Swelling pressure evolution characterization of strong expansive soil considering the influence of reserved expansion deformation

Numerous engineering cases have demonstrated that the expansive soil channel slope remains susceptible to damage with the implementation of a rigid or closed protective structure. It is common for the protective structure to experience bulging failure due to excessive swelling pressure. To investigate the swelling pressure properties of expansive soil, the constant volume test was employed to study the influence of water content and reserved expansion deformation on the characteristics of swelling pressure in strong expansive soils, and also to explore the evolution mechanism of the swelling pressure. The findings demonstrate that the swelling pressure-time curve can be classified into swelling pressure-time softening and swelling pressure-time stability type. The swelling pressuretime curve of the specimen with low water content is the swelling pressure-time softening type, and the softening level will be weakened with increasing reserved expansion deformation. Besides, the maximum swelling pressure Psmax decreases with increasing water content and reserved expansion deformation, especially for expansion ratio η from 24% to 37%. The reserved deformation has little effect on reducing Psmax when it is beyond 7% of the expansion rate. The specimen with low water content has a more homogeneous structure due to the significant expansion-filling effect, and the fracture and reorganization of the aggregates in the specimens with low water content cause the swelling pressure-time softening behavior. In addition, the proposed swelling pressure-time curve prediction model has a good prediction on the test results. If necessary, a deformation space of about 7% expansion rate is recommended to be reserved in the engineering to reduce the swelling pressure except for keeping a stable water content.

Thermal Expansion and Deformation of Graphene

Taking into consideration short-atomic-range interactions and anharmonic effects, we calculate the thermal ex- pansion coefficients, Gruneisen parameters, the elastic modulus of graphene varying with temperature and the phonon frequency. The anharmonic effects associated with the graphene deformation are also discussed. The results show that the value of thermal expansion coefficient is negative in the moderate temperature range, and it becomes positive when the temperature grows to be higher than a certain value. The change rate of elastic modulus with respect to temperature and pressure are calculated, and phonon frequencies are estimated. In the process of graphene thermal expansion, it is accompanied with the change of bond length and the rotation around the axis normal to the plane. Our results indicate that the effects due to the bond change are more significant than that of the rotation. We also show that if anharmonic effects are ignored, the thermal expansion coefficient and the Gruneisen parameters are zero, and the elastic modulus and the phonon frequency are constant. If anharmonic effects are considered up to the second term, these values will vary with temperature, and become closer to the experimental value. The higher the temperature is, the more significant the anharmonic effects become.

Pressure relief, gas drainage and deformation effects on an overlying coal seam induced by drilling an extra-thin protective coal seam

Numerical simulations and field tests were used to investigate the changes in ground stress and deformation of, and gas flow from, a protected coal seam under which an extra-thin coal seam was drilled. The geological conditions were: 0.5 meter mining height, 18.5 meter coal seam spacing and a hard limestone/fine sandstone inter-stratum. For these conditions we conclude: 1) the overlying coal-rock mass bends and sinks without the appearance of a caving zone, and 2) the protected coal seam is in the bending zone and undergoes expansion deformation in the stress-relaxed area. The deformation was 12 mm and the relative defor- mation was 0.15%. As mining proceeds, deformation in the protected layer begins as compression, then becomes a rapid expansion and, finally, reaches a stable value. A large number of bed separation crannies are created in the stress-relaxed area and the permeability coefficient of the coal seam was increased 403 fold. Grid penetration boreholes were evenly drilled toward the protected coal seam to affect pressure relief and gas drainage. This made the gas pressure decrease from 0.75 to 0.15 MPa, the gas content decrease from 13 to 4.66 m3/t and the gas drainage reach 64%.

Expansion performance and self-stressing behavior of CFST columns considering concrete creep and shrinkage effect

Expansive concrete is used in the steel tube of Concrete-filled steel tubular(CFST)columns to solve the problem of steel-to-concrete debonding.Self-stress is generated between concrete and steel plate due to concrete expansion,which can effectively improve the mechanical performance of CFST columns.Deformation tests were conducted on concrete and CFST columns,respectively.The free deformation of concrete and circumferential deformation of steel tubes were measured and analyzed.A calculation method was proposed to evaluate the hoop strain,self-stress and creep deformation of the CFST columns.The test and calculation results indicate that the proper addition of expansion agent in the internal concrete can keep concrete expansive and generate self-stresses for a long time.The expansion and self-stresses prevent the debonding between the steel tube and the internal concrete.Increasing the dosage of expansive agents and reducing the curing age both increase the expansive deformation and self-stress of CFST columns.Increasing the tube thickness reduces the expansive deformation and increases the initial self-stress of CFST columns.

Experimental study on the expansive deformation of red sandstone of Hongshanyao

An experience formula of expansive strain and stone taken from a foundation pit of Hongshanyao Project (HSYP) in Nanjing was described. It is clear that the curve of expansive strain-water content is a logarithm. In the meantime, the relation of expansive strain with time was studied and the importance of expansive stabilization time was illu-minated. The experiment results indicated that the water content has a tremendous effect on peak expansive and steady expansive deformation of swelling red sandstone.

Technical scheme and application of pressure-relief gas extraction in multi-coal seam mining region

A pressure relief gas extraction technical model of a typical mining area is proposed based on coal and gas simultaneous extraction theory. Flac3 Dwas employed to model vertical stress and displacement contour plot characteristics of non-outburst coal seam(No. 4) on top of outburst coal seam(No. 2) along strike and incline directions. Field investigations were also conducted to verify the scientific nature of the simulation. The results demonstrate that gas pressure in No. 2 coal seam dropped to approximately 0.55 MPa in the pressure relief multi-coal seam. The highest expansion rate of the coal mine reached up to 2.58%.The pressure-relief angle was 76° along the incline direction and 60° along the strike direction. As the expansion rate and pressure-relief angle increased and the gas pressure decreased, a large amount of gas flowed into the gob of No. 4 from No. 2 coal seam and was later discharged through specific gas pipes,which eliminated No. 2 outburst risks. This study resulted in positive outcomes in that gas extraction time was reduced by 13.5 days, due to pressure relief, and drilling work load was reduced by 0.1161 m/t coal. This method ensures that gas is discharged from the outburst coal seam quickly and safely,demonstrating that the proposed technical model of pressure-relief gas extraction is effective in a multi-coal seam region.

A time−space porosity computational model for concrete under sulfate attack

The deterioration of the microscopic pore structure of concrete under external sulfate attack(ESA)is a primary cause of degradation.Nevertheless,little effort has been invested in exploring the temporal and spatial development of the porosity of concrete under ESA.This study proposes a mechanical–chemical model to simulate the spatiotemporal distribution of the porosity.A relationship between the corrosion damage and amount of ettringite is proposed based on the theory of volume expansion.In addition,the expansion strain at the macro-scale is obtained using a stress analysis model of composite concentric sphere elements and the micromechanical mean-field approach.Finally,considering the influence of corrosion damage and cement hydration on the diffusion of sulfate ions,the expansion deformation and porosity space−time distribution are obtained using the finite difference method.The results demonstrate that the expansion strains calculated using the suggested model agree well with previously reported experimental results.Moreover,the tricalcium aluminate concentration,initial elastic modulus of cement paste,corrosion damage,and continuous hydration of cement significantly affect concrete under ESA.The proposed model can forecast and assess the porosity of concrete covers and provide a credible approach for determining the residual life of concrete structures under ESA.

Chemo-damage modeling and cracking analysis of AAR-affected concrete dams

A chemo-damage model for cracking analysis of concrete dams affected by alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) is proposed, which combines the plastic-damage model for concrete with the AAR kinetics law. The chemo-damage model is first verified by a stress-free AAR expansion test. The expansion deformation obtained from the simulation is in good agreement with the measurement, demonstrating that the proposed model has a sufficient accuracy to predict the expansion of AAR-affected concrete. Subsequently, the expansion deformation and cracking process of the AAR-affected Fontana gravity dam is analyzed. It shows that permanent displacements in the upstream direction and the vertical direction are gradually increased during the long-term operation period, and that their maximal values reach 1.6 and 3.6 cm, respectively. A crack is observed on the wall in the foundation drainage gallery, and extends towards the downstream face of the dam. With the further development of AAR, another crack forms on the downstream face, and then intersects with the gallery crack to penetrate the downstream side profile of the dam. The third crack occurs in the upstream side wall of the gallery and propagates a short distance towards the upstream face of the dam. The simulated cracking pattern in the dam due to AAR is similar to the in situ observation.