Numerical Analysis of Dynamical Effects Associated with a Plugging String in a Horizontal Well

The finite element method has been applied to simulate the dynamics of a water plugging string in a complex horizontal well of a low-permeability oilfield.The force associated with the pipe string and the packer has been determined under the sucking action of the oil well pump.Such analysis has been conducted for a real drilling well,taking into account the process of lifting,lowering,unblocking and water plugging.Comparison between field measured data and simulation data indicates that the model is reliable and accurate.The packer creep effect under different pressure differences has also been investigated in the framework of the same model.

Effect of Cyclic Loading Frequency on Undrained Behaviors of Undisturbed Marine Clay

Based on a series of cyclic triaxial tests, the effect of cyclic frequency on the undrained behaviors of undisturbed marine clay is investigated. For a given dynamic stress ratio, the accumulated pore water pressure and dynamic strain increase with the number of cycles. There exists a threshold value for both the accumulated pore water pressure and dynamic strain, below which the effect of cyclic frequency is very small, but above which the accumulated pore water pressure and dynamic strain increase intensely with the decrease of cyclic frequency for a given number of cycles. The dynamic strength increases with the increase of cyclic frequency, whereas the effect of cyclic frequency on it gradually diminishes to zero when the number of cycles is large enough, and the dynamic strengths at different frequencies tend to the same limiting minimum dynamic strength. The test results demonstrate that the reasons for the frequency effect on the undrained soil behaviors are both the creep effect induced by the loading rate and the decrease of sample effective confining pressure caused by the accumulated pore water pressure.

Analysis of permanent deformations of railway embankments under repeated vehicle loadings in permafrost regions

By large-scale dynamic tests carried out on a traditional sand-gravel embankment at the Beilu River section along the Qinghai-Tibet Railroad, we collected the acceleration waveforms close to the railway tracks when trains passed. The dynamic train loading was converted into an equivalent creep stress, using an equivalent static force method. Also, the creep equation of frozen soil was introduced according to the results of frozen soil rheological triaxial tests. A coupled creep model based on a time-hardening power function rule and the Druker-Prager yield and failure criterion was estab- lished to analyze the creep effects of a plain fill embankment under repeated train loads. The temperature field of the embankment in the permafrost area was set at the current geothermal conditions. As a result, the permanent deformation of the embankment under train loading was obtained, and the permanent deformation under the train loads to the total embankment deformation was also analyzed.

Performance and environmental impacts of deep foundation excavation in soft soils:A field and modeling-based case study in Nanjing,China

This paper focuses on the performance of a braced deep excavation in soft soil based on field monitoring and numerical modeling.Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the soil parameters used in the modified Cam–Clay(MCC)model.Intelligent field monitoring means were adopted and a three-dimensional model was established.Spatial and temporal effects induced by the excavation are investigated for the deep-large foundation pit in soft soil.Deformation characteristics of the enclosure structure and the surrounding environment throughout the excavation process are presented.The behaviors of diaphragm walls,columns,the maximum wall deflection rate,ground surface settlement,and utility pipelines were focused on and investigated during the whole excavation process.Besides,the axial forces of the internal supports are analyzed.Based on the measured and simulated data,the following main conclusions were obtained:the numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the measured values,which proves the accuracy of the model parameters;the wall and the ground surface showed the maximum displacement increment at stage 9,which was a coupled product of the"creep effect"of the soft soil in Nanjing,China and the"depth effect"of the excavation;as the excavation progressed,the ground settlement changed from a"rising"to a"spoon-shaped"trend,dvm was measured betweenδ_(vm)=0.0686%H andδ_(vm)=0.1488%H;the rebound deformation curve of the pit bottom was corrugated,and the depth of disturbance of the pit bottom after the completion of soil unloading was 2–3 times the excavation depth;the closer the pipeline is to the corner of the pit,the less the excavation process will affect the settlement of the pipeline and the less the obvious pit corner effect will occur;the support strength of the buttress and the longest corner brace should be strengthened during the actual construction process to ensure the stability of the foundation deformation.

Modeling of Mesoscale Creep Behaviors and Macroscale Creep Responses of Composite Fuels Under Irradiation Conditions

A finite-strain homogenization creep model for composite fuels under irradiation conditions is developed and verified,with the irradiation creep strains of the fuel particles and matrix correlated to the macroscale creep responses,excluding the contributions of volumetric strain induced by the irradiation swelling deformations of fuel particles.A finite element(FE)modeling method for uniaxial tensile creep tests is established with the irradiation effects of nuclear materials taken into account.The proposed models and simulation strategy are numerically implemented to a kind of composite nuclear fuel,and the predicted mesoscale creep behaviors and the macroscale creep responses are investigated.The research results indicate that:(1)the macroscale creep responses and the mesoscale stress and strain fields are all greatly affected by the irradiation swelling of fuel particles,owing to the strengthened mechanical interactions between the fuel particles and the matrix.(2)The effective creep rates for a certain case are approximately two constants before and after the critical fission density,which results from the accelerated fission gas swelling after fuel grain recrystallization,and the effects of macroscale tensile stress will be more enhanced at higher temperatures.(3)The macroscale creep contributions from the fuel particles and matrix depend mainly on the current volume fractions varying with fission density.(4)As a function of the macroscale stress,temperature,initial particle volume fraction and particle fission rate,a multi-variable mathematical model for effective creep rates is fitted out for the considered composite fuels,which matches well with the FE predictions.This study supplies important theoretical models and research methods for the multi-scale creep behaviors of various composite fuels and provides a basis for simulation of the thermal–mechanical behavior in related composite fuel elements and assemblies.

PECULIARITIES OF IRREVERSIBLE STRAINING IN STEP-WISE LOADING, REVERSE AND INVERSE CREEP

The paper is concerned with the generalization of synthetic theory to the modeling of phenomena such as the Bauschinger negative effect, creep delay, reverse and inverse creep. Detailed calculations of plastic/creep strains are accompanied with the construction of loading surfaces that enhance the understanding of the processes studied. The calculated results show satisfactory agreement with experiments.

An overview of rhenium effect in single-crystal superalloys

Nickel-based single-crystal superalloys are the key materials for the manufacturing and development of advanced aeroengines. Rhenium is a crucial alloying element in the advanced nickel-based single-crystal superalloys for its special strengthening effects. The addition of Re could effectively enhance the creep properties of the single-crystal superalloys; thus, the content of Re is considered as one of the characteristics in different-generation single-crystal superalloys. Owing to the fundamental importance of rhenium to nickel-based single-crystal superalloys, much progress has been made on understanding of the effect of rhenium in the single-crystal superalloys. While the effect of Re doping on the nickelbased superalloys is well documented, the origins of the socalled rhenium effect are still under debate. In this paper,the effect of Re doping on the single-crystal superalloys and progress in understanding the rhenium effect are reviewed. The characteristics of the d-states occupancy in the electronic structure of Re make it the slowest diffusion elements in the single-crystal superalloys, which is undoubtedly responsible for the rhenium effect, while the postulates of Re cluster and the enrichment of Re at the c/c0 interface are still under debate, and the synergistic action of Re with other alloying elements should be further studied.Additionally, the interaction of Re with interfacial dislocations seems to be a promising explanation for the rhenium effect. Finally, the addition of Ru could help suppress topologically close-packed（TCP） phase formation and strengthen the Re doping single-crystal superalloys.Understanding the mechanism of rhenium effect will be beneficial for the effective utilization of Re and the design of low-cost single-crystal superalloys.