Dibenzofuran Series in Terrestrial Source Rocks and Crude Oils and Applications to Oil-Source Rock Correlations in the Kuche Depression of Tarim Basin, NW China

Ten series of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (biphenyl, naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, retene, chrysene, benzoanthracene, dibenzofuran, fluorene, dibenzothiophene) isolated from seven Triassic and Jurassic lacustrine mudstone samples and three swamp coal samples, as well as five crude oil samples collected in the Kuche depression of the Tarim Basin, NW China, have been analysed by GC-MS techniques. It is found that the relative abundances of dibenzofuran series are higher in the three swamp coal samples than those in the lacustrine mudstone samples. Based on the similar relative abundances of dibenzofuran series, especially dibenzofuran compound, in the TICs of aromatic hydrocarbons, crude oils from wells SA3 (K), YTK5 (E, K) and QL1 (E) are thought to have been derived predominantly from the coals of the Lower Jurassic Yangxia Formation or Middle Jurassic Kezilenuer Formation, whereas those from wells YM7 (O) and YH1 (E) were derived mainly from Triassic and Jurassic lacustrine mudstones in the Kuche depression. This is the first report about how to distinguish coal-generated oils from lacustrine mudstone-generated oils in the Kuche depression in terms of the dibenzofuran series. The present paper has enlightening and directive significance for further oil-source rock correlations and oil and/or gas exploration in the Kuche depression of the Tarim Basin.

Oil-source correlation and Paleozoic source rock analysis in the Siwa Basin,Western Desert:Insights from well-logs,Rock-Eval pyrolysis,and biomarker data

Understanding the origins of potential source rocks and unraveling the intricate connections between reservoir oils and their source formations in the Siwa Basin(Western Desert,Egypt)necessitate a thorough oil-source correlation investigation.This objective is achieved through a meticulous analysis of well-log responses,Rock-Eval pyrolysis,and biomarker data.The analysis of Total Organic Carbon across 31 samples representing Paleozoic formations in the Siwa A-1X well reveals a spectrum of organic richness ranging from 0.17 wt%to 2.04 wt%,thereby highlighting diverse levels of organic content and the presence of both Type II and Type III kerogen.Examination of the fingerprint characteristics of eight samples from the well suggests that the Dhiffah Formation comprises a blend of terrestrial and marine organic matter.Notably,a significant contribution from more oxidized residual organic matter and gas-prone Type III kerogen is observed.Contrarily,the Desouky and Zeitoun formations exhibit mixed organic matter indicative of a transitional environment,and thus featuring a pronounced marine influence within a more reducing setting,which is associated with Type II kerogen.Through analysis of five oil samples from different wells—SIWA L-1X,SIWA R-3X,SIWA D-1X,PTAH 5X,and PTAH 6X,it is evident that terrestrial organic matter,augmented by considerable marine input,was deposited in an oxidizing environment,and contains Type III kerogen.Geochemical scrutiny confirms the coexistence of mixed terrestrial organic matter within varying redox environments.Noteworthy is the uniformity of identified kerogen Types II and III across all samples,known to have potential for hydrocarbon generation.The discovery presented in this paper unveils captivating prospects concerning the genesis of oil in the Jurassic Safa reservoir,suggesting potential links to Paleozoic sources or even originating from the Safa Member itself.These revelations mark a substantial advancement in understanding source rock dynamics and their intricate relationship with reservoir oils within the Siwa Basin.By illuminating the processes of hydrocarbon genesis in the region,this study significantly enriches our knowledge base.

Microscopic damage evolution of anisotropic rocks under indirect tensile conditions: Insights from acoustic emission and digital image correlation techniques

The anisotropy induced by rock bedding structures is usually manifested in the mechanical behaviors and failure modes of rocks.Brazilian tests are conducted for seven groups of shale specimens featuring different bedding angles. Acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC) technologies are used to monitor the in-situ failure of the specimens. Furthermore, the crack morphology of damaged samples is observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results reveal the structural dependence on the tensile mechanical behavior of shales. The shale disk exhibits compression in the early stage of the experiment with varying locations and durations. The location of the compression area moves downward and gradually disappears when the bedding angle increases. The macroscopic failure is well characterized by AE event location results, and the dominant frequency distribution is related to the bedding angle. The b-value is found to be stress-dependent.The crack turning angle between layers and the number of cracks crossing the bedding both increase with the bedding angle, indicating competition between crack propagations. SEM results revealed that the failure modes of the samples can be classified into three types:tensile failure along beddings with shear failure of the matrix, ladder shear failure along beddings with tensile failure of the matrix, and shear failure along multiple beddings with tensile failure of the matrix.

Wmic-GMTS and Wmic-GMERR criteria for micron-scale crack propagation in red-bed soft rocks under hydraulic action

Micron-scale crack propagation in red-bed soft rocks under hydraulic action is a common cause of engineering disasters due to damage to the hard rockesoft rockewater interface.Previous studies have not provided a theoretical analysis of the length,inclination angle,and propagation angle of micron-scale cracks,nor have they established appropriate criteria to describe the crack propagation process.The propagation mechanism of micron-scale cracks in red-bed soft rocks under hydraulic action is not yet fully understood,which makes it challenging to prevent engineering disasters in these types of rocks.To address this issue,we have used the existing generalized maximum tangential stress(GMTS)and generalized maximum energy release rate(GMERR)criteria as the basis and introduced parameters related to micron-scale crack propagation and water action.The GMTS and GMERR criteria for micronscale crack propagation in red-bed soft rocks under hydraulic action(abbreviated as the Wmic-GMTS and Wmic-GMERR criteria,respectively)were established to evaluate micron-scale crack propagation in redbed soft rocks under hydraulic action.The influence of the parameters was also described.The process of micron-scale crack propagation under hydraulic action was monitored using uniaxial compression tests(UCTs)based on digital image correlation(DIC)technology.The study analyzed the length,propagation and inclination angles,and mechanical parameters of micron-scale crack propagation to confirm the reliability of the established criteria.The findings suggest that the Wmic-GMTS and Wmic-GMERR criteria are effective in describing the micron-scale crack propagation in red-bed soft rocks under hydraulic action.This study discusses the mechanism of micron-scale crack propagation and its effect on engineering disasters under hydraulic action.It covers topics such as the internal-external weakening of nano-scale particles,lateral propagation of micron-scale cracks,weakening of the mechanical properties of millimeter-scale soft rocks,and resulting interface damage at the engineering scale.The study provides a theoretical basis for the mechanism of disasters in red-bed soft-rock engineering under hydraulic action.

Influence of rock property correlation on reliability analysis of rock slope stability: From property characterization to reliability analysis

Cohesion(c) and friction angle(φ) of rock are important parameters required for reliability analysis of rock slope stability. There is correlation between c and φ which affects results of reliability analysis of rock slope stability. However, the characterization of joint probability distribution of c and φ through which their correlation can be estimated requires a large amount of rock property data, which are often not available for most rock engineering projects. As a result, the correlation between c and φ is often ignored or simply assumed during reliability studies, which may lead to bias estimation of failure probability. In probabilistic rock slope stability analysis, the influence of ignoring or simply assuming the correlation of the rock strength parameters(i.e., c and φ) on the reliability of rock slopes has not been fully investigated. In this study, a Bayesian approach is developed to characterize the correlation between c and φ, and an expanded reliability-based design(RBD) approach is developed to assess the influence of correlation between c and φ on reliability of a rock slope. The Bayesian approach characterizes the sitespecific joint probability distribution of c and φ, and quantifies the correlation between c and φ using available limited data pairs of c and φ from a rock project. The expanded RBD approach uses the joint probability distribution of c and φ obtained through the Bayesian approach as inputs, to determine the reliability of a rock slope. The approach gives insight into the propagation of the correlation between c and φ through their joint probability into the reliability analysis, and their influence on the calculated reliability of the rock slope. The approaches may be applied in practice with little additional effort from a conventional analysis. The proposed approaches are illustrated using real c and φ data pairs obtained from laboratory tests of fractured rock at Forsmark, Sweden.

Oil-source rock correlation and quantitative assessment of Ordovician mixed oils in the Tazhong Uplift, Tarim Basin

The origin of the marine oils in the Tarim Basin has long been a disputed topic. A total of 58 DST （drill stem test） crude oil and 8 rock samples were investigated using a comprehensive geochemical method to characterize and identify the origin of the Ordovician oils in the Tazhong Uplift, Tarim Basin, northwest China. Detailed oil–oil and oil–source rock correlations show that the majority of the oils have typical biomarker characteristics of the Middle-Upper Ordovician （O2＋3） source rock and the related crude oil. These characteristics include a distinct ＂V-shaped＂ relative abundance of C27, C28 and C29 regular steranes, low abundance of dinosterane, 24-norcholestanes, triaromatic dinosteroids and gammacerane. Only a few oils display typical biomarker characteristics indicating the Cambrian–Lower Ordovician （∈-O1） genetic affinity, such as linear or anti ＂L＂ shape distribution of C27, C28 and C29 regular sterane, with relatively high concentrations of dinosterane, 24-norcholestanes, triaromatic dinosteroids and gammacerane. It appears that most of the Ordovician oils in the Tazhong Uplift were derived from the O2＋3 intervals, as suggested by previous studies. However, the compound specific n-alkane stable carbon isotope data indicate that the Ordovician oils are mixtures from both the ∈-O1 and O2＋3 source rocks rather than from the O2＋3 strata alone. It was calculated that the proportion of the∈-O1 genetic affinity oils mixed is about 10.8%-74.1%, with an increasing trend with increasing burial depth. This new oil-mixing model is critical for understanding hydrocarbon generation and accumulation mechanisms in the region, and may have important implications for further hydrocarbon exploration in the Tarim Basin.

Uniaxial experimental study of the acoustic emission and deformation behavior of composite rock based on 3D digital image correlation(DIC)

In this paper, uniaxial compression tests were carried out on a series of composite rock specimens with different dip angles, which were made from two types of rock-like material with different strength. The acoustic emission technique was used to monitor the acoustic signal characteristics of composite rock specimens during the entire loading process. At the same time, an optical non-contact 3 D digital image correlation technique was used to study the evolution of axial strain field and the maximal strain field before and after the peak strength at different stress levels during the loading process. The effect of bedding plane inclination on the deformation and strength during uniaxial loading was analyzed. The methods of solving the elastic constants of hard and weak rock were described. The damage evolution process, deformation and failure mechanism, and failure mode during uniaxial loading were fully determined. The experimental results show that the θ = 0?–45?specimens had obvious plastic deformation during loading, and the brittleness of the θ = 60?–90?specimens gradually increased during the loading process. When the anisotropic angle θincreased from 0?to 90?, the peak strength, peak strain,and apparent elastic modulus all decreased initially and then increased. The failure mode of the composite rock specimen during uniaxial loading can be divided into three categories:tensile fracture across the discontinuities(θ = 0?–30?), slid-ing failure along the discontinuities(θ = 45?–75?), and tensile-split along the discontinuities(θ = 90?). The axial strain of the weak and hard rock layers in the composite rock specimen during the loading process was significantly different from that of the θ = 0?–45?specimens and was almost the same as that of the θ = 60?–90?specimens. As for the strain localization highlighted in the maximum principal strain field, the θ = 0?–30?specimens appeared in the rock matrix approximately parallel to the loading direction,while in the θ = 45?–90?specimens it appeared at the hard and weak rock layer interface.

Characteristics of the difference and change in the comprehensive physical properties of rocks

Based on the relationship between rock physical properties and atomic structures of chemical elements, this paper dissertates the characteristics between the difference and change in the comprehensive physical properties of rocks, such as density, elasticity, electrical property and radioactivity, etc. The examples in this paper show that the change of the comprehensive physical parameters of rocks reflects the change of atoms, molecules, minerals and their constitutions in rocks, and there are some correlations between these parameters.

Deformation mechanism of high-stress and broken-expansion surrounding rock and supporting optimization based on the gray correlation theory

Aiming at the large deformation and support problems of high-stress and broken-expansion surrounding rock, and taking 1 000 m level roadway of Mine II in Jinchuan as the research object, an investigation on the deformation and damage of roadway surrounding rock and an analysis of its mechanism were carried out. The gray correlation theory was used in support scheme optimization design. First, causes and mechanism of deformation of the 1 000 m horizontal transport channel were analyzed through field investigation, laboratory test and data processing methods. We arguued that poor engineering geological conditions and deep pressure increases were the main factors, and the deformation mechanism was mainly the ground deformation pressure. Second, the gray correlation theory was used to construct supporting optimization decision method in the deep roadway. This method more comprehensively considers various factors, including construction, costs, and supporting material functions. The combined support with pre-stressed anchor cables, shotcrete layer, bolt and metal net was put forward according to the actual roadway engineering characteristics. Finally, 4 support schemes were put forward for new roadways. The gray relational theory was applied to optimizing the supporting method, undertaking technical and economic comparison to obtain the correlation degree, and accordingly the schemes were evaluated. It was concluded as follows： the best was the flexible retaining scheme using the steel strand anchor; the second best was the one using plate anchors on the top and rigid common screw steel bolt on the two sides; the ttiird was; the rigid common screw steel bolt in full section of roadway; and the worst is the planished steel rigid support. The optimized scheme was applied to the 1000 m level of new excavation roadway. The results show that the roadway surrounding rock can reach a stable state after 5 to 6 months monitoring, with a convergence rate less than 1 mm/d.

Effective source rock selection and oil–source correlation in the Western Slope of the northern Songliao Basin,China

This study considers the Upper Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation,Yaojia Formation,and the first member of the Nenjiang Formation in the Western Slope of the northern Songliao Basin.Dark mudstone with high abundances of organic matter of Gulong and Qijia sags are considered to be significant source rocks in the study area.To evaluate their development characteristics,differences and effectiveness,geochemical parameters are analyzed.One-dimensional basin modeling and hydrocarbon evolution are also applied to discuss the effectiveness of source rocks.Through the biomarker characteristics,the source–source,oil–oil,and oil–source correlations are assessed and the sources of crude oils in different rock units are determined.Based on the results,Gulong and Qijia source rocks have different organic matter primarily detrived from mixed sources and plankton,respectively.Gulong source rock has higher thermal evolution degree than Qijia source rock.The biomarker parameters of the source rocks are compared with 31 crude oil samples.The studied crude oils can be divided into two groups.The oil–source correlations show that group I oils from Qing II–III,Yao I,and Yao II–III members were probably derived from Gulong source rock and that only group II oils from Nen I member were derived from Qijia source rock.

Anisotropic creep behavior of soft-hard interbedded rock masses based on 3D printing and digital imaging correlation technology

Three-dimensional(3D)printing technology is increasingly used in experimental research of geotechnical engineering.Compared to other materials,3D layer-by-layer printing specimens are extremely similar to the inherent properties of natural layered rock masses.In this paper,soft-hard interbedded rock masses with different dip angles were prepared based on 3D printing(3DP)sand core technology.Uniaxial compression creep tests were conducted to investigate its anisotropic creep behavior based on digital imaging correlation(DIC)technology.The results show that the anisotropic creep behavior of the 3DP soft-hard interbedded rock mass is mainly affected by the dip angles of the weak interlayer when the stress is at low levels.As the stress level increases,the effect of creep stress on its creep anisotropy increases significantly,and the dip angle is no longer the main factor.The minimum value of the long-term strength and creep failure strength always appears in the weak interlayer within 30°–60°,which explains why the failure of the layered rock mass is controlled by the weak interlayer and generally emerges at 45°.The tests results are verified by comparing with theoretical and other published studies.The feasibility of the 3DP soft-hard interbedded rock mass provides broad prospects and application values for 3DP technology in future experimental research.

A Thickness Gauge for the Lithosphere Based on Ce/Yb and Sm/Yb of Mantle–Derived Magmatic Rocks

A new method for determining the partial melting depth of mantle-derived magma and lithospheric thickness in continental regions is derived from REE geochemistry. This effective technique uses variations in the Ce/Yb and Sm/Yb ratios found in mainly volcanic rocks in continental China. The ratios change with the depth of origin consistent with the correlation between lithospheric thickness and the Ce/Yb and Sm/Yb ratios found in oceanic basalt. These ratios increase exponentially with the depth of origin, the lithospheric thickness, of a wide variety of Cenozoic volcanic basalt and Paleozoic kimberlite in the North China Craton, northeastern China continent and vicinity. This functional relationship with depth is shown in a plot of the ratios that forms a concordia curve, which is closely expressed by formulas using 8–degree polynomials. These provide a more accurate gage in measuring the lithospheric thickness than the traditional geophysical methods. When applied to volcanic rock of different ages it also reveals how the thickness has changed over time and thus, greatly aids the understanding of the tectonic history. Relations between the COcontent, mineral reactions and pressure in the upper asthenosphere beneath the base of the lithosphere appears to affect the proportions of REE in partial melts and brings about a close correlation between lithospheric thickness and the Ce/Yb and Sm/Yb ratios in mantle–derived magmatic rock. This thickness gauge, for both continental and oceanic lithosphere, provides a new approach in analyzing the lithospheric thickness in different tectonic settings and geologic times.

Application of gray correlation analysis and artificial neural network in rock mass blasting

Studied forecasting and controlling the blasting fragmentation by using artifi- cial neural network for multi-ingredients. At the same time, according to the characteris- tic of multi-parameters input to network model, the gray correlation theory was employed to find out key factors, which can not only save time of computation and parameters in- put, but improve the stability of the model.

The geochemical characteristics and oil-source rock correlation of oilshow from the Majiashan profile, Chaoxian County, South of Anhui Province

In the future time the exploration of marine oil and gas will be one of the significant domains in China. In this paper the biomarker assemblage characteristics of oilshow in the Nanlinghu Formation of the Majiashan pro- file, which is located in Chaoxian County, south of Anhui Province, are described in the light of gas chromatogra- phy/mass spectrometric (GCMS) analysis on the qualitative and quantitative basis. Based on the investigation of the biomarker assemblage characteristics of possible source rocks developed in the area studied, a conclusion is drawn that the oilshow was generated from the Nanlinghu Formation source rocks (abbreviated as T1n), instead of the Qixia Formation source rocks (abbreviated as P1q). It is pointed out that the T1n is of strong potential for future oil explora- tion, and therefore much attention should be paid to it.

Geochemistry and geological significance of the Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic source rocks in the Lower Yangtze region

The Lower Yangtze region is one of the important marine sedimentation areas of oil and gas distribution in southern China,for its favorable source rocks,reservoirs and covers.However,the intense tectonic movements and complex hydrocarbon generation process made it highly impossible to form large-sized oil and gas reservoirs.So it was divided to different hydrocarbon-bearing preservation units in oil-gas exploration.Recent study shows that the Permian and Lower Triassic source rocks in the Lower Yangtze region are complicated in lithology.The hydrocarbon generation potential of limestone there is low while argillaceous source rocks are overall of high abundance with excellent organic types,now in the process of hydrocarbon generation,so differences in high maturity influence the evaluation of organic matter abundance and type.Biomarker characteristics indicate a reductive environment.n-alkanes are marked by a single peak,with no odd-even predominance.The composition and distribution of the carbon numbers of n-alkanes,and the high abundance of long-chain tricyclic terpanes are indicative of marine sedi-mentation.The high contents of pregnane,homopregnane,rearranged hopane suggest that the source rocks are of high maturity.There is a good linear correlation between methylphenanthrene index and vitrinite reflectance.The correlation of oil-source rocks indicated that the oil of Well HT-3 may come from the Permian Longtan Formation in the Huangqiao area,the oil of Wells Rong-2 and Juping-1 came from the Lower Triassic Qinglong Formation in the Jurong area.The exploration here is promising in those different source rocks which all have great potential in hy-drocarbon generating,and oil and gas were produced in the late stage of hydrocarbon generation.

Petroleum in the Jurassic Reservoirs within the Eastern Fukang Sub-depression,Junggar Basin,NW China:Correlation and Source Rock

The origin and source of the petroleum in the Jurassic reservoirs within the eastern Fukang sub-depression were geochemically investigated.They show thermal maturities matching the peak generation stage,while the condensates are at the early stage of intense cracking.Oils and condensates may have experienced mild evaporative fractionation,while mixing of severely biodegraded with non-biodegraded oils has occurred.Using biomarkers and isotopes,petroleums were classified into GroupⅠ,ⅡandⅢgenetic groups,with GroupⅢfurther divided intoⅢa andⅢb subgroups.GroupⅠpetroleum displays heavy carbon isotopes,a strong predominance of pristine over phytane,high C_(19)and C_(20)tricyclic and C_(24)tetracyclic terpanes,low gammacerane,and dominant C_(29)steranes,while GroupⅡshows light carbon isotopes,a predominance of phytane over pristine,high C_(21)and C_(23)tricyclic with low C_(24)tetracyclic terpanes,high gammacerane and dominant C_(27)steranes.GroupⅢa petroleum shows mixing compositions of GroupⅠandⅡ,while GroupⅢb displays similar compositions to Group I,but with significantly higher Ts,C_(29)Ts and C_(30)diahopane proportions.Oil-source rock correlation suggests GroupⅠandⅡpetroleums originate from Jurassic and Permian source rocks,respectively,while GroupⅢa are mixtures sourced from these rocks andⅢb are mixtures from Jurassic and Triassic source rocks.

Innovation of experimental methodology for adsorbed gases on hydrocarbon-source rocks

As compared to the device developed by our predecessors, the newly developed adsorbed gas degasification-collection device has a series of advantages such as wide sample application range, large sample inlet, high vacuum, short-time sample smashing, low crushing temperature and water-free gas collection, which ensure the geochemical characteristics of acquired adsorbed gas samples to be the same as those of the adsorbed gases on corresponding hydrocarbon-source rocks. The results showed that the acquired adsorbed gases are composed mainly of hydrocarbon gas and carbon dioxide gas, with the hydrocarbon gas accounting for more than 80%, and can be measured reliably for their δ13C1-δ13C3 data, even δ13C4-δ13C5 data. The results of carbon isotope test and analysis satisfy the needs for the geochemical study and application of adsorbed gases. The above new techniques of experimental geochemistry are helpful for establishing the new direct natural gas-source correlation method, proving that the previous usual method of indirect natural gas-source correlation is scientific and authentic, thus providing the experimental basis for the study and application of adsorbed gases on hydrocarbon-source rocks.

Roughness characterization and shearing dislocation failure for rock-backfill interface

Shearing dislocation is a common failure type for rock–backfill interfaces because of backfill sedimentation and rock strata movement in backfill mining goaf.This paper designed a test method for rock–backfill shearing dislocation.Using digital image techno-logy and three-dimensional(3D)laser morphology scanning techniques,a set of 3D models with rough joint surfaces was established.Further,the mechanical behavior of rock–backfill shearing dislocation was investigated using a direct shear test.The effects of interface roughness on the shear–displacement curve and failure characteristics of rock–backfill specimens were considered.The 3D fractal dimen-sion,profile line joint roughness coefficient(JRC),profile line two-dimensional fractal dimension,and the surface curvature of the frac-tures were obtained.The correlation characterization of surface roughness was then analyzed,and the shear strength could be measured and calculated using JRC.The results showed the following:there were three failure threshold value points in rock–backfill shearing dis-location:30%–50%displacement before the peak,70%–90%displacement before the peak,and 100%displacement before the peak to post-peak,which could be a sign for rock–backfill shearing dislocation failure.The surface JRC could be used to judge the rock–backfill shearing dislocation failure,including post-peak sliding,uniform variations,and gradient change,corresponding to rock–backfill disloca-tion failure on the field site.The research reveals the damage mechanism for rock–backfill complexes based on the free joint surface,fills the gap of existing shearing theoretical systems for isomerism complexes,and provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of possible disasters in backfill mining.

A Novel ISSA–DELM Model for Predicting Rock Mass Permeability

In pumped storage projects,the permeability of rock masses is a crucial parameter in engineering design and construction.The rock mass permeability coefficient(K)is influenced by various geological parameters,and previous studies aimed to establish an accurate relationship between K and geological parameters.This study uses the improved sparrow search algorithm(ISSA)to optimize the parameter settings of the deep extreme learning machine(DELM),constructing a prediction model with flexible parameter selection and high accuracy.First,the Spearman method is applied to analyze the correlation between geological parameters.A sample database is built by comprehensively selecting four geological indexes:burial depth,rock quality designation(RQD),fracture density characteristic index(FD),and rock mass integrity designation(RID).Hence,the defects of the sparrow search algorithm(SSA)are enhanced using the improved strategy,and the initial input weights of the DELM are optimized.Finally,the proposed ISSA–DELM model is employed to predict the permeability coefficient of rock mass in the entire study area.The results showed that the predictive performance of the model is superior to that of the DELM and SSA–DELM.Therefore,this model successfully provides insights into the distribution characteristics of rock mass permeability at engineering sites.

A novel indirect optical method for rock stress measurement using microdeformation field analysis

Stress measurement plays a crucial role in geomechanics and rock engineering,especially for the design and construction of large-scale rock projects.This paper presents a novel method,based on the traditional stress relief approach,for indirectly measuring rock stress using optical techniques.The proposed method allows for the acquisition of full-field strain evolution on the borehole’s inner wall before and after disturbance,facilitating the determination of three-dimensional(3D)stress information at multiple points within a single borehole.The study focuses on presenting the method’s theoretical framework,laboratory validation results,and equipment design conception.The theoretical framework comprises three key components:the optical imaging method of the borehole wall,the digital image correlation(DIC)method,and the stress calculation procedure.Laboratory validation tests investigate strain field distribution on the borehole wall under varying stress conditions,with stress results derived from DIC strain data.Remarkably,the optical method demonstrates better measurement accuracy during the unloading stage compared to conventional strain gauge methods.At relatively high stress levels,the optical method demonstrates a relative error of less than 7%and an absolute error within 0.5 MPa.Furthermore,a comparative analysis between the optical method and the conventional contact resistance strain gauge method highlights the optical method’s enhanced accuracy and stability,particularly during the unloading stage.The proposed optical stress measurement device represents a pioneering effort in the application of DIC technology to rock engineering,highlighting its potential to advance stress measurement techniques in the field.