Fujian

The in-situ hydraulic fracturing stress measurements have been carried out around the coastal marginal land in Fu- jian Province. And the characteristics of magnitude, direction and distribution of tectonic stress have been obtained. Based on the observed stress data, the characteristics and activities of fault zones are analyzed and studied in the paper according to the Coulomb friction criteria. 1 The maximum horizontal principal compressive stress is in the NW-WNW direction from the north to the south along the coastline verge, which is parallel to the strike of the NW-trending fault zone, consistent with the direction of principal compressive stress obtained from geological structure and across-fault deformation data, and different from that reflected by focal mechanism solution by about 20°. 2 The horizontal principal stress increases with depth, the relation among three stresses is SH>Sv>Sh or SH≈Sv>Sh, and the stress state is liable to normal fault and strike-slip fault activities. 3 According to Coulomb friction criteria and taking the friction strength μ as 0.6~1.0 for analysis, the stress state reaching or exceeding the threshold for normal-fault frictional sliding near the fault implies that the current tectonic activity in the measuring area is mainly normal faulting. 4 The force source of current tectonic stress field comes mainly from the westward and northwestward horizontal extrusions from the Pacific and Philippine Plates respectively to the Eurasian Plate.

In-situ 3D contour measurement for laser powder bed fusion based on phase guidance

In-situ layerwise imaging measurement of laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)provides a wealth of forming and defect data which enables monitoring of components quality and powder bed homogeneity.Using high-resolution camera layerwise imaging and image processing algorithms to monitor fusion area and powder bed geometric defects has been studied by many researchers,which successfully monitored the contours of components and evaluated their accuracy.However,research for the methods of in-situ 3D contour measurement or component edge warping identification is rare.In this study,a 3D contour mea-surement method combining gray intensity and phase difference is proposed,and its accuracy is verified by designed experiments.The results show that the high-precision of the 3D contours can be achieved by the constructed energy minimization function.This method can detect the deviations of common ge-ometric features as well as warpage at LPBF component edges,and provides fundamental data for in-situ quality monitoring tools.

A New Method for In-Situ Measurement of Internal Solitary Waves Based on the Stimulated Raman Scattering in Optical Fibers

In-situ measurement of internal solitary waves(ISWs)is complicated in the ocean due to their randomness.At present,the ISWs are mainly detected by the chain structure of conductivity-temperature-depth systems(CTDs)or temperature sensors.The high cost limits the spatial resolution,which ultimately affects the measuring accuracy of the ISW amplitude.In this paper,we developed an experimental measurement system for detecting ISWs based on the stimulated Raman scattering in distributed optical fibers.This system has the advantages of high precision,low cost,and easy operation.The experimental results show that the system is consistent with CTDs in the measurement of vertical ocean temperature variation.The spatial resolution of the system can reach 1.0 m and the measuring accuracy of temperature is 0.2℃.We successfully detected 3 ISWs by the system in the South China Sea and two optical remote sensing images collected on May 18,2021,the same day of two detected ISWs,verify the occurrence of the measured ISWs.We used the image pairs method to calculate the phase velocity of ISW and the result is 1.71 ms^(-1).By extracting the distances between wave packets,it can be found that the semi-diurnal tide generates the detected ISWs.The impact of the tidal current velocity on the ISW in amplitude is undeniable.Undoubtedly,the system has a great application prospect for detecting ISWs and other dynamic phenomena in the ocean.

Time-sensitivity of the Kaiser effect of acoustic emission in limestone and its application to measurements of in-situ stress

Measuring in-situ stress by using the Kaiser effect in rocks has such advantages as timeefficiency, low cost and little limitation, but the precision of the method is dependent on rock properties and delay time of the measurement. In this paper, experiments on the Kaiser effect in limestones were performed, and it was found that the limestones had good ability to retain a memory of their recent stress history and high time-sensitivity. The longer the experiment was delayed from the extraction of the stone, the larger the Felicity ratio was. As the Felicity ratio approached l, significant Kaiser effect was observed. In-situ stress should be determined by the limestone measurements when the delay time was 40-120 days. Finally, the in-situ stress in a limestone formation could be successfully measured in practice.

Measurement and study of the distributing law of in-situ stresses in rock mass at great depth

To solve the technical cruxes of the conventional system in deep rock mass, an automatic testing system for hydraulic fracturing that includes a single tube for hydraulic loop, a pressure-relief valve, central-tubeless packers, and a multichannel real-time data acquisition system was used for in-situ stresses measurement at great depths （over 1000 m） in a coalfield in Juye of Northern China. The values and orientations of horizontal principal stresses were determined by the new system. The virgin stress field and its distributing law were decided by the linear regression from the logged 37 points in seven boreholes. Besides, the typical boreholes arranged in both the adjacent zone and far away zone of the faults were analyzed, respectively. The results show that a stress concentration phenomenon and a deflection in the orientation of the maximal horizontal stress exist in the adjacent zone of the faults, which further provides theoretical basis for design and optimization of mining.

In-situ measure to internal stress of shotcrete layer in soft-rock roadway

In order to solve the difficult conditions of soft rock,water-trickling and hard-maintain of main air-return roadway in Tarangaole Colliery,high pretensioned stress and intensive bolt-shotcrete support program was designed and mechanical property of shotcrete layer was specially monitored through utilizing a type of concrete stress meter with oscillating chord after the program was carried out.It was indicated that,due to rock pressure and support resistance,the interior of shotcrete layer would emerge diverse stresses in axial,radial and tangential directions.With time passing internal stresses in three directions,whose average values were-0.061,0.043 and 0.517 MPa respectively,fluctuated first and then tended to stability slowly.The axial and radial stresses were relatively smaller than tangential stress which was 11,12 times the two formers respectively.Along the section of roadway,axial and tangential stresses distributed symmetrically and increased gradually from the top of arch to the waist of wall,but reduced at the foot of wall.Radial stresses reduced from the top of arch to the waist of arch first,and then increased in the waist of wall.Axial stresses were tensile substantially,except for stresses in arch vault tending to compressive,but all the radial stresses were compressive.Nevertheless,tangential stresses in the wall were compressive and tangential stresses in the arch were tensile.During the period of roadway excavating,the stress of shotcrete layer was less than its ultimate bearing capacity,with no significant stress concentration.At the end of this article,some suggests are given to shotcrete support design.

Stress Measurement with an Improved Hollow Inclusion Technique In Jinchuan Nickel Mine

Borehole overcoring stress measurement with an improved hollow inclusion technique was carried out at 10 points on 3 levels in Jinchuan nickel mine which is situated in north-west of China. Through the measurement, 3-D in situ stress state at the measuring points and distribution characteristics of the stress field in the mine were obtained. The stress state in Jinchuan mine is dominated by the horizontal tectonic stress field. The maximum principal stress is horizontal which is about twice the weight of the overburden and its orientation is approximately vertical to the regional tectonic line. The difference between two horizontal principal stresses is quite large which is an important reason to cause failure of underground excavations.

A distributed measurement method for in-situ soil moisture content by using carbon-fiber heated cable

Moisture content is a fundamental physical index that quantifies soil property and is closely associatedwith the hydrological, ecological and engineering behaviors of soil. To measure in-situ soil moisturecontents, a distributed measurement system for in-situ soil moisture content （SM-DTS） is introduced.The system is based on carbon-fiber heated cable （CFHC） technology that has been developed to enhancethe measuring accuracy of in-situ soil moisture content. Using CFHC technique, a temperature characteristicvalue （Tt） can be defined from temperatureetime curves. A relationship among Tt, soil thermalimpedance coefficient and soil moisture content is then established in laboratory. The feasibility of theSM-DTS technology to provide distributed measurements of in-situ soil moisture content is verifiedthrough field tests. The research reported herein indicates that the proposed SM-DTS is capable ofmeasuring in-situ soil moisture content over long distances and large areas.

Numerical analysis on mechanical difference of sandstone under in-situ stress,pore pressure preserved environment at depth

Deep in-situ rock mechanics considers the influence of the in-situ environment on mechanical properties,differentiating it from traditional rock mechanics.To investigate the effect of in-situ stress,pore pressure preserved environment on the mechanical difference of sandstone,four tests are numerically modeled by COMSOL:conventional triaxial test,conventional pore pressure test,in-situ stress restoration and reconstruction test,and in-situ pore pressure-preserved test(not yet realized in the laboratory).The in-situ stress restoration parameter is introduced to characterize the recovery effect of in-situ stress on elastic modulus and heterogeneous distribution of sandstone at different depths.A random function and nonuniform pore pressure coefficient are employed to describe the non-uniform distribution of pore pressure in the in-situ environment.Numerical results are compared with existing experimental data to validate the models and calibrate the numerical parameters.By extracting mechanical parameters from numerical cores,the stress-strain curves of the four tests under different depths,in-situ stress and pore pressure are compared.The influence of non-uniform pore pressure coefficient and depth on the peak strength of sandstone is analyzed.The results show a strong linear relationship between the in-situ stress restoration parameter and depth,effectively characterizing the enhanced effect of stress restoration and reconstruction methods on the elastic modulus of conventional cores at different depths.The in-situ pore pressurepreserved test exhibits lower peak stress and peak strain compared to the other three tests,and sandstone subjected to non-uniform pore pressure is more prone to plastic damage and failure.Moreover,the influence of non-uniform pore pressure on peak strength gradually diminished with increasing depth.

Development of in-situ Marine Sediment Geo-Acoustic Measurement System with Real-Time and Multi Frequencies (the Second Generation)

Compared with the laboratory acoustic measurement of sediment samples, the in-situ acoustic measurement in marine sediment is considered more accurate and rehable, because it covers all of the surrounding environment factors and avoids the disturbance during the course of sampling and transporting of sediment samples. A new multi-frequency in-situ geoacoustic measurement system （MFIS^AMS） has been developed. The system can provide acoustic vdocity （compressional wave） and attenuation profiles of the uppermost 4 - 8 m sediment in the seafloor. It consists of 8 channels with 12 frequencies （multi-frequencies） and 0.5 - 2 MHz sampling rates. The data collected can be transmiuted in real-time. Associated with inclinometer and altimeter, it can provide the data for depth emendation. Acoustic velocity and attenuation data have been obtained from two in-situ experiments conducted in the Hangzhou Bay.

Numerical analysis of stress distribution in the upper arm tissues under an inflatable cuff：Implications for noninvasive blood pressure measurement

An inflatable cuff wrapped around the upper arm is widely used in noninvasive blood pressure measurement.However, the mechanical interaction between cuff and arm tissues, a factor that potentially affects the accuracy of noninvasive blood pressure measurement, remains rarely addressed. In the present study, finite element（FE） models were constructed to quantify intra-arm stresses generated by cuff compression, aiming to provide some theoretical evidence for identifying factors of importance for blood pressure measurement or explaining clinical observations. Obtained results showed that the simulated tissue stresses were highly sensitive to the distribution of cuff pressure on the arm surface and the contact condition between muscle and bone. In contrast, the magnitude of cuff pressure and small variations in elastic properties of arm soft tissues had little influence on the efficiency of pressure transmission in arm tissues. In particular, it was found that a thickened subcutaneous fat layer in obese subjects significantly reduced the effective pressure transmitted to the brachial artery, which may explain why blood pressure overestimation occurs more frequently in obese subjects in noninvasive blood pressure measurement.

Measurement of surface shear stress vector distribution using shear-sensitive liquid crystal coatings

The global wall shear stress measurement tech- nique using shear-sensitive liquid crystal （SSLC） is extended to wind tunnel measurements. Simple and common every- day equipment is used in the measurement; in particular a tungsten-halogen light bulb provides illumination and a saturation of SSLC coating color change with time is found. Spatial wall shear stress distributions of several typical flows are obtained using this technique, including wall-jet flow, vortex flow generated by a delta wing and junction flow behind a thin cylinder, although the magnitudes are not fully calibrated. The results demonstrate that SSLC technique can be extended to wind tunnel measurements with no complicated facilities used.

Strain Effect of Manganin Transverse Piezoresistive Gauge and Measurement of Dynamic Transverse Stresses

Manganin piezoresistive gauges have been extensively used in dynamic stress measurement for decades.It is noted,however,that when used to measure transverse stresses,considerable strain effect is caused as the consequence of change of electrical resistance resulted from bending of wires in the longitudinal-strain-experiencing sensing element of the gauge,a phenomenon discussed in this paper theoretically as well as experimentally.This effect yields unwanted signals to blend with output piezoresistive signals and is not negligible,hence decreases measurement accuracy sizably if not properly handled.To overcome this drawback,a new type of manganin transverse piezoresistive gauge has been developed by authors of this paper,which can reduce the resistance increment to acceptable low level so as to effectively bring the adverse effect under control.

Measures for controlling large deformations of underground caverns under high in-situ stress condition--A case study of JinpingⅠhydropower station

The Jinping I hydropower station is a huge water conservancy project consisting of the highest concrete arch dam to date in the world and a highly complex and large underground powerhouse cavern. It is located on the right bank with extremely high in-situ stress and a few discontinuities observed in surrounding rock masses. The problems of rock mass deformation and failure result in considerable challenges related to project design and construction and have raised a wide range of concerns in the fields of rock mechanics and engineering. During the excavation of underground caverns, high in-situ stress and relatively low rock mass strength in combination with large excavation dimensions lead to large deformation of the surrounding rock mass and support. Existing experiences in excavation and support cannot deal with the large deformation of rock mass effectively, and further studies are needed. In this paper, the geological conditions, layout of caverns, and design of excavation and support are first introduced, and then detailed analyses of deformation and failure characteristics of rocks are presented. Based on this, the mechanisms of deformation and failure are discussed, and the support adjustments for controlling rock large deformation and subsequent excavation procedures are proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of support and excavation adjustments to maintain the stability of the rock mass is verified. The measures for controlling the large deformation of surrounding rocks enrich the practical experiences related to the design and construction of large underground openings, and the construction of caverns in the Jinping I hydropower station provides a good case study of large-scale excavation in highly stressed ground with complex geological structures, as well as a reference case for research on rock mechanics.