State-of-the-art on the anchorage performance of rock bolts subjected to shear load

Rock bolts are extensively utilized in underground engineering as a means of offering support and stability to rock masses in tunnels,mines,and other underground structures.In environments of high ground stress,faults or weak zones can frequently arise in rock formations,presenting a significant challenge for engineering and potentially leading to underground engineering collapse.Rock bolts serve as a crucial structural element for the transmission of tensile stress and are capable of withstanding shear loads to prevent sliding of weak zones within rock mass.Therefore,a complete understanding of the behavior of rock bolts subjected to shear loads is essential.This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of the research progress of rock bolts subjected to shear load in three categories:experiment,numerical simulation,and analytical model.The review focuses on the research studies and developments in this area since the 1970s,providing a comprehensive overview of numerous factors that influence the anchorage performance of rock bolts.These factors include the diameter and angle of the rock bolt installation,rock strength,grouting material,bolt material,borehole diameter,rock bolt preload,normal stress,joint surface roughness and joint expansion angle.The paper reviews the improvement of mechanical parameter setting in numerical simulation of rock bolt shear.Furthermore,it delves into the optimization of the analytical model concerning rock bolt shear theory,approached from the perspectives of both Elastic foundation beam theory coupled with Elastoplasticity theory and Structural mechanic methods.The significance of this review lies in its ability to provide insights into the mechanical behavior of rock bolts.The paper also highlights the limitations of current research and guidelines for further research of rock bolts.

Mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of rock bolts subjected to static-dynamic loads

This study explores the effects of dynamic and static loading on rock bolt performance a key factor in maintaining the structural safety of coal mine roadways susceptible to coal bursts.Employing a housemade load frame to simulate various failure scenarios,pretension-impact-pull tests on rock bolts were conducted to scrutinize their dynamic responses under varied static load conditions and their failure traits under combined loads.The experimental results denote that with increased impact energy,maximum and average impact loads on rock bolts escalate significantly under pretension,initiating plastic deformation beyond a certain threshold.Despite minor reductions in the yield load due to impactinduced damage,pretension aids in constraining post-impact deformation rate and fluctuation degree of rock bolts.Moreover,impact-induced plastic deformation causes internal microstructure dislocation,fortifying the stiffness of the rock bolt support system.The magnitude of this fortification is directly related to the plastic deformation induced by the impact.These findings provide crucial guidance for designing rock bolt support in coal mine roadway excavation,emphasizing the necessity to consider both static and dynamic loads for improved safety and efficiency.

Failure characterization of fully grouted rock bolts under triaxial testing

Confining stresses serve as a pivotal determinant in shaping the behavior of grouted rock bolts.Nonetheless,prior investigations have oversimplified the three-dimensional stress state,primarily assuming hydrostatic stress conditions.Under these conditions,it is assumed that the intermediate principal stress(σ_(2))equals the minimum principal stress(σ_(3)).This assumption overlooks the potential variations in magnitudes of in situ stress conditions along all three directions near an underground opening where a rock bolt is installed.In this study,a series of push tests was meticulously conducted under triaxial conditions.These tests involved applying non-uniform confining stresses(σ_(2)≠σ_(3))to cubic specimens,aiming to unveil the previously overlooked influence of intermediate principal stresses on the strength properties of rock bolts.The results show that as the confining stresses increase from zero to higher levels,the pre-failure behavior changes from linear to nonlinear forms,resulting in an increase in initial stiffness from 2.08 kN/mm to 32.51 kN/mm.The load-displacement curves further illuminate distinct post-failure behavior at elevated levels of confining stresses,characterized by enhanced stiffness.Notably,the peak load capacity ranged from 27.9 kN to 46.5 kN as confining stresses advanced from σ_(2)=σ_(3)=0 to σ_(2)=20 MPa and σ_(3)=10 MPa.Additionally,the outcomes highlight an influence of confining stress on the lateral deformation of samples.Lower levels of confinement prompt overall dilation in lateral deformation,while higher confinements maintain a state of shrinkage.Furthermore,diverse failure modes have been identified,intricately tied to the arrangement of confining stresses.Lower confinements tend to induce a splitting mode of failure,whereas higher loads bring about a shift towards a pure interfacial shear-off and shear-crushed failure mechanism.

Optimization of the fully grouted rock bolts for load transfer enhancement

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of bolt profile configuration in load transfer capacity between the bolt and grout.Therefore,five types of rock bolts are used with different profiles.The rock bolts are modeled by ANSYS software.Models show that profile rock bolt T_3 and T_ with load capacity 180 and 195 kN in the jointed rocks,are the optimum profiles.Finally,the performances of the selected profiles are examined in Tabas Coal Mine by FLAC software.There is good subscription between the results of numerical modeling and instrumentation reading such as tells tale,sonic extensometer and strain gauge rock bolt.According to the finding of this study,the proposed pattern of rock bolts,on 7 + 6 patterns per meter with 2 flexi bolt(4 m) for support gate road.

A study of the load transfer behavior of fully grouted rock bolts with analytical modelling

Fully grouted rock bolts have been used in mining industry for many years.Much research has been conducted to evaluate the load transfer behavior of fully grouted rock bolts with experimental programs.However,compared with that,less work has been conducted with analytical modelling.Therefore,in this paper,the authors used an analytical model to study the load transfer behavior of fully grouted rock bolts.To confirm the credibility of this analytical model,an in-situ pull-out test was used to validate this model.There was a close match between the experimental result and the analytical result.Following it,a parametric study was conducted with this analytical model.The influence of coefficients,Young’s modulus of the rock bolt and the diameter of the rock bolt on the load transfer performance of rock bolts was studied.Furthermore,the load distribution along the fully grouted rock bolt was analytically studied.The results show that the axial load in the rock bolt decayed from the loaded end to the free end independent of the pull-out load.However,the trend of the load distribution curve was influenced by the pull-out load.This paper was beneficial for better understanding the load transfer mechanism of fully grouted rock bolts.

Mechanical performance of rock bolts under combined load conditions

Rock bolts are subjected to different loading conditions along their lengths such as axial,bending,and/or shear forces,which can cause failure at lower loads than those considered for design purposes.The common existing methodologies do not consider the actual loading of the rock bolts and assume it is only pure axial or pure shear.This study was conducted to investigate the un-grouted rock bolt performance under combined load conditions.Two loading regimes were evaluated:the effect of initial shear displacement on axial load capacity and displacement,and the effect of axial displacement on the shear load capacity.The first regime was also conducted for shear with a gap,when there is a spacing between the shear interfaces.The results of this study showed that the rock bolt can resist higher axial loads than shear under pure or combined load conditions.Under combined load conditions,the rock bolt capacity decreased significantly for both regimes.However,when applying the shear load with a gap,the rock bolt load capacity was not affected significantly.Also,the total bar deformation was improved for shear and axial.The findings of this study show the need to improve the rock bolt design considering the complex loading conditions in situ with/without a gap.

Utilizing a novel fiber optic technology to capture the axial responses of fully grouted rock bolts

Rock bolts are one of the primary support systems utilized in underground excavations within the civil and mining engineering industries. Rock bolts support the weakened rock mass adjacent to the opening of an excavation by fastening to the more stable, undisturbed formations further from the excavation. The overall response of such a support element has been determined under varying loading conditions in the laboratory and in situ experiments in the past four decades; however, due to the limitations with conventional monitoring methods of capturing strain, there still exists a gap in knowledge associated with an understanding of the geomechanical responses of rock bolts at the microscale. In this paper, we try to address this current gap in scientific knowledge by utilizing a newly developed distributed optical strain sensing(DOS) technology that provides an exceptional spatial resolution of 0.65 mm to capture the strain along the rock bolt. This DOS technology utilizes Rayleigh optical frequency domain reflectometry(ROFDR) which provides unprecedented insight into various mechanisms associated with axially loaded rebar specimens of different embedment lengths, grouting materials, borehole annulus conditions, and borehole diameters. The embedment length of the specimens was found to be the factor that significantly affected the loading of the rebar. The critical embedment length for the fully grouted rock bolts(FGRBs) was systematically determined to be430 mm. The results herein highlight the effects of the variation of these individual parameters on the geomechanical responses FGRBs.

A new analytical solution for calculation the displacement and shear stress of fully grouted rock bolts and numerical verifications

In presence of difficult conditions in coal mining roadways, an adequate stabilization of the excavation boundary is required to ensure a safe progress of the construction. The stabilization of the roadways can be improved by fully grouted rock bolt, offering properties optimal to the purpose and versatility in use. Investigations of load transfer between the bolt and grout indicate that the bolt profile shape and spacing play an important role in improving the shear strength between the bolt and the surrounding strata. This study proposes a new analytical solution for calculation displacement and shear stress in a fully encapsulated rock bolt in jointed rocks. The main characteristics of the analytical solution consider the bolt profile and jump plane under pull test conditions. The performance of the proposed analytical solution, for three types of different bolt profile configurations, is validated by ANSYS software. The results show there is a good agreement between analytical and numerical methods. Studies indicate that the rate of displacement and shear stress from the bolt to the rock exponentially decayed. This exponential reduction in displacement and shear stress are dependent on the bolt characteristics such as: rib height, rib spacing, rib width and grout thickness, material and joint properties.

Resist-decreasing effects of rock bolts on strength of rock mass around roadway——insight from numerical modeling

To investigate the resist-decreasing effects of rock bolts on the strength of the rock mass around a roadway, a compara- tive study has been carded out using the numerical analysis code FLAC3D. An unsupported and a rock bolt supported model have been built for comparison. Two types of rock mass strength, the uniaxial compressive strength （UCS） and the wiaxial compressive strength （TCS） of rock mass have been obtained from each model, using a prepared Fish based on the Mohr-Coulomb criterion. The results indicate that when a roadway is excavated, both the UCS and TCS in a definite local rock mass around the roadway would inevitably decrease, no matter whether the roadway is supported or not. The major decreasing region did not settle in the middle of the roadway surface, but within a deeper horizon into the rock mass. The resist-decreasing effects of rock bolts both on the UCS and the TCS of rock mass around roadway are significant.

Effect of pre-tensioned rock bolts on stress redistribution around a roadway—insight from numerical modeling

The importance of the pre-tensioned force of rock bolts has been recognized by more and more researchers. To investi- gate the effect of pre-tensioned rock bolts on stress redistribution around roadways, a numerical analysis was carried out using FLAC3D and a special post-process methodology, using surfer, is proposed to process the numerical simulation results. The results indicate that pre-tensioned rock bolts have a significant effect on stress redistribution around a roadway. In the roof, pre-tensioned rock bolts greatly increase vertical stress; as a result, the strength of the rock mass increased significantly which results in a greater capacity of bearing a large horizontal stress. The horizontal stress decreases in the upper section of the roof, indicating that pre-tensioned rock bolts significantly reduce the coefficient and the size of the region concentration of horizontal stress. At the lat- eral side, pre-tensioned rock bolts greatly increase the horizontal stress; therefore, the rock mass strength significantly increases which results also in a greater capacity of bearing a large vertical stress. The greater the size of pre-tensioned force, the larger the region of stress redistribution around a roadway is affected and the higher the size of the stress on the roadway surface the more the rock mass strength increases.

Theory,technology and application of grouted bolting in soft rock roadways of deep coal mines

The grouted bolt,combining rock bolting with grouting techniques,provides an effective solution for controlling the surrounding rock in deep soft rock and fractured roadways.It has been extensively applied in numerous deep mining areas characterized by soft rock roadways,where it has demonstrated remarkable control results.This article systematically explores the evolution of grouted bolting,covering its theoretical foundations,design methods,materials,construction processes,monitoring measures,and methods for assessing its effectiveness.The overview encompassed several key elements,delving into anchoring theory and grouting reinforcement theory.The new principle of high pretensioned high-pressure splitting grouted bolting collaborative active control is introduced.A fresh method for dynamic information design is also highlighted.The discussion touches on both conventional grouting rock bolts and cable bolts,as well as innovative grouted rock bolts and cables characterized by their high pretension,strength,and sealing hole pressure.An examination of the merits and demerits of standard inorganic and organic grouting materials versus the new inorganic–organic composite materials,including their specific application conditions,was conducted.Additionally,the article presents various methods and instruments to assess the support effect of grouting rock bolts,cable bolts,and grouting reinforcement.Furthermore,it provides a foundation for understanding the factors influencing decisions on grouted bolting timing,the sequence of grouting,the pressure applied,the volume of grout used,and the strategic arrangement of grouted rock bolts and cable bolts.The application of the high pretensioned high-pressure splitting grouted bolting collaborative control technology in a typical kilometer-deep soft rock mine in China—the soft coal seam and soft rock roadway in the Kouzidong coal mine,Huainan coal mining area,was introduced.Finally,the existing problems in grouted bolting control technology for deep soft rock roadways are analyzed,and the future development trend of grouted bolting control technology is anticipated.

Anchoring mechanism and application of hydraulic expansion bolts used in soft rock roadway floor heave control

Comparing with the resin bolt, the hydraulic expansion bolt has different anchoring mechanism and application advantage. According to the working mechanism of the hydraulic expansion bolt, its anchoring force is expressed in four forms including support anchoring force, tension anchoring force, expansion anchoring force and tangent anchoring force, and their values can be obtained on the basis of each calculation formula. Among them, the expansion anchoring force, which is the unique anchoring force of the hydraulic expansion bolt, can provide confining pressure to increase the strength of rock. Aiming at solving the problem of stability control in the soft rock roadway in Jinbaotun Coal Mine which has a double layer of 40 U-type sheds and cannot provide enough resistance support to control floor heave, the study reveals the mechanism of floor heave in the soft rock roadway, and designs the reasonable support parameters of the hydraulic expansion bolts. The observed results of floor convergence indicate that the hydraulic expansion bolts can prevent the development and flow of the plastic zone in the floor rock to control floor heave. Research results enrich the control technology in the soft rock roadway.

Deformation-softening behaviors of high-strength and high-toughness steels used for rock bolts

In deep ground engineering,the use of high-strength and high-toughness steels for rock bolt can significantly improve its energy absorption capacity.However,the mechanisms and effects of rock loading conditions on this kind of high energy-absorbing steel for rock bolt remain immature.In this study,taking Muzhailing highway tunnel as the background,physically based crystal plasticity simulations were performed to understand the effect of rock loading rate and pretension on the deformation behaviors of twinning induced plasticity(TWIP)steel used for rock bolt.The material physical connecting to the underlying microscopic mechanisms of dislocation glide and deformation twinning were incorporated in numerical modeling.The rock loading conditions were mimicked by the real-time field monitoring data of the NPR bolt/cable equipment installed on the tunnel surrounding rock surface.The results indicate that the bolt rod exhibits pronounced deformation-softening behavior with decrease of the loading rate.There is also a sound deformation-relaxation phenomenon induced by the dramatic decrease of loading rate after pre-tensioning.The high pretension(>600 MPa or 224 k N)can help bolt rod steel resist deformation-softening behavior,especially at low loading rate(<10~(-1)MPa/s or 10~(-2)kN/s).The loading rate was found to be a significant factor affecting deformation-softening behavior while the pretension was found to be the major parameter accounting for the deformation-relaxation scenario.The results provide the theoretical basis and technical support for practical applications.

Establishing the need to model the actual state of stress along rock bolts

Proper design of rock bolt support in underground mines is critical to avoid incidents, accidents and loss of production. The traditional design approach only considers the axial(tensile) capacity and this is clearly not the situation in situ, where a rock bolt is subjected to both axial and shear/bending loads which determines its overall performance and failure behaviour. To demonstrate and analyse the shear displacement in bedded roof, scaled physical models of underground excavation were created. From the models it was found that the shear displacement between the layers depends on the vertical roof deformation and thickness of beds. To analyse the effect of combined loading on rock bolt design for suspension and beam building models, analytical methods were used to calculate the required spacing of rock bolt for a given safety factor. Numerical models were then created using Rocscience RS2 software to establish the stresses on the rock bolt. The results show a significant reduction in safety factor for suspension as demonstrated in an example(reduced from 3.5 to 2.0) and beam building(2.0 to 1.36) when the rock bolt capacities are calculated considering the effect of combined loading as opposed to just the axial or shear loads.

Evaluation of load transfer mechanism under axial loads in a novel coupler of dual height rock bolts

The effective reinforcement of two or more overlying layers of mine openings in a single installation is usually done by coupling of two standard rock bolts mainly during the extraction of medium-thick coal seams.However,field observations show that the couplers of multiple bolts often degrade or break mostly at their connections.These types of failures can be avoided by strengthening the couplers of such multi-bolts assemblies.To achieve this,a novel threaded coupler system with an expansion shell was suggested in this paper.The newly designed coupler consists of a threaded tapered-plug-cumconnector with an expansion shell for connecting and tightening two standard rock bolts.An analytical model for evaluating the load distribution along the coupler subject to axial load was derived.Numerical analysis was performed to analyse the load transfer,deformation,and strains across the coupler including the factor of safety for the bolt-coupler-resin and bolt-coupler-expansion shell.The results validated the analytical model of the proposed coupler design,which provides better anchorage near the interface of the host rock mass.Thus,the developed coupler design would reduce the failures of the proposed coupler and stabilize laminated roof strata above the medium-thick coal seams in underground mines.

A hardening load transfer function for rock bolts and its calibration using distributed fiber optic sensing

Confinement of rock bolts by the surrounding rock formation has long been recognized as a positive contributor to the pull-out behavior,yet only a few experimental works and analytical models have been reported,most of which are based on the global rock bolt response evaluated in pull-out tests.This paper presents a laboratory experimental setup aiming to capture the rock formation effect,while using distributed fiber optic sensing to quantify the effect of the confinement and the reinforcement pull-out behavior on a more local level.It is shown that the behavior along the sample itself varies,with certain points exhibiting stress drops with crack formation.Some edge effects related to the kinematic freedom of the grout to dilate are also observed.Regardless,it was found that the mid-level response is quite similar to the average response along the sample.The ability to characterize the variation of the response along the sample is one of the many advantages high-resolution fiber optic sensing allows in such investigations.The paper also offers a plasticity-based hardening load transfer function,representing a"slice"of the anchor.The paper describes in detail the development of the model and the calibration/determination of its parameters.The suggested model captures well the coupled behavior in which the pull-out process leads to an increase in the confining stress due to dilative behavior.

Studying the performance of fully encapsulated rock bolts with modified structural elements

Numerical simulation is a useful tool in investigating the loading performance of rock bolts.The cable structural elements(cableSELs)in FLAC3D are commonly adopted to simulate rock bolts to solve geotechnical issues.In this study,the bonding performance of the interface between the rock bolt and the grout material was simulated with a two-stage shearing coupling model.Furthermore,the FISH language was used to incorporate this two-stage shear coupling model into FLAC3D to modify the current cableSELs.Comparison was performed between numerical and experimental results to confirm that the numerical approach can properly simulate the loading performance of rock bolts.Based on the modified cableSELs,the influence of the bolt diameter on the performance of rock bolts and the shear stress propagation along the interface between the bolt and the grout were studied.The simulation results indicated that the load transfer capacity of rock bolts rose with the rock bolt diameter apparently.With the bolt diameter increasing,the performance of the rock bolting system was likely to change from the ductile behaviour to the brittle behaviour.Moreover,after the rock bolt was loaded,the position where the maximum shear stress occurred was variable.Specifically,with the continuous loading,it shifted from the rock bolt loaded end to the other end.

Numerical analysis of the effects of rock bolts on stress redistribution around a roadway

Besides opening geometry, in situ stress and material properties, opening support also has significant effects on stress redistribution around a roadway. To investigate these effects of rock bolts on the stress redistribution around a roadway, a series of numerical studies were carried out using the finite difference method. Since the stress changes around a roadway caused by rock bolting is small relative to the in situ stress, they cannot obviously be observed in stress contour plots. To overcome this difficulty, a new result processing methodology was developed using the contouring program Surfer. With this methodology, the effects of rock bolts on stress redistribution can obviously be analyzed. Numerical results show that in the three patterns of rock bolts installed in the roof, in the roof and the two lateral sides, and in all the four sides of the rectangular roadway, the maximum stress magnitude of the increase is 0.931 MPa, 2.46 MPa,and 6.5 MPa, respectively; the bolt number of 5 can form an integrated ground arch; the appropriate length and pre-tensioned force of the rock bolt is 2.0 m and 60 k N, respectively. What is more, the ground arch action under the function of rock bolting is able to be effectively examined. The rock bolts dramatically increase the minor principal stress around a roadway which results in significant increase in material strength. Consequently, the major principal stress that the material can carry will greatly increase.With adequate supports, an integrated ground arch which is critical for the stability of roadway will be formed around the roadway.

Investigating Earth Reaction to Pull-Out Process of Frictional Rock Bolts Using Distinct Element Method

The reaction of earth to pull-out process of frictional rock bolts was here modeled by the distinct element method (DEM). Ten frictional bolts were prepared;the expanding shells of five bolts included convex edges and the others had the shells with concave bits. The strength of bolts was measured by applying a standard pull-out test;the results confirmed that the strength of shells with convex edges was remarkably more than the strength of other shells. Furthermore, a two-dimensional DEM model of the test was developed by a particle flow code;the obtained results showed that the reaction of rock particles to the contacts occurring between the convex edges and earth was considerably more than those of the concave bits. In the other words, the convex edges transferred the pull-out force into a large area of the surrounded rock, causing these bolts to have the highest resistance against earth movements.

Numerical simulation on bolted rock joint shearing performance

A Double Shear Model(DSM) was used in a numerical simulation on bolted rock joint shearing performance.An entire bolt deformed as the letter'U'under a shear load between two joints.Near the bolt-joint intersection,the bolt partly deformed as the letter'Z'.There were two critical points along the bolt:one was at the bolt-joint intersection with zero bending moment and the other at the maximum bending moment(plastic hinge) with zero shear stress.The blocks on two sides slid along the bolt as it deformed. A separation area was found between the two joint contact surfaces of the middle rock block and sided block.This area of separation was related to bolt diameter and external forces.We assume that this area is related to the work of external forces.Further research is needed.