A Numerical Study of Wave Propagation and Cracking Processes in Rock-Like Material under Seismic Loading Based on the Bonded-Particle Model Approach

An earthquake is usually followed by a considerable number of aftershocks that play a significant role in earthquake-induced landslides,During the aftershock,the cracking process in rocks becomes more complex because of the formation of faults.In order to investigate the effects of seismic loading on the cracking processes in a specimen containing a single flaw,a numerical approach based on the bonded-particle model(BPM)was adopted to study the seismic loading applied in two orthogonal directions.The results reveal that no transmission and reflection phenomena were observable in the small specimens(76 mm×152 mm)because they were considerably smaller than the wavelength of the P-wave.Furthermore,under seismic loading,the induced crack was solely tensile in nature.Repeated axial seismic loading did not induce crack propagation after the first axial seismic loading.Cracks began to propagate only when the seismic loading direction was changed from axial to lateral,and then back to axial,ultimately resulting in the failure of the specimen.

Dual-radiation-chamber coordinated overall energy efficiency scheduling solution for ethylene cracking process regarding multi-parameter setting and multi-flow allocation

Ethylene cracking process is the core production process in ethylene industry,and is paid more attention to reduce high energy consumption.Because of the interdependent relationships between multi-flow allocation and multi-parameter setting in cracking process,it is difficult to find the overall energy efficiency scheduling for the purpose of saving energy.The traditional scheduling solutions with optimal economic benefit are not applicable for energy efficiency scheduling issue due to the neglecting of recycle and lost energy,as well as critical operation parameters as coil outlet pressure(COP)and dilution ratio.In addition,the scheduling solutions mostly regard each cracking furnace as an elementary unit,regardless of the coordinated operation of internal dual radiation chambers(DRC).Therefore,to improve energy utilization and production operation,a novel energy efficiency scheduling solution for ethylene cracking process is proposed in this paper.Specifically,steam heat recycle and exhaust heat loss are considered in cracking process based on 6 types of extreme learning machine(ELM)based cracking models incorporating DRC operation and three operation parameters as coil outlet temperature(COT),COP,and dilution ratio according to semi-mechanism analysis.Then to provide long-term decision-making basis for energy efficiency scheduling,overall energy efficiency indexes,including overall output per unit net energy input(OONE),output-input ratio per unit net energy input(ORNE),exhaust gas heat loss ratio(EGHL),are designed based on input-output analysis in terms of material and energy flows.Finally,a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition(MOEA/D)is employed to solve the formulated multi-objective mixed-integer nonlinear programming(MOMINLP)model.The validities of the proposed scheduling solution are illustrated through a case study.The scheduling results demonstrate that an optimal balance between multi-flow allocation,multi-parameter setting,and DRC coordinated operation is reached,which achieves 3.37%and 2.63%decreases in net energy input for same product output and conversion ratio,as well as the 1.56%decrease in energy loss ratio.

Nonlinear Statistical Process Monitoring Based on Control Charts with Memory Effect and Kernel Independent Component Analysis

A novel nonlinear combination process monitoring method was proposed based on techniques with memo- ry effect （multivariate exponentially weighted moving average （MEWMA）） and kernel independent component analysis （KICA）. The method was developed for dealing with nonlinear issues and detecting small or moderate drifts in one or more process variables with autocorrelation. MEWMA charts use additional information from the past history of the process for keeping the memory effect of the process behavior trend. KICA is a recently devel- oped statistical technique for revealing hidden, nonlinear statistically independent factors that underlie sets of mea- surements and it is a two-phase algorithm., whitened kernel principal component analysis （KPCA） plus indepen- dent component analysis （ICA）. The application to the fluid catalytic cracking unit （FCCU） simulated process in- dicates that the proposed combined method based on MEWMA and KICA can effectively capture the nonlinear rela- tionship and detect small drifts in process variables. Its performance significantly outperforms monitoring method based on ICA, MEWMA-ICA and KICA, especially for lonu-term performance deterioration.

ANALYSIS OF SURFACE CRACK ON FORWARD EXTRUDING BAR DURING AXISYMMETRIC CUP-BAR COMBINED EXTRUSION PROCESS

In this paper, the kinematically admissible velocity field with surface crack on forward extruding bar is put forward during the axisymmetric cup-bar combined extrusion process, in accordance with the results of model experiments.On the basis of velocity field, the necessary condition for surface crack formation on the forward extruding bar is derived, with the help of upper bound theorem and the minimum energy principle. Meanwhile, the relationships between surface crack formation and combination of reduction in area for the part of forward and backward extursions relative residual thickness of billet (T/R0),frictional factor (m) or relative land length of ram and chamber are calculated during the extrusion process. Therefore, whether the surface crack on forward exturding bar occurs can be predicted before extruding the lower-plasticity metals for axisymmetric cup-bar combined extrusion process.The analytical results agree very well with experimental results of aluminium alloy LY12 (ASTM 2024) and LC4 (ASTM 7075).

Effects of confining pressure on deformation failure behavior of jointed rock

For a deeper understanding of the deformation failure behavior of jointed rock, numerical compression simulations are carried out on a rock specimen containing non-persistent joints under confining pressure with the bondedparticle model. The microscopic parameters which can reflect the macroscopic mechanical properties and failure behavior of artificial jointed specimens are firstly calibrated. Then, the influence of joint inclination and confining pressure on stress-strain curves, crack patterns, and contact force distributions of jointed rock are investigated. The simulation results show that both the compressive strength and elastic modulus of the specimens increase with increasing confining pressure, and these two mechanical parameters decrease first and then increase with the increase of joints inclination. The sensitivity of strength and elastic modulus to confining pressure is not the same in different joints inclinations, which has the least impact on specimens with α=90°. Under low confining pressure, the failure modes are controlled by the joint inclination. As the confining pressure increased, the initiation and propagation of tensile crack are gradually inhibited, and the failure mode is transferred from tensile failure to shear-compression failure. Finally, the reinforcement effect of prestressed bolt support on engineering fractured rock mass is discussed.

Characterization of Loading Rate Effects on the Interactions Between Crack Growth and Inclusions in Cementitious Material

The microcapsule-enabled cementitious material is an appealing building material and it has been attracting increasing research interest.By considering microcapsules as dissimilar inclusions in the material,this paper employs the discrete element method(DEM)to study the effects of loading rates on the fracturing behavior of cementitious specimens containing the inclusion and the crack.The numerical model was first developed and validated based on experimental results.It is then used to systematically study the initiation,the propagation and the coalescence of cracks in inclusion-enabled cementitious materials.The study reveals that the crack propagation speed,the first crack initiation stress,the coalescence stress,the compressive strength and the ultimate strain increase with the loading rate.The initiation position,the propagation direction,the cracking length and the type of the initiated cracks are influenced by the loading rates.Two new crack coalescence patterns are observed.It is easier to cause the coalescence between the circular void and a propagating crack at a slow loading rate than at a fast loading rate.

The Interaction between Microcapsules with Different Sizes and Propagating Cracks

The microcapsule-contained self-healing materials are appealing since they can heal the cracks automatically and be effective for a long time.Although many experiments have been carried out,the influence of the size of microcapsules on the self-healing effect is still not well investigated.This study uses the two-dimensional discrete element method(DEM)to investigate the interaction between one microcapsule and one microcrack.The influence of the size of microcapsules is considered.The potential healing time and the influence of the initial damage are studied.The results indicate that the coalescence crack is affected by the size of holes.The elastic modulus,the compressive strength and the coalescence stress decrease with the rising radius of holes.The initial damage in experiments should be greater than 95%of the compressive strength to enhance the self-healing effect.The large microcapsules require slight initial damage.Both a new type of displacement field near the crack and a new category of coalescence crack are observed.The influence of sizes of holes on the cracking behavior of concrete with a circular hole and a pre-existing crack is clarified.

Examining the influence of the loading path on the cracking characteristics of a pre-fractured rock specimen with discrete element method simulation

Damage in a rock mass is heavily dependent on the existence and growth of joints,which are also influenced by the complex stress states induced by human activities(e.g.,tunneling and excavation).A proper representation of the loading path is essential for understanding the mechanical behaviors of rock masses.Based on the discrete element method(DEM),the influence of the loading path on the cracking process of a rock specimen containing an open flaw is examined.The effectiveness of the model is confirmed by comparing the simulation results under a uniaxial compression test to existing research findings,where wing crack initiates first and secondary cracks contribute to the failure of the specimen.Simulation results confirm that the cracking process is dependent upon both the confining pressure and the loading path.Under the axial loading test,a higher confining pressure suppresses the development of tensile wing cracks and forces the formation of secondary cracks in the form of shear bands perpendicular to the flaw.Increase of confining pressure also decreases the influence of the loading path on the cracking process.Reduction of confining pressure during an unloading test amplifies the concentration of tensile stress and ultimately promotes the appearance of a tensile splitting fracture at meso-scale.Confining pressure at the failure stage is well predicted by the Hoek-Brown failure criterion under quasi-static conditions.

Solid state crack repair by friction stir processing in 304L stainless steel

Friction stir processing （FSP） was investigated as a method of repairing cracks in 12 mm thick 304L stainless steel plate. Healing feasibility was demonstrated by processing a tapered crack using a PCBN/W- Re tool with a 25 mm diameter shoulder and a pin length of 6.4 mm. The experiment showed that it was possible to heal a crack that begins narrow and then progressively grows up to a width of 2 mm. Bead on plate experiments were used to find the best parameters for creating a consolidated stir zone with the least amount of hardness difference compared to the base metal. Grain refinement in some specimens resulted in much higher stir zone hardness, compared to base metal, A plot of grain size versus microhardness showed a very strong inverse correlation between grain size and hardness, as expected from the Hall- Perch relationship. Corrosion testing was carried out in order to evaluate the effect of FSP on potential sensitization of the stir zone. After 1000 h of intermittent immersion in 3.5% saline solution at room temperature it was found that no corrosion products formed on the base material controls or on any of the friction stir processed specimens.

Micromechanical study of loading rate effects between a hole and a crack

The interactions between defects are important in rocks.The micromechanical interactions between a circular hole and a pre-existing crack under uniaxial compression with different loading rates are investigated by the discrete element method(DEM).The crack initiation,crack propagation,and crack coalescence at different loading rates are studied.The loading rates influence the primary as well as secondary cracks.Both the primary and secondary cracks disturb the stress field and displacement field.The DEM simulation explains the initiation position of the primary and secondary cracks.The evolution of the displacement field and the stress field at different loading rates is analyzed.A new displacement field type is observed.The hole is easier to be broken by compression at higher loading rates while it tends to be broken by the coalescence crack at lower loading rates.The high loading rates lead to shielding effects of the hole on the pre-existing crack.

NUMERICAL STUDY ON PROPERTIES OF WEAK INTERLAYER OF LAMINATED COMPOSITE

With assumption of material inhomogeneity on meso level, a three-point bending beam model has been adopted to simulate crack propagation in two dimensional laminated composite and to verify the toughening mechanism of energy dissipation and crack deflection along the weak interlayer. Moreover, the effect of strength, elastic modulus and thickness of the weak interlayer on both strength and toughness of the laminated composite have also been investigated in this paper.