Leaching behavior of V,Pb,Cd,Cr,and As from stone coal waste rock with different particle sizes

This paper investigates the leaching behavior of heavy metals(V,Pb,Cd,Cr,and As) from stone coal waste rocks with various particle sizes using dynamic leaching experiments.The results show that the dissolved concentrations of V and As initially increased and then slightly decreased as time progressed and that the dissolved concentrations of Pb,Cd,and Cr were high in the early stage before decreasing.The particle size of the stone coal waste rocks strongly influenced the heavy metal concentration in the leaching solutions.The effects of the particle size of the stone coal waste rocks on the dissolved concentrations of V,Pb,and As decreased in the order fine fraction > medium fraction > coarse fraction,and the effects of particle size on the dissolved concentrations of Cr and Cd decreased in the order medium fraction > coarse fraction > fine fraction and coarse fraction > medium fraction > fine fraction,respectively.The quantities of heavy metals dissolved from the stone coal waste rock with fine particle sizes were observed to decrease in the order V(17104.36 μg/kg) > As(609.41 μg/kg) > Pb(469.24 μg/kg) > Cr(56.35 μg/kg) > Cd(27.52 μg/kg),and the dissolution rates decreased in the order As(2.96%) > Pb(0.93%) > V(0.35%) > Cd(0.25%) > Cr(0.01%).The specific surface area,pore size of the stone coal waste rocks,and chemical forms of heavy metals also influenced the release of heavy metals from the stone coal waste rocks.Kinetic analysis showed that the dissolution of heavy metals fundamentally agreed with the rate equation controlled by the shrinking core model.The results of this study are expected to serve as a reference for the evaluation of heavy metals contamination from stone coal waste rocks.

Experimental investigation of creep behavior of clastic rock in Xiangjiaba Hydropower Project

There are many fracture zones crossing the dam foundation of the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Project in southwestern China. Clastic rock is the main media of the fracture zone and has poor physical and mechanical properties. In order to investigate the creep behavior of clastic rock, triaxial creep tests were conducted using a rock servo-controlling rheological testing machine. The results show that the creep behavior of clastic rock is significant at a high level of deviatoric stress, and less time-dependent deformation occurs at high confining pressure. Based on the creep test results, the relationship between axial strain and time under different confining pressures was investigated, and the relationship between axial strain rate and deviatoric stress was also discussed. The strain rate increases rapidly, and the rock sample fails eventually under high deviatoric stress. Moreover, the creep failure mechanism under different confining pressures was analyzed. The main failure mechanism of clastic rock is plastic shear, accompanied by a significant compression and ductile dilatancy. On the other band, with the determined parameters, the Burgers creep model was used to fit the creep curves. The results indicate that the Burgers model can exactly describe the creep behavior of clastic rock in the Xiangjiaba Hydropower Project.

Nonlinear shear behavior of rock joints using a linearized implementation of the Barton-Bandis model

Experiments on rock joint behaviors have shown that joint surface roughness is mobilized under shearing,inducing dilation and resulting in nonlinear joint shear strength and shear stress vs.shear displacement behaviors.The Barton-Bandis(B-B) joint model provides the most realistic prediction for the nonlinear shear behavior of rock joints.The B-B model accounts for asperity roughness and strength through the joint roughness coefficient(JRC) and joint wall compressive strength(JCS) parameters.Nevertheless,many computer codes for rock engineering analysis still use the constant shear strength parameters from the linear Mohr-Coulomb(M-C) model,which is only appropriate for smooth and non-dilatant joints.This limitation prevents fractured rock models from capturing the nonlinearity of joint shear behavior.To bridge the B-B and the M C models,this paper aims to provide a linearized implementation of the B-B model using a tangential technique to obtain the equivalent M-C parameters that can satisfy the nonlinear shear behavior of rock joints.These equivalent parameters,namely the equivalent peak cohesion,friction angle,and dilation angle,are then converted into their mobilized forms to account for the mobilization and degradation of JRC under shearing.The conversion is done by expressing JRC in the equivalent peak parameters as functions of joint shear displacement using proposed hyperbolic and logarithmic functions at the pre-and post-peak regions of shear displacement,respectively.Likewise,the pre-and post-peak joint shear stiffnesses are derived so that a complete shear stress-shear displacement relationship can be established.Verifications of the linearized implementation of the B-B model show that the shear stress-shear displacement curves,the dilation behavior,and the shear strength envelopes of rock joints are consistent with available experimental and numerical results.

Numerical investigation on the tensile fracturing behavior of rock-shotcrete interface based on discrete element method

Four groups of numerical models of Brazilian tests on rock-shotcrete interfaces were successfully conducted by PFC2D. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of shotcrete were considered. Six different undulations of rock-shotcrete interface were set up. The influences of multiple parameters on the bearing characteristics of the rock-shotcrete interface were studied. The results showed that a better support performance can be obtained by increasing the Young’s modulus of shotcrete rather than the tensile strength of shotcrete. For different tensile strength and Young’s modulus, the increase of sawtooth height has different effects on the support performance. The failure mechanism of the rock-shotcrete interfaces was analysed in detail. The stress shielding effect and stress concentration effect caused by the shape characteristics of rock-shotcrete interface were observed. The influence of these parameters on the overall support performance should be fully considered in a reasonable support design.

A post-peak dilatancy model for soft rock and its application in deep tunnel excavation

The dilation angle is the most commonly used parameter to study nonlinear post-peak dilatancy(PPD)behavior and simulate surrounding rock deformation;however,simplified or constant dilatancy models are often used in numerical calculations owing to their simple mathematical forms.This study developed a PPD model for rocks(rock masses)based on the Alejanoe-Alonso(A-A)dilatancy model.The developed model comprehensively reflects the influences of confining pressure(σ_(3))and plastic shear strain(γ^(p)),with the advantages of a simple mathematical form,while requiring fewer parameters and demonstrating a clear physical significance.The overall fitting accuracy of the PPD model for 11 different rocks was found to be higher than that of the A-A model,particularly for Witwatersrand quartzite and jointed granite.The applicability and reliability of the PPD model to jointed granites and different scaled Moura coals were also investigated,and the model was found to be more suitable for the soft and large-scale rocks,e.g.deep rock mass.The PPD model was also successfully applied in studying the mechanical response of a circular tunnel excavated in strain-softening rock mass,and the developed semi-analytical solution was compared and verified with existing analytical solutions.The sensitivities of the rock dilatancy to γ^(p) and σ_(3) showed significant spatial variabilities along the radial direction of the surrounding rock,and the dilation angle did not exhibit a monotonical increasing or decreasing law from the elasticeplastic boundary to the tunnel wall,thereby presenting the σ3-or γ^(p)-dominated differential effects of rock dilatancy.Tunnel deformation parabolically or exponentially increased with increasing in situ stress(buried depth).The developed PPD model is promising to conduct refined numerical and analytical analyses for deep tunneling,which produces extensive plastic deformation and exhibits significant nonlinear post-peak behavior.

Strength and deformation behaviors of bedded rock mass under bolt reinforcement

The mechanism of bolt support is an important topic in mining engineering and slope treatment. The artificial material and loading system were self-developed to study the influence of bedding cohesion and bolt number on the anchoring behavior of bedded rock mass. The results show that, both peak strength and elasticity modulus increase gradually with the increase of bedding cohesion and bolt number. The axial stress–strain curve of bedded rock mass under the reinforcement of bolts presents the features of strain-softening and secondary strengthening. Finally, anchoring behavior of bedded rock mass with different bolt numbers was simulated by using FLAC3 D numerical program and the results were compared with the experimental results. This study can provide certain bases to the stability control and support design of bedded rock mass in roadway.

Numerical investigation of the mechanical behavior of the backfill–rock composite structure under triaxial compression

To ensure safe and economical backfill mining,the mechanical response of the backfill–rock interaction system needs to be understood.The numerical investigation of the mechanical behavior of backfill–rock composite structure(BRCS)under triaxial compression,which includes deformation,failure patterns,strength characteristics,and acoustic emission(AE)evolution,was proposed.The models used in the tests have one rough interface,two cement–iron tailings ratios(CTRs),four interface angles(IAs),and three confining pressures(CPs).Results showed that the deformation,strength characteristics,and failure patterns of BRCS under triaxial compression depend on IA,CP,and CTR.The stress–strain curves of BRCS under triaxial compression could be divided into five stages,namely,compaction,elasticity,yield,strain softening,and residual stress.The relevant AE counts have corresponding relationships with different stages.The triaxial compressive strengths of composites increase linearly with the increase of the CP.Furthermore,the CP stress strengthening effect occurs.When the IAs are45°and 60°,the failure areas of composites appear in the interface and backfill.When the IAs are 75°and 90°,the failure areas of composites appear in the backfill,interface,and rock.Moreover,the corresponding failure modes yield the combined shear failure.The research results provide the basis for further understanding of the stability of the BRCS.

Modeling of Mechanical Behavior of Fractal Rock Joint

The present study shows that naturally developed fracture surfaces in rocks display the properties of self-affine fractals. Surface roughness can be quantitatively characterized by fractal dimension D and the intercept A on the log-log plot of variance: the former describes the irregularity and the later is statistically analogues to the slopes of asperities. In order to confirm the effects of these fractalparameters on the properties and mechanical behavior of rock joints, which have been observed in experiments under both normal andshear loadings, a theoretic model of rock joint is proposed on the basis of contact mechanics. The shape of asperity at contact is assumed to have a sinusoidal form in its representative scale r, with fractal dimension D and the intercept A. The model considers different local contact mechanisms, such as elastic deformation, frictional sliding and tensile fracture of the asperity. The empirical evolution law of surface damage developed in experiment is implemented into the model to up-date geometry of asperity in loading history. The effects of surface roughness characterized by D, A and re on normal and shear deformation of rock joint have been elaborated.

Dynamic evolution of shear rate-dependent behavior of rock discontinuity under shearing condition

Rock blocks sliding along discontinuities can cause serious disasters,such as landslides,earthquakes,or rock bursts.The shear rate-dependent behavior is a typical time-dependent behavior of a rock discontinuity,and it is closely related to the stability of a rock block.To further study the shear rate-dependent behavior of rock discontinuities,shear tests with alternating shear rates(SASRs)were conducted on rock discontinuities with various surface morphologies.The dynamic evolution of the shear rate dependency was studied in detail based on the shear test results,and three stages were identified with respect to the shear stress and shear deformation states.The test results revealed that dynamic changes in shear stiffness and the energy storage abilities of the rock discontinuities occurred in relation to the shear rate-dependent behavior of crack growth,which increased with an increase in normal stress and/or the joint roughness coefficient.The stage of decreasing shear stiffness corresponded to a stage of noticeable shear rate-dependency,and the shear rate was found to have no influence on the initial crack stress.

Failure behavior of horseshoe-shaped tunnel in hard rock under high stress:Phenomenon and mechanisms

A particle flow code(PFC) was first applied to examining the mechanical response of a horseshoe-shaped opening in prismatic rock models under biaxial compression. Next, an improved complex variable method was proposed to derive the stress distribution around the opening. Lastly, a case study of tunnel failure caused by rock burst in Jinping Ⅱ Hydropower Station was further analyzed and discussed. The results manifest that a total of four types of cracks occur around the opening under low lateral confining stress, namely, the primary-tensile cracks on the roof-floor, sidewall cracks on the sidewalls, secondary-tensile cracks on the corners and shear cracks along the diagonals. As the confining stress increases, the tensile cracks gradually disappear whilst the spalling failure becomes severe. Overall, the failure phenomenon of the modelled tunnel agrees well with that of the practical headrace tunnel, and the crack initiation mechanisms can be clearly clarified by the analytical stress distribution.

Experimental investigation on behaviors of bolt-supported rock strata surrounding an entry in large dip coal seam

In order to investigate the behaviors and stability of rock strata surrounding an entry with bolt supporting in large dip coal seams (LDCSs) dipping from 25° to 45°, a self-developed rotatable experimental frame for similar material simulation test was used to build the model with the dip of 30°, based on analyses of geological and technological conditions in Huainan mine area, Anhui, China. The strata behaviors, such as extracting- and mining-induced stresses development, deformation and failure modes, were synthetically integrated during working face advancing. Results show that the development characteristics of mining-induced stress and deformation are asymmetrical in the roadway. The strata behaviors are totally different in different sections of the roadway. Because of asymmetrically geometrical structure influenced by increasing dip, strata dislocating, rock falling and breaking occur in roof. Then, squeezing, collapsing and caving of coal happen in upper- and lower-rib due to shearing action caused by asymmetrical roof bending and dislocating. Owing to the absence of supporting, floor heaving is very violent and usually the zone of floor heaving develops from the lower-rib to upper-rib. Engineering practices show that, due to the asymmetrical characteristics of rock pressure and roadway configuration, it is more difficult to implement bolt supporting system to control rock stability of roadways in LDCSs. The upper-rib and roof of entries are the key sections. Consequently, it is reliable to use asymmetrical bolt-mesh-cable supporting system to control rock stability of roadways based on the asymmetrical characteristics of roadway configuration and strata behaviors.

Failure behavior of highly stressed rocks under quasi-static and intensive unloading conditions

Unloading failure of rocks,especially highly stressed rocks,is one of the key issues in construction of underground structures.Based on this,analytical models for rocks under quasi-static and intensive unloading conditions are established to study the failure behavior of highly stressed rocks.In case of rock failure under quasi-static unloading,the rock mass ahead of working face is regarded as an elasto-brittle material,and the stress-displacement curves are used to characterize the tensile fracture of peak-stress area.It is observed that,when intensive unloading happens,there is an elastic unloading wave（perturbation wave） propagating in the rock mass.If the initial stress exceeds the critical stress,there will be a fracture wave,following the elastic unloading wave.To study the propagation feature of fracture wave,the conservation laws of mass,momentum and energy are employed.Results show that the post-peak deformation,strength and energy dissipation are essential to the failure process of highly stressed rocks.

Numerical simulations of failure behavior around a circular opening in a non-persistently jointed rock mass under biaxial compression

Pre-existing discontinuities change the mechanical properties of rock masses,and further influence failure behavior around an underground opening.In present study,the failure behavior in both Inner and Outer zones around a circular opening in a non-persistently jointed rock mass under biaxial compression was investigated through numerical simulations.First,the micro parameters of the PFC^(3D) model were carefully calibrated using the macro mechanical properties determined in physical experiments implemented on jointed rock models.Then,a parametrical study was undertaken of the effect of stress condition,joint dip angle and joint persistency.Under low initial stress,the confining stress improves the mechanical behavior of the surrounding rock masses;while under high initial stress,the surrounding rock mass failed immediately following excavation.At small dip angles the cracks around the circular opening developed generally outwards in a step-path failure pattern;whereas,at high dip angles the surrounding rock mass failed in an instantaneous intact rock failure pattern.Moreover,the stability of the rock mass around the circular opening deteriorated significantly with increasing joint persistency.

Effects of anti-pull ties on the bearing behaviors of shallow tunnel-type anchorages in soft rock

Tunnel-type anchorages(TTAs)installed in human gathering areas are characterized by a shallow burial depth,and in many instances,they utilize soft rock as the bearing stratum.However,the stability control measures and the principle of shallow TTAs in soft rock have not been fully studied.Hence,a structure suitable for improving the stability of shallow TTAs in soft rock strata,named the anti-pull tie(APT),was added to the floor of the back face.Physical tests and numerical models were established to study the influence of the APT on the load transfer of TTAs,the mechanical response of the surrounding rock,the stress distribution of the interface,and the failure model.The mechanical characteristics of APTs were also studied.The results show that the ultimate bearing capacity of TTAs with an APT is increased by approximately 11.8%,as compared to the TTAs without an APT.Also,the bearing capacity of TTAs increases approximately linearly with increasing height,width,length,and quantity of APTs,and decreases approximately linearly with increasing distance from the back face and slope angle of the tie slope.The normal squeezing between the tie slope and the surrounding rock increases the shear resistance of the interface and expands the range of the surrounding rock participating in bearing sharing.Both tension and compression zones exist in the APT during loading.The tension zone extends from the tie toe to the tie bottom along the tie slope.The range of the tie body tension zone constantly expands to the deep part of the APT with an increasing load.The peak tensile stress value is located at the tie toe.The distribution of compressive stress in the tie body is the largest at the tie top,followed by the tie slope,and then the tie bottom.

Settlement behavior of coal mine waste in different surrounding rock conditions

In order to investigate the influence of complex conditions of in-situ surrounding rocks on the settlement behavior of nubbly coal mine waste subjected to high gravity pressure,four kinds of loading chambers made of different similar materials with different elastic moduli in experiments were used to simulate the deformation features of in-site rocks,including soft,moderate hardness,hard and extra-hard rocks. The results show that all the settlement-axial load (or axial strain-stress) curves obtained under four different surrounding rock conditions present power-exponential function feature. The final settlement of coal mine waste under the same axial load is closely related to the lumpiness gradations and the deformation behavior of chamber materials used to simulate behaviors of different in-situ surrounding rocks. In the same surrounding rock condition,the final settlement under the same maximum axial load decreases with the decrease of the proportion of larger gradation of coal mine waste. While for the same lumpiness gradation case,the settlement increases with the decrease of elastic modulus of simulated surrounding rocks and the lateral pressure induced by axial load increases with the increase of elastic modulus of loading chambers that are used to simulate different surrounding rocks. The test results also reveal that both the compaction curve and lateral pressure curve show a three-stage behavior,and the duration of each stage,which is closely related to gradations and the deformation feature of loading chamber materials,decreases with the increase of the proportion of the small size of coal mine waste and elastic modulus of the simulated rock materials.

Macro and meso characteristics evolution on shear behavior of rock joints

Direct shear tests were conducted on the rock joints under constant normal load(CNL), while the acoustic emission(AE) signals generated during shear tests were monitored with PAC Micro-II system. Before and after shearing, the surfaces of rock joints were measured by the Talysurf CLI 2000. By correlating the AE events with the shear stress-shear displacement curve, one can observe four periods of the whole course of shearing of rock joints. By the contrast of AE location and actual damage zone, it is elucidated that the AE event is related to the morphology of the joint. With the increase of shearing times, the shear behavior of rock joints gradually presents from the response of brittle behavior to that of ductile behavior. By combining the results of topography measurement, four morphological parameters of joint surface, S p(the maximum height of joint surface), N(number of islands), A(projection area) and V(volume of joint) were introduced, which decrease with shearing. Both the joint roughness coefficient(JRC) and joint matching coefficient(JMC) drop with shearing, and the shear strength of rock joints can be predicted by the JRC-JMC model. It establishes the relationship between micro-topography and macroscopic strength, which have the same change rule with shearing.

Fracture behaviors of columnar jointed rock mass using interface mechanics theorem

For a special geological structure of columnar jointed rock mass(CJRM),its mechanical properties are strongly affected by the columnar joints.To describe the fracture behaviors of CJRM using the basic theories of interface mechanics for composite materials,the interface stresses of the vertical and horizontal joints,which are the two primary joints in the CJRM under triaxial compression,are studied,and their mathematical expressions are derived based on the superposition principle.Based on the obtained interface stresses of the vertical and horizontal joints in the CJRM,the crack initiation of the joint interface in the CJRM is studied using the maximum circumferential stress theory in fracture mechanics.Moreover,based on this investigation,the fracture behaviors of CJRM are analyzed.According to the results of similar material physical model tests for the CJRM,the theoretical study is verified.Finally,the influence of the mechanical parameters of the CJRM on the joint interface stress is discussed comprehensively.

Numerical analysis on the factors affecting post-peak characteristics of coal under uniaxial compression

The post-peak characteristics of coal serve as a direct reflection of its failure process and are essential parameters for evaluating brittleness and bursting liability.Understanding the significant factors that influence post-peak characteristics can offer valuable insights for the prevention of coal bursts.In this study,the Synthetic Rock Mass method is employed to establish a numerical model,and the factors affecting coal post-peak characteristics are analyzed from four perspectives:coal matrix mechanical parameters,structural weak surface properties,height-to-width ratio,and loading rate.The research identifies four significant influencing factors:deformation modulus,density of discrete fracture networks,height-to-width ratio,and loading rate.The response and sensitivity of post-peak characteristics to single-factor and multi-factor interactions are assessed.The result suggested that feasible prevention and control measures for coal bursts can be formulated through four approaches:weakening the mechanical properties of coal pillars,increasing the number of structural weak surfaces in coal pillars,reducing the width of coal pillars,and optimizing mining and excavation speed.The efficacy of measures aimed at weakening the mechanical properties of coal is successfully demonstrated through a case study on coal burst prevention using large-diameter borehole drilling.

Dynamic response and failure process of horizontal-layered fractured structure rock slope under strong earthquake

Rock slope with horizontal-layered fractured structure(HLFS)has high stability in its natural state.However,a strong earthquake can induce rock fissure expansion,ultimately leading to slope failure.In this study,the dynamic response,failure mode,and spectral characteristics of rock slope with HLFS under strong earthquake conditions were investigated based on the large-scale shaking table model test.On this basis,multiple sets of numerical calculation models were further established by UDEC discrete element program.Five influencing factors were considered in the parametric study of numerical simulations,including slope height,slope angle,bedding-plane spacing and secondary joint spacing as well as bedrock dip angle.The results showed that the failure process of rock slope with HLFS under earthquake action is mainly divided into four phases,i.e.,the tensile crack of the slope shoulder joints and shear dislocation at the top bedding plane,the extension of vertical joint cracks and increase of shear displacement,the formation of step-through sliding surfaces and the instability,and finally collapse of fractured rock mass.The acceleration response of slopes exhibits elevation amplification effect and surface effect.Numerical simulations indicate that the seismic stability of slopes with HLFS exhibits a negative correlation with slope height and angle,but a positive correlation with bedding-plane spacing,joint spacing,and bedrock dip angle.The results of this study can provide a reference for seismic stability evaluation of weathered rock slopes.

Evaluation of Dynamic Behavior of Bedrock Foundation Based on FEM and DEM Simulations

The seismic behavior of the bedrock foundation during earthquakes concerns the stability and safety of nuclear power plants. Discontinuities like joints and faults existing in rock masses affect significantly the dynamic behavior of bedrock. The dynamic FEM （finite element method） has been commonly utilized to analyze the seismic responses of bedrock, however, it cannot well represent the large deformation behavior of discontinuities. The DEM （distinct element method） has a better capability of simulating the sliding and separation of discontinuities existing in the bedrock, which influence the propagation of seismic waves. In this study, the dynamic FEM and DEM simulations were carried out to investigate the seismic behavior of the bedrock foundation under a nuclear power plant, and the differences between those two methods were illuminated. Numerical simulation results indicate that the FEM underestimates the attenuation effect of faults on the propagation of seismic waves. With the capability of simulating large deformation behavior of discontinuities, the DEM can be regarded as a better method for studying the seismic responses of bedrock foundation which contains discontinuities.