Mechanical property and permeability of raw coal containing methane under unloading confining pressure

Based on domestic-developed triaxial servo-controlled seepage equipment for thermal-hydrologicalmechanical coupling of coal containing methane,an experimental study was carried out to investigate mechanical property and gas permeability of raw coal,under the situation of conventional triaxial compression and unloading confining pressure tests in different gas pressure conditions.Triaxial unloading confining pressure process was reducing confining pressure while increasing axial pressure.The research results show that,compared with the peak intensity of conventional triaxial loading,the ultimate strength of coal samples of triaxial unloading confining pressure was lower,deformation under loading was far less than unloading,dilation caused by unloading was more obvious than loading.The change trend of volumetric strain would embody change of gas permeability of coal,the permeability first reduced along with volumetric strain increase,and then raised with volume strain decrease,furthermore,the change trends of permeability of coal before and after destruction were different in the stage of decreasing volume strain due to the effect of gas pressure.When gas pressure was greater,the effective confining pressure was smaller,and the radial deformation produced by unloading was greater.When the unloading failed confining pressure difference was smaller,coal would be easier to get unstable failure.

Energy conversion of rocks in process of unloading confining pressure under different unloading paths

Based on energy theory and tests of rocks with initial confining pressures of 10, 20 and 30 MPa under different unloading paths, the processes of strain energy conversion were investigated. The absorbing strain energy for axial compression, the dissipating strain energy for plastic deformation and cracks propagation, the expending strain energy for circumferential deformation, and the storing and releasing elastic strain energy were considered. Unloading paths included the condition of fixing axial pressure and unloading axial pressure, increasing axial pressure and unloading confining pressure, as well as unloading axial pressure and confining pressure simultaneously. Results show that expending strain energy for circumferential deformation has mainly evolved from absorbing strain energy for axial compression in three unloading paths during unloading processes. Dissipating strain energy is significantly increased only near the peak point. The effect of initial confining pressure on strain energy is significantly higher than that of unloading path. The strain energy is linearly increased with increasing initial confining pressure. The unloading path and initial confining pressure also have great influence on the energy dissipation. The conversion rate of strain energy in three paths is increased with increasing initial confining pressure, and the effect of initial confining pressure on conversion rate of strain energy is related with the unloading paths.

Dynamic characteristics of high stressed red sandstone subjected to unloading and impact loads

In the process of deep projects excavation,deep rock often experiences a full stress process from high stress to unloading and then to impact disturbance failure.To study the dynamic characteristics of three-dimensional high stressed red sandstone subjected to unloading and impact loads,impact compression tests were conducted on red sandstone under confining pressure unloading conditions using a modified split Hopkinson pressure bar.Impact disturbance tests of uniaxial pre-stressed rock were also conducted(without considering confining pressure unloading effect).The results demonstrate that the impact compression strength of red sandstone shows an obvious strain rate effect.With an approximately equal strain rate,the dynamic strength of red sandstone under confining unloading conditions is less than that in the uniaxial pre-stressed impact compression test.Confining pressure unloading produces a strength-weakening effect,and the dynamic strength weakening factor(DSWF)is also defined.The results also indicate that the strain rate of the rock and the incident energy change in a logarithmic relation.With similar incident energies,unloading results in a higher strain rate in pre-stressed rock.According to the experimental analysis,unloading does not affect the failure mode,but reduces the dynamic strength of pre-stressed rock.The influence of confining pressure unloading on the shear strength parameters(cohesion and friction angle)is discussed.Under the same external energy impact compression,prestressed rock subjected to unloading is more likely to be destroyed.Thus,the effect of unloading on the rock mechanical characteristics should be considered in deep rock project excavation design.

Effect of fatigue loading-confining stress unloading rate on marble mechanical behaviors: An insight into fracture evolution analyses

Rocks in underground works usually experience rather complex stress disturbance.For this,their fracture mechanism is significantly different from rocks subjected to conventional triaxial compression conditions.The effects of stress disturbances on rock geomechanical behaviors under fatigue loading conditions and triaxial unloading conditions have been reported in previous studies.However,little is known about the dependence of the unloading rate on fatigue loading and confining stress unloading(FL-CSU)conditions that influence rock failure.In this paper,we aimed at investigating the fracture behaviors of marble under FL-CSU conditions using the post-test X-ray computed tomography(CT)scanning technique and the GCTS RTR 2000 rock mechanics system.Results show that damage accumulation at the fatigue stage can influence the final fracture behaviors of marble.The stored elastic energy for rock samples under FL-CSU tests is relatively larger compared to those under conventional triaxial tests,and the dissipated energy used to drive damage evolution and crack propagation is larger for FL-CSU tests.In FL-CSU tests,as the unloading rate increases,the dissipated energy grows and elastic energy reduces.CT scanning after the test reveals the impacts of the unloading rate on the crack pattern and a fracture degree index is therein defined in this context to represent the crack dimension.It shows that the crack pattern after FL-CSU tests depends on the unloading rate,and the fracture degree is in agreement with the analysis of both the energy dissipation and the amount of energy released.The effect of unloading rate on fracture evolution characteristics of marble is revealed by a series of FL-CSU tests.

Mechanical behavior of sandstone during post-peak cyclic loading and unloading under hydromechanical coupling

This paper investigates mechanical behaviours of sandstone during post-peak cyclic loading and unloading subjected to hydromechanical coupling effect, confirming the peak and residual strengths reduction laws of sandstone with water pressure, and revealing the influence of water pressure on the upper limit stress and deformation characteristics of sandstone during post-peak cyclic loading and unloading.Regarding the rock strength, the experimental study confirms that the peak strength σ_(p) and residual strength σ_(r) decrease as water pressure P increases. Especially, the normalized strength parameters σ_(p)/σ_(pk) and σ_(r)/σ_(re) was negatively and linearly correlated with the P/σ_(3). Moreover, the Hoek-Brown strength criterion can be applied to describe the relationship between effective peak strength and effective confining stress. During post-peak cyclic loading and unloading, both the upper limit stress σ_(p(i)) and crack damage threshold stress σ_(cd(i)) of each cycle tend to decrease with the increasing cycle number. A hysteresis loop exists among the loading and unloading stress–strain curves, indicating the unloading deformation modulus E_(unload) is larger than the loading deformation modulus E_(load). Based on experimental results,a post-peak strength prediction model related to water pressure and plastic shear strain is established.

An innovative test method for mechanical properties of sandstone under instantaneous unloading confining pressure

With the increase of underground engineering construction depth,the phenomenon of surrounding rock sudden failure caused by supporting structure failure occurs frequently.The conventional unloading con-fining pressure(CUCP)test cannot simulate the plastic yielding and instantaneous unloading process of supporting structure to rock.Thus,a high stress loading-instantaneous unloading confining pressure(HSL-IUCP)test method was proposed and applied by considering bolt’s fracture under stress.The wall thickness of confining pressure plates and the material of bolts were changed to realize different confin-ing pressure loading stiffness(CPLS)and lateral maximum allowable deformation(LMAD).The superio-rity of HSL-ICPU method is verified compared with CUCP.The rock failure mechanism caused by sudden failure of supporting structure is obtained.The results show that when CPLS increases from 1.35 to 2.33 GN/m,rock’s peak strength and elastic modulus increase by 25.18%and 23.70%,respectively.The fracture characteristics change from tensile failure to tensile-shear mixed failure.When LMAD decreases from 0.40 to 0.16 mm,rock’s residual strength,peak strain,and residual strain decrease by 91.80%,16.94%,and 21.92%,respectively,and post-peak drop modulus increases by 140.47%.The test results obtained by this method are closer to rock’s real mechanical response characteristics compared with CUCP.

Compressive and Sealing Characteristics of PTFE under Cyclic Loading-unloading

Compressive and sealing characteristics of PTFE under cyclic loading-unloading at room temperature are studied in order to evaluate the cyclic sealing performance of control valve comprehensively. The unloading characteristics are different from the loading ones, therefore there is hysteresis between the unloading and loading curves. Compressive hysteresis is the main factor that causes sealing hysteresis. The leakage rate of PTFE complies with the power law before it enters the relatively stable region. Lastly, the effect of working pressure on the compressive and sealing characteristics is discussed. The experimental results show that the working pressure has little effect on compressive deformation but has a great influence on leakage rate.

Coefficients of earth pressure at rest in thick and deep soils

The effect of test methods and stress paths on the experimental value of the coefficient of earth pressure at rest, K0, was investigated under high pressures. The results indicate that the rigid pressure chamber and flexible lateral confining pressure medium method gives a stress ratio at the initial stage that is not the real K0. Moreover, K0 increases during the loading process becoming greater at high pressures. In the unloading process, however, K0 increases only at the initial stage but decreases thereafter. In addition, the incremental magnitude definition, K0=dσ3/dσ1, gives higher values than the total magnitude definition, K0=σ3/σ1, under loading. This is also true during initial stages of unloading. The experiment results also indicate that earth pressure at rest in deep and thick soils can be estimated by a power function of axial and confining pressures. It is necessary to choose the appropriate Kn to avoid some accidents.

Real-time computerized tomography(CT) test of failure process of jointed granite under unloading in three gorges project(TGP)

This paper deals with the real-time computerized tomography(CT) test for moni- toring the complete damage failure process of a single-crack granite specimen that is subjected to the confining pressure unloading. For this purpose, the State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil of China has developed a special CT Triaxial Testing Equipment for Rocks and Soils that can give clear images of complete failure process of a rock specimen during removal of confining pressures, including various stages of development and penetration of cracks etc. The results have shown that it is easy for failure phenomenon to happen suddenly in the process of unloading condition of jointed rocks.

Undrained Behaviour of Silt under Static and Cyclic Loading

In this study, the undrained behaviour of silt under low stress level is studied. An effective preparation method for built-in silt samples in the triaxial test was firstly developed. By triaxial testing of samples at low confining pressures it was found that silt easily loses stability and liquefies. Loose silt may show temporary liquefaction under static loading, and develop full liquefaction under cyclic loading. The most important factors influencing the silt behaviour are porosity, confining pressure, consolidation state, cyclic loading level and number of cycles. The maximum obtainable shear stress is primarily a function of the confining pressure and the internal frictional angle. The actual structure of the silt material is the key factor in controlling its behaviour.

Finite element analyses of Wanjiazhai water transmission tunnel excavation and service

This paper is devoted to the nonlinear stress and strain analysis oftunneling and working conditions of Wanjiazhai Division Project No.7 Tunnel in Shanxi province ofChina. The initial geological stress of loess was simulated by grading fill; the theory of unloadingproposed by Duncan and boundary stress of elasticity were used to calculate the excavation of thetunnel; Goodman joint elements were applied to simulate the joints of the liners; both loading andunloading tests have been performed to determine the parameters of Duncan-Chang's model and thecalculated results were compared; Terzaghi' s theory on loosening earth pressure was applied. Manyworking conditions were analyzed and some reasonable results were obtained. Based on the analyses,reparative measures were proposed and completed. The tunnel has functioned well since October, 2001.

Propagation Characteristics of Ultrasonic Guided Waves in Grouted Rockbolt Systems with Bond Defects under Different Confining Conditions

A rockbolt acting in the rock mass is subjected to the combined action of the pull-out load and confining pressure, and the bond quality of the rockbolt directly affects the stability of the roadway and cavern. Therefore, in this study, confining pressure and pull-out load are applied to grouted rockbolt systems with bond defects by a numerical simulation method, and the rockbolt is detected by ultrasonic guided waves to study the propagation law of ultrasonic guided waves in defective rockbolt systems and the bond quality of rockbolts under the combined action of pull-out load and confining pressure. The numerical simulation results show that the length and location of bond defects can be detected by ultrasonic guided waves under the combined action of pull-out load and confining pressure. Under no pull-out load, with increasing confining pressure, the low-frequency part of the guided wave frequency in the rockbolt increases, the high-frequency part decreases, the weakening effect of the confining pressure on the guided wave propagation law increases, and the bond quality of the rockbolt increases. The existence of defects cannot change the strengthening effect of the confining pressure on the guided wave propagation law under the same pull-out load or the weakening effect of the pull-out load on the guided wave propagation law under the same confining pressure.

Characteristic stress and strain precursor information for fine-grained granite during failure process under triaxial loading and unloading conditions

The unloading effect by excavation may cause irreversible and severe damage to the surrounding rock masses in underground engineering.In this paper,both conventional triaxial compression(CTC)tests and triaxial unloading confining pressure(TUCP)tests were conducted on fine-grained granite to study its triaxial compression failure processes due to unloading.Based on the crack volumetric strain(CVS)method,the crack axial strain(CAS)method and crack radial area strain(CRAS)method were proposed to identify the failure precursor information(including stress thresholds and axial strain at the initiation point of crack connectivity stage)during the rock failure processes.The results of the CTC tests show that the stable crack development stressσsd,unstable crack development stressσusd,and crack connectivity stressσct identified by the CAS method are 6%,74%–84%,and 86%–97%of the peak stress,respectively.For the TUCP cases,as the confining pressure increases,the stress thresholds,axial pressure at failure and axial strain at the start of the crack connectivity stage increase,while the time ratio of the crack connectivity stage to the entire unloading stage decreases.This indicates that fine-grained granite is prone to generate more cracks and leads to fail suddenly under high confining pressure.Furthermore,this new method demonstrates that the point at which the derivative of the radial crack area strain transitions from stable to a sudden increase or decrease is defined as the precursor point of rock failure.The results of axial strain at the starting point of the crack connectivity stage are very close to those predicted by the AE method,withβ1 no more than 11%.

Failure behavior of a rock-coal-rock combined body with a weak coal interlayer

Using an MTS 815 testing machine,the deformation and failure behavior of a rock-coal-rock combined body containing a weak coal interlayer has been investigated and described in this paper.Uniaxial loading leads to the appearance of mixed cracks in the coal body which induce instability and lead to bursts in coal.If the mixed crack propagates at a sufficiently high speed to carry enough energy to damage the roof rock,then coal and rock bursts may occur-this is the main mechanism whereby coal bumps or coal and rock bursts occur after excavation unloading.With increasing confining pressure,the failure strength of a rock-coal-rock combined body gradually increases,and the failure mechanism of the coal interlayer also changes,from mixed crack damage under low confining pressures,to parallel crack damage under medium confining pressures,and finally to single shear crack damage or integral mixed section damage under high confining pressures.In general,it is shown that a weak coal interlayer changes the form of overall coal damage in a rock-coal-rock combined body and reduces the overall stability of a coal body.Therefore,the whole failure behavior of a rock-coal-rock combined body in large cutting height working faces is controlled by these mechanisms.

Experimental Study on Seepage Characteristics of a Soil-Rock Mixture in a Fault Zone

A mixture of fault gouge and rubble taken out from a fault zone is used to prepare a S-RM(Soil-Rock Mixture)sample with rock block proportions of 20%,30%,40%,50%,60%and 70%,respectively.A GDS triaxial test system is used accordingly to measure the seepage characteristics of such samples under different loading and unloading confining pressures in order to determine the variation law of the permeability coefficient.The test results show that:(1)The permeability coefficient of the S-RM samples decreases as the pressure increases,and the decrease rate of this coefficient in the initial stage of confining pressure loading is obviously higher than in the semi-late period;(2)The permeability coefficient at different confining pressure levels presents a common trend as the rock block proportion is increased,i.e.,it decreases first then it increases(the permeability coefficient of the sample with rock block proportion 40%being the smallest,70%the largest);(3)In the stage of confining pressure unloading,the recovery degree of the permeability coefficient grows with the increase of rock block proportion(the recovery rate of S-RM sample with rock block proportion 70%reaches 50.2%);(4)In the stage of confining pressure loading and unloading,the sensitivity of the permeability coefficient to the rock block proportion displays the inverse“Z”variation rule(when rock block proportion reaches 60%,the sensitivity is highest);(5)In the stage of confining pressure loading,the relationship between the permeability coefficient and confining pressure can be described by an exponential relationship.

各向异性层状千枚岩渗透率及有效孔隙率试验研究

采用岩石全自动三轴伺服仪和气体渗透装置,对一种致密的各向异性层状千枚岩开展了气体渗透率及有效孔隙率试验,研究常规三轴压缩和围压循环加卸载2种应力路径下,气体渗透率、有效孔隙率随层理倾角及偏应力的演化规律。结果表明:围压相同时,岩样的初始气体渗透率k0随着层理倾角β的增大呈“W”型变化,在β=45°时取最大值;在围压循环加卸载过程中,气体渗透率先随围压的加载而减小,后随围压的卸载而增大,卸载时的气体渗透率小于加载时的渗透率;层状千枚岩有效孔隙率和气体渗透率呈指数关系;平行于层理方向的气体渗透率远大于垂直于层理方向的气体渗透率;岩样有效孔隙率和气体渗透率随偏应力变化经历初始压密阶段、线弹性阶段和塑性变形阶段,随着偏应力的增大,岩样有效孔隙率和气体渗透率先减小,接着保持稳定,最后快速增大,并在岩样应力-应变曲线斜率接近于0时达到最大值。

加卸载花岗岩强度与岩爆倾向性试验研究

为了进一步提高硬性花岗岩岩爆倾向性预测水平,系统开展了花岗岩巴西劈裂、单/三轴和不同卸围压速率应力路径下的岩石力学试验,详细分析了花岗岩强度和岩爆倾向性特征。研究结果表明:花岗岩在主应力σ_(3)–σ_(1)平面内,不同应力路径下的强度受围压和卸围压速率影响显著,呈带状分布;在τ_(oct)–(σ_(1)+σ_(3))/2平面内,不同加卸载应力路径下的强度都呈良好的线性特征。据此建立了花岗岩八面体强度计算通式,可统一表达不同加卸载应力路径;针对花岗岩硬岩的压密和屈服特性不明显,弹性特性显著的特征,提出了简化剩余弹性能指数岩爆分级法;并依据花岗岩试验岩样破坏形态和破坏声学特征,对已有花岗岩岩爆等级进行了细分。揭示了在相同初始围压下,卸围压速率越大,简化剩余弹性能指数越大,岩爆倾向性越强;相同卸围压速率下,初始围压越大,简化剩余弹性能指数也越大,岩爆倾向性也越强。研究成果可为更科学合理的评估花岗岩岩爆倾向性提供理论参考。

高渗压与循环加卸载环境下开挖卸荷岩体力学特性试验研究

探究高渗压与循环加卸载环境下深部开挖卸荷岩体力学特性的演化规律,有助于揭示复合荷载作用下工程开挖卸荷围岩的变形破坏机理。从区分开挖扰动强度与渗压量级入手,以高渗压环境下遭受开挖扰动的卸荷岩体为对象,开展了考虑特定孔压与循环荷载复合作用条件下的三轴加卸载试验。结果表明:(1)卸荷量级直接影响循环加卸载过程岩样的变形规律及其破坏强度,孔隙水压促进了岩样循环加卸载过程的拉剪破坏;(2)孔压增幅加剧了同量级卸荷岩样循环加卸载过程的延性变形及强度衰减,且卸荷岩样的轴向、环向与体积变形曲线均在2MPa孔压时产生波动;(3)伴随孔压增加,岩样卸荷量级为30%时的环向变形呈先增加后减小的趋势,而岩样卸荷量级为60%时的环向变形呈现先减小后增加的规律;(4)伴随卸荷量级与孔压增加,岩样破坏时端部裂隙的倾角逐渐增大,沿岩样轴向产生的拉剪破裂面愈加凸显。

不同围压及加载速率下的塑性混凝土动力特性研究

为研究塑性混凝土在三向应力状态下的动力特性与破坏规律,设计符合工程实践的配合比方案,借助动三轴试验仪开展了其在不同围压和不同加载速率条件下的强度、应力及应变规律研究。最后依据试验成果建立了基于Bresler-Pister三参数的强度准则。结果表明:塑性混凝土抗压强度与加载速率呈近线性正相关,材料抗压强度小于5.0MPa时对低加载速率更敏感,抗压强度大于5.0MPa时对高加载速率更敏感;不同加载速率下材料应力-应变规律基本一致,当应变达到1.47%~1.90%后其应力出现峰值,随后大幅度降低;不同围压条件下塑性混凝土抗压强度随围压的增加同样呈线性增长趋势,随着围压的提高,塑性混凝土峰值应力维持时间越长,材料抗裂性能越好;基于Bresler-Pister的强度准则公式其计算剪应力与三轴实测误差在1.61%~4.35%之间,基本反映了材料的变形破坏规律。

卸围压下弱胶结软岩分数阶蠕变损伤本构模型

为研究地下硐室开挖卸荷诱发的软岩蠕变损伤特征,以西部矿区弱胶结软岩为研究对象,利用GDS HPTAS开展了分级卸围压蠕变试验,研究了不同含水条件下弱胶结软岩卸围压下蠕变特征和蠕变速率特征。基于稳态蠕变速率倒数的方法,确定了弱胶结软岩长期强度和含水率的数学指数函数关系。基于蠕变速率曲线特征提出了一种确定衰减蠕变与等速蠕变分界点t_1和等速蠕变与加速蠕变分界点t_2的新方法。引入Riemann-Liouville分数阶积分算子和负时间指数损伤演化变量,定义了非线性损伤Abel黏壶,建立了一个包括弹性元件、黏弹性损伤元件、黏性元件和非线性黏塑性损伤元件的六元件分数阶蠕变损伤本构模型。基于试验结果,采用Trust-Region算法进行了模型参数识别和敏感性分析。结果表明,所建立的模型具有物理意义明确、与试验值吻合度较高等特点,可较为准确地反映开挖卸荷条件下弱胶结软岩蠕变损伤特性,对保障地下工程长期稳定性具有重要的意义。