Effect of intermediate principal stress on strength of soft rock under complex stress states

A series of numerical simulations of conventional and true triaxial tests for soft rock materials using the three-dimensional finite difference code FLAC3D were presented. A hexahedral element and a strain hardening/softening constitutive model based on the unified strength theory(UST) were used to simulate both the consolidated-undrained(CU) triaxial and the consolidated-drained(CD) true triaxial tests. Based on the results of the true triaxial tests simulation, the effect of the intermediate principal stress on the strength of soft rock was investigated. Finally, an example of an axial compression test for a hard rock pillar with a soft rock interlayer was analyzed using the two-dimensional finite difference code FLAC. The CD true triaxial test simulations for diatomaceous soft rock suggest the peak and residual strengths increase by 30% when the effect of the intermediate principal stress is taken into account. The axial compression for a rock pillar indicated the peak and residual strengths increase six-fold when the soft rock interlayer approached the vertical and the effect of the intermediate principal stress is taken into account.

Stochastic fatigue damage model for concrete under complex stress states

This paper presents a stochastic fatigue damage model for concrete subjected to complex stress states.A constitutive framework considering the tensile and shear damage mechanisms and elastic and plastic energy dissipations is employed.The damage law is established through a multiscale analysis of the damage evolution mechanism.Validation results against test data show that the model can effectively predict the static strength,stress-strain curve,fatigue life,and scattering range of concrete under various multidimensional loading scenarios.

Modeling time-dependent mechanical behavior of hard rock considering excavation-induced damage and complex 3D stress states

To investigate the long-term stability of deep rocks,a three-dimensional(3D)time-dependent model that accounts for excavation-induced damage and complex stress state is developed.This model comprises three main components:a 3D viscoplastic isotropic constitutive relation that considers excavation damage and complex stress state,a quantitative relationship between critical irreversible deformation and complex stress state,and evolution characteristics of strength parameters.The proposed model is implemented in a self-developed numerical code,i.e.CASRock.The reliability of the model is validated through experiments.It is indicated that the time-dependent fracturing potential index(xTFPI)at a given time during the attenuation creep stage shows a negative correlation with the extent of excavationinduced damage.The time-dependent fracturing process of rock demonstrates a distinct interval effect of the intermediate principal stress,thereby highlighting the 3D stress-dependent characteristic of the model.Finally,the influence of excavation-induced damage and intermediate principal stress on the time-dependent fracturing characteristics of the surrounding rocks around the tunnel is discussed.

Cyclic Shearing Deformation Behavior of Saturated Clays

The apparatus for static and dynamic universal triaxial and torsional shear soil testing is employed to perform stress-controlled cyclic single-direction torsional shear tests and two-direction coupled shear tests under unconsolidated-undrained conditions. Through a series of tests on saturated clay, the effects of initial shear stress and stress reversal on the clay’s strain-stress behavior are examined, and the behavior of pore water pressure is studied. The experimental results indicate that the patterns of stress-strain relations are distinctly influenced by the initial shear stress in the cyclic single-direction shear tests. When the initial shear stress is large and no stress reversal occurs, the predominant deformation behavior is characterized by an accumulative effect. When the initial shear stress is zero and symmetrical cyclic stress occurs, the predominant deformation behavior is characterized by a cyclic effect. The pore water pressure fluctuates around the confining pressure with the increase of cycle number. It seems that the fluctuating amplitude increases with the increase of the cyclic stress. But a buildup of pore water pressure does not occur. The de- formations of clay samples under the complex initial and the cyclic coupled stress conditions include the normal deviatoric deforma- tion and horizontal shear deformation, the average deformation and cyclic deformation. A general strain failure criterion taking into account these deformations is recommended and is proved more stable and suitable compared to the strain failure criteria currently used.

Dynamic constitutive model for soils considering asymmetry of skeleton curve

Based on the asymmetric characteristic of skeleton curve obtained from dynamic tests on soils,a function with double asymptotes is proposed for describing the dynamic constitutive relations of soils.The hysteresis loops observed during unloading and reloading show the same form as the skeleton curve and are constructed by taking the ultimate stress as the corresponding asymptote.The coeffcient of initial unloading modulus is used to ensure that the constructed hysteresis loop fts well with the experimental data.Then,a new dynamic constitutive model considering the asymmetry of skeleton curve is elaborated.The verifcation tests on saturated Nanjing fne sand are performed using a hollow cylinder apparatus to verify the applicability of the UD model.It is found that the predicted curves by the UD model agree well with the test data.

Study on triaxial test method and failure criterion of asphalt mixture

Asphalt mixture is the most widely used pavement material all over the world. In China, more than 90% of service expressways are asphalt pavement. However, current asphalt pavement design method still has irrationality. Even though maximum tensile stress theory is used as failure criterion, pavement structure under the effects of wheel load is in three-dimensional complex stress state. Obviously, one-dimensional strength theory cannot reflect the failure characteristics and the resistance of pavement structure. So it is necessary to study the failure criterion of asphalt mixture under three-dimensional com- plex stress state. Due to limitations of test equipment, there are almost no studies in related area. Under this background, this paper develops a new triaxial test method, ac- cording to the investigation of strength characteristics of asphalt mixture under complex stress state through plane isobaric/axial tensile test, plane isobaric/axial compression test, plane tensile and compression/axial tensile test, to reveal the general rules of asphalt mixture＇s strength failure. The failure mode is divided into three types： tensile failure, shear failure and rheological failure. The tensile meridian and compression meridian in the stress space and strength envelope in the π plane where hydrostatic pressure is greater than zero are obtained, and the failure criterion of asphalt mixture under complex stress state is established, providing theoretical method and scientific basis for structure design as well as strength check of asphalt pavement under three-dimensional stress state.