A thermal stress loading technique for large-sized hot dry rock mechanical tests

Testing of large-sized specimens is becoming increasingly important in deep underground rock mechanics and engineering.In traditional mechanical loading,stresses on large-sized specimens are achieved by large host frames and hydraulic pumps,which could lead to great investment.Low-cost testing machines clearly always have great appeal.In this study,a new approach is proposed using thermal expansion stress to load rock specimens,which may be particularly suitable for tests of deep hot dry rock with high temperatures.This is a different technical route from traditional mechanical loading through hydraulic pressure.For the rock mechanics test system of hot dry rock that already has an investment in heating systems,this technology may reduce the cost of the loading subsystem by fully utilizing the temperature changes.This paper presents the basic principle and a typical design of this technical solution.Preliminary feasibility analysis is then conducted based on numerical simulations.Although some technical details still need to be resolved,the feasibility of this loading approach has been preliminarily confirmed.

Effects of time lag and stress loading rate on permeability in low permeability reservoirs

In order to study the effect of time lag and stress loading rates on rock deformation,the conventional stepped stress loading mode was changed into a continuous mode to investigate the effect of effective pressure on permeability and porosity.The time lag effect of rock deformation illustrating the relationship between changes in permeability and steady time was studied.Permeability reduction ratios were measured under different stress loading rates which were achieved by different pump rate settings.The results show that permeability and porosity gradually decrease with increases in effective pressure.Permeability at high effective pressure attains stability quickly.Steady times at low effective pressure are very long.Reduction in permeability at lower stress loading rates is small,while,in contrast,it is large at high stress loading rates.

AN EXPERIMENTAL-NUMERICAL METHOD FOR MEASURING CRACK PROPAGATING VELOCITIES UNDER STRESS WAVE LOADING

An experimental-numerical method for measuring dynamic crack propagatingvelocities under stress wave loading is established in this paper. The experiments of thethree-point bend specimen are done on the improved Hopkinson bar. Deflection of loading point,dynamic load and instantaneous crack length are measured, then crack propagating velocities arecalculated. Experiments on 40Cr steel show that the results given by this method have a goodagreement with that obtained by the resistance fracture gage method. Therefore this method isfeasible for measuring crack propagating velocities under high loading rate and will have wideapplication.

A Preliminary Study on Mechanisms of Well Water Temperature Responses Based on the Modes of Stress Loading

Based on the studies of the predecessors, and contrasting the modes of stress loading with water level and water temperature response characteristics of a well-aquifer system, this paper draws a preliminary conclusion on the mechanisms of water temperature responses in a well caused by three modes of stress loading, i.e. gas escape, heat dispersion and cold water penetration mechanisms for elastic seismic wave stress loading; the fracture seepage mechanism for seismic wave stress loading and the hydrodynamic mechanism for earth tide stress loading and stress-dissipative heat mechanism for long period slow stress loading in the earthquake preparation stage. This paper illustrates the typical observation examples for each mode of stress loading and makes a preliminary study on their mechanisms.

Crack propagation mechanism of compression-shear rock under static-dynamic loading and seepage water pressure

To reveal the water inrush mechanics of underground deep rock mass subjected to dynamic disturbance such as blasting, compression-shear rock crack initiation rule and the evolution of crack tip stress intensity factor are analyzed under static-dynamic loading and seepage water pressure on the basis of theoretical deduction and experimental research. It is shown that the major influence factors of the crack tip stress intensity factor are seepage pressure, dynamic load, static stress and crack angle. The existence of seepage water pressure aggravates propagation of branch cracks. With the seepage pressure increasing, the branch crack experiences unstable extension from stable propagation. The dynamic load in the direction of maximum main stress increases type I crack tip stress intensity factor and its influence on type II crack intensity factor is related with crack angle and material property. Crack initiation angle changes with the dynamic load. The initial crack initiation angle of type I dynamic crack fracture is 70.5°. The compression-shear crack initial strength is related to seepage pressure, confining pressure, and dynamic load. Experimental results verify that the initial crack strength increases with the confining pressure increasing, and decreases with the seepage pressure increasing.

Calculation and analysis of stress in strata under gob pillars

Aiming at the difficulty in stress analysis for strata under pillars with actual bearing conditions, an approach was proposed to apply multi-sectional linear approximation to the characteristic curves of pillar loads, and stress of strata was calculated under pillars with linear load by calculation method for uniform load. This approach leads to a rapid analyzing method for strata stress under pillars with any form of loads. Through theoretical analysis, strata stress expressions for pillars under linear bearing conditions are obtained. In addition, two concepts, stress increase factor and stress factor, are proposed for the approximate analysis of strata stress by uniform load approximation method. It is also found that the stress increase factor of strata is related to the strata stress factor and the ratio of the minimum load on the pillar' two ends to the maximum one; and the distribution features of stress factors and the sizes of their influencing areas in strata influenced by overlying pillars are obtained. Combining with the gob pillar conditions of Jurassic coal seam in Tongxin Coal Mine, it is demonstrated that the results obtained by stress distribution analysis of the strata stress in non-influencing areas of pillars with linear bearing through uniform load approximation are in basic accordance with the results obtained for pillars under linear bearing condition. Therefore, it is feasible and accurate to calculate stress in non-influencing area in strata under pillars with linear bearing condition by uniform load calculation method.

Normalization method for asphalt mixture fatigue equation under different loading frequencies

In order to analyze the effect of different loading frequencies on the fatigue performance for asphalt mixture,the changing law of asphalt mixture strengths with loading speed was revealed by strength tests under different loading speeds.Fatigue equations of asphalt mixtures based on the nominal stress ratio and real stress ratio were established using fatigue tests under different loading frequencies.It was revealed that the strength of the asphalt mixture is affected by the loading speed greatly.It was also discovered that the fatigue equation based on the nominal stress ratio will change with the change of the fatigue loading speed.There is no uniqueness.But the fatigue equation based on the real stress ratio doesn't change with the loading frequency.It has the uniqueness.The results indicate the fatigue equation based on the real stress ratio can realize the normalization of the asphalt mixture fatigue equation under different loading frequencies.It can greatly benefit the analysis of the fatigue characteristics under different vehicle speeds for asphalt pavement.

New artificial neural networks for true triaxial stress state analysis and demonstration of intermediate principal stress effects on intact rock strength

Simulations are conducted using five new artificial neural networks developed herein to demonstrate and investigate the behavior of rock material under polyaxial loading. The effects of the intermediate principal stress on the intact rock strength are investigated and compared with laboratory results from the literature. To normalize differences in laboratory testing conditions, the stress state is used as the objective parameter in the artificial neural network model predictions. The variations of major principal stress of rock material with intermediate principal stress, minor principal stress and stress state are investigated. The artificial neural network simulations show that for the rock types examined, none were independent of intermediate principal stress effects. In addition, the results of the artificial neural network models, in general agreement with observations made by others, show （a） a general trend of strength increasing and reaching a peak at some intermediate stress state factor, followed by a decline in strength for most rock types; （b） a post-peak strength behavior dependent on the minor principal stress, with respect to rock type; （c） sensitivity to the stress state, and to the interaction between the stress state and uniaxial compressive strength of the test data by the artificial neural networks models （two-way analysis of variance; 95% confidence interval）. Artificial neural network modeling, a self-learning approach to polyaxial stress simulation, can thus complement the commonly observed difficult task of conducting true triaxial laboratory tests, and/or other methods that attempt to improve two-dimensional （2D） failure criteria by incorporating intermediate principal stress effects.

THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRESS INTENSITY FACTOR UNDER MOVING LOADS ON THE CRACK FACES

The dynamic stress intensity factor history for a half plane crack in an otherwise unbounded elastic body,with the crack faces subjected to a traction distribution consisting of two pairs of combined mode point loads that move in a direction perpendicular to the crack edge is considered.The analytic expression for the combined mode stress intensity factors as a function of time for any point along the crack edge is obtained.The method of solution is based on the application of integral transform together with the Wiener-Hopf technique and the Cagniard-de Hoop method. Some features of the solution are discussed and graphical results for various point load speeds are presented.

DYNAMIC STRESS INTENSITY FACTORS AROUND TWO CRACKS NEAR AN INTERFACE OF TWO DISSIMILAR ELASTIC HALF－PLANES UNDER IN－PLANE SHEAR IMPACT LOAD

Transient stresses around two collinear cracks which lie in parallel with theinterface of the two dissimilar half-planes are studied in this article.The surfaces ofthe cracks are sheared suddenly. Application of the Fourier and Laplace transforms technique reduces the problem to that of solving dual integrai equations.To solvethese,the differences of.the crack surface displacements are expanded in a series offunctions which are automatically zero outside of the cracks. The unknown coefficients accompanied in the series are determined by the Schmidt method. The stress intensity .factors are defined in the Laplace transform domain and these are inverted numerically in the physical space .As an example ,the dynamic stress intensity factors around two cracks in a ceramic and steel bonded composite are numerically calculated.

Analysis of composite material interface crack face contact and friction effects using a new node-pairs contact algorithm

A new node-pairs contact algorithm is proposed to deal with a composite material or bi-material interface crack face contact and friction problem （e.g., resistant coating and thermal barrier coatings） subjected to complicated load conditions. To decrease the calculation scale and calculation errors, the local Lagrange multipliers are solved only on a pair of contact nodes using the Jacobi iteration method, and the constraint modification of the tangential multipliers are required. After the calculation of the present node-pairs Lagrange multiplier, it is turned to next contact node-pairs until all node-pairs have finished. Compared with an ordinary contact algorithm, the new local node-pairs contact algorithm is allowed a more precise element on the contact face without the stiffness matrix singularity. The stress intensity factors （SIFs） and the contact region of an infinite plate central crack are calculated and show good agreement with those in the literature. The contact zone near the crack tip as well as its influence on singularity of stress fields are studied. Furthermore, the frictional contacts are also considered and found to have a significant influence on the SIFs. The normalized mode-II stress intensity factors KII for the friction coefficient decrease by 16% when f changes from 1 to 0.

DAMAGE TOLERANCE ANALYSIS ON HOLLOW AXLES OF HIGH SPEED MOTOR TRAINS

According to the rules of UIC515-3, the service loads of the axles are defined, which include some different loads cases as follows： the static loads; the impact loads resulted from running through the rail joints and unevenness rails; the loads through curves and from braking. Through the calculating and analysis, the stress distribution of the hollow axles is obtained for 200 km/h high speed motor trains used in China. At the same time, the fatigue crack growth of hollow axles is studied, and the initial surface cracks of 2 mm depth caused by hard objects strike or the other causes are discussed. On the basis of the linear elastic fracture mechanics theory, the stress intensity factor of the crack of the geometry transition outside the wheel seat is also studied. Associated with fatigue crack propagation equation and the corresponding crack propagation threshold, the crack propagation characteristics under different shapes are calculated. Then the running distances are educed with different shapes propagating to the critical length, and the estimation of the residual lives about hollow axles which are the reference values of examine and repair limit of the hollow axle is given.

Contact surface fatigue life for roller rack pinion system

A roller rack pinion(RRP)system,which consists of a rack-bar and a cam pinion,transforms a rotation motion into linear motion.The rack-bar has a series of roller train and meshes with the cam pinion.First,the exact tooth profile of the cam pinion and the non-undercut condition to satisfy the required performance have been proposed with the introduction of the profile shift coefficient.Then,the load stress factors are investigated under the variation of the shape design parameters to predict the gear surface fatigue limit which is strongly related to the gear noise and vibration at the contact patch.The results show that the pitting life can be extended significantly with the increase of the profile shift coefficient.

Experimental study of coal flow characteristics under mining disturbance in China

With annually increased coal mining depth,gas extraction becomes more and more problematic.The gas extraction efect depends on coal seam permeability,which,in turn,is afected by many factors,including loading and unloading stresses and strains in the coal seam.Stresses induce internal cracks,resulting in cleats and gas emission channels,the coal seam permeability permanently changes accordingly.To clarify the stress-induced efects on coal seam permeability,this survey summarized the available approaches used to link the stress path and seepage law in the coal body seepage law,which can be classifed into two design methods:single load variation and combined feld mining method.The characterization methods used to observe the surface of coal samples and three-dimensional reconstruction include electron microscopy,CT scanning,and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance(NMR).According to the stress paths designed by the above two approaches,the seepage laws and similarities of three kinds of coal samples with the fractured structure were summarized in this paper.The following directions are recommended to study the seepage law of coal bodies with three kinds of fractured structures under stress.Firstly,the stress path of the experimental coal body should be designed by the combined feld mining method.The stressed environment of a deep coal seam is complicated,and the axial and confning pressures change simultaneously.Therefore,one cannot fully refect the real situation on-site by studying permeability evolution alone.Secondly,during the coal seam mining,the stressed state changes from time to time,and the development of coal seam fractures is afected by mining.When studying the stress efect on seepage of coal samples,the fractured structure of coal samples should be considered.Finally,the available structural characterization methods of coal samples can be combined with the 3D printing technology,which would produce artifcial samples with the fractured structure characteristics of natural coal.

Corrosion leaking of preheater weldment in alumina factories

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and anticorrosion measures of TU42C weld-joint were studied by constant load experiments and pickling experiments. The results show that in 40%(mass fraction) NaOH solution at 110℃, caustic SCC occurs in TU42C weld-joints at the applied potential of-1020mV(vs SCE) for 3d while at the potential of-950mV(vs SCE) for 10d. All the cracks are intergranular. In the 10% sulfuric acid, the cracks have the most negative self-corrosion potential-432.5mV(vs SCE) and are active to be further corroded by the acid. Because of the same corrosion behaviour as the lab weldment, preheater’s cracking in alumina factories is attributed to the combining actions of previous caustic SCC in Bayer solutions and continuous acid corrosion by pickling with the addition of RD. The following measures are effective to prevent the corrosion failure of preheater, such as postweld heat treatment at 620℃ to relax the residual weld stress, addition of CC3 and L826 as the corrosion inhibitors to improve the pickling and cleaning by the high pressure water instead of by pickling.

Deformation Mechanism of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy Under Different Loading Paths

Deformation and texture evolution of AZ31 B magnesium（Mg） alloy sheet under uniaxial tension, compression, and reverse loading after different pre-strain（compression and tension） were investigated experimentally. The results indicate that the pre-compressive strain remarkably affects the reverse tensile yield stress and the width of the detwinning-dominant stage during inverse tension process. Similar to stress–strain curve of the uniaxial compression, the curve of reverse tensile yield value also has ‘S＇ shape, and its minimum value is only 38 MPa. The relationship between pre-compressive strain and the width of detwinning-dominant stage presents a linear growth, and the greater the precompressive strain is, the smaller the strain hardening rate of the detwinning-slip-dominant stage is. Compared with the reverse tension under pre-compression, the influence of the pre-tension deformation on the deformation mechanism of subsequent compression is relatively simple. With the increase in pre-tension strain, the yield stress of the reverse loading is rising.

Effects of irregularity and initial stresses on the dynamic response of viscoelastic half-space due to a moving load

The present article deals with the stresses developed in an initially stressed irregular viscoelastic half-space clue to a load moving with a constant velocity at a rough free surface. Expressions for normal and shear stresses are obtained in closed form. The substantial effects of influence parameters, viz., depth （from the free surface）, irregularity factor, maximum depth of irregularity, viscoelastic parameter, horizontal and vertical initial stresses, and frictional coefficient, on normal and shear stresses are investigated. Moreover, comparative study is carried out for three different cases of irregularity, viz., rectangular irregularity, parabolic irregulariW and no irregularity, which is manifested through graphs.

Hydroelastic analysis of water entry of deformable spheres

This paper presents a numerical study of the hydroelastic coupling during the free-surface water entry of deformable spheres of different material densities.The focus is on the hydrodynamic forces,the stress loads,the sphere deformations,the wetted areas of the sphere and the cavity dynamics,including the impacting of the elastic spheres and the hydroelastic coupled behaviors in the free surface flows.It is shown that the elastic wave propagation in the sphere scales with the sphere density.For elastic spheres immersed in the water,the variation of the sphere deformations and its energy transformation mechanism are discussed.From the contact point positions of the cavity,it can be seen that the wetted area of the sphere is closely related with the sphere deformation.The first deformation cycle is a turning point in the relation between the wetted area and the sphere density.Based on the map of m*−ηsummarized in this work,the influence of the sphere deformation on the shape of the cavity can be roughly predicted from the material properties and the impact conditions.

Application of semi-analytical finite element method to analyze asphalt pavement response under heavy traffic loads

Accurate assessment of the impact of heavy traffic loads on asphalt pavements requires a computational model which is able to calculate the response of the pavement fast and precisely. Currently the most finite element analysis programs based on traditional methods have various limitations. A specific program SAFEM was developed based on a semi-analytical finite element method to overcome the problems. It is a three-dimensional FE program that requires only a two-dimensional mesh by incorporating the semi- analytical method using Fourier series in the third dimension. The computational accuracy and efficiency of the program was verified by analytical verification previously. The experimental verification is carried out in this paper and the results show that the SAFEM is able to predict the mechanical responses of the asphalt pavement. Using the program SAFEM, the impact of heavy traffic loads was analyzed in terms of stress and strain dis- tribution, surface deflection and fatigue life. The results indicate that if the asphalt pave- ment is subjected to the heavy traffic load more, the thicknesses and stiffness of the pavement structural layers should be increased adequately in order to support the surface deflection, The compressive stress in asphalt binder course is relatively large and increases more significantly compared with that in the other asphalt layers when the axle load becomes larger. With comparison of the predicted fatigue life, the increase of the axle load will lead to the destruction of the asphalt pavement extremely easily.