Evolution of mechanical parameters of Shuangjiangkou granite under different loading cycles and stress paths

Surrounding rocks at different locations are generally subjected to different stress paths during the process of deep hard rock excavation.In this study,to reveal the mechanical parameters of deep surrounding rock under different stress paths,a new cyclic loading and unloading test method for controlled true triaxial loading and unloading and principal stress direction interchange was proposed,and the evolution of mechanical parameters of Shuangjiangkou granite under different stress paths was studied,including the deformation modulus,elastic deformation increment ratios,fracture degree,cohesion and internal friction angle.Additionally,stress path coefficient was defined to characterize different stress paths,and the functional relationships among the stress path coefficient,rock fracture degree difference coefficient,cohesion and internal friction angle were obtained.The results show that during the true triaxial cyclic loading and unloading process,the deformation modulus and cohesion gradually decrease,while the internal friction angle gradually increases with increasing equivalent crack strain.The stress path coefficient is exponentially related to the rock fracture degree difference coefficient.As the stress path coefficient increases,the degrees of cohesion weakening and internal friction angle strengthening decrease linearly.During cyclic loading and unloading under true triaxial principal stress direction interchange,the direction of crack development changes,and the deformation modulus increases,while the cohesion and internal friction angle decrease slightly,indicating that the principal stress direction interchange has a strengthening effect on the surrounding rocks.Finally,the influences of the principal stress interchange direction on the stabilities of deep engineering excavation projects are discussed.

An experimental study of shear strength of gas-hydrate-bearing core samples

The shear strength of gas-hydrate-bearing reservoirs is one of the most important parameters used to study mechanical properties of gas-hydrate-bearing reservoirs. The shear strength of gas-hydrate- bearing reservoirs changes with filling and cementation of gas hydrates, which will affect the wellbore and reservoir stability. Traditional shear tests could not be conducted on gas-hydrate-bearing core samples because the gas hydrates exist under a limited range of temperature and pressure conditions. This paper describes a novel shear apparatus for studying shear strength of gas-hydrate-bearing core samples under original reservoir conditions. The preparation of gas-hydrate-bearing core samples and subsequent shear tests are done in the same cell. Cohesion and internal friction angle of the core samples with different saturations of gas hydrates were measured with the apparatus. The effect of gas hydrates on the shear strength of reservoirs was quantitatively analyzed. This provides a foundation for studying wellbore and reservoir stability of gas-hydrate-bearing reservoirs.

Experimental study on mechanical properties of methane-hydrate-bearing sediments

Mechanical properties of methane hydrate- bearing-sediments （MHBS） are basic parameters for safety analysis of hydrate exploration and exploitation. Young＇s modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle of hydrate- bearing sediments synthesized in laboratory, are investigated using tri-axial tests. Stress-strain curves and strength parameters are obtained and discussed for different compositions and different hydrate saturation, followed by empirical expressions related to the cohesion, internal friction angle, and modulus of MHBS. Almost all tested MHBS samples exhibit plastic failure. With the increase of total saturation of ice and methane hydrate （MH）, the specimens＇ internal friction angle decreases while the cohesion increases.