Estimating shear strength of high-level pillars supported with cemented backfilling using the HoekeBrown strength criterion

Deep metal mines are often mined using the high-level pillars with subsequent cementation backfilling(HLSCB)mining method.At the design stage,it is therefore important to have a reasonable method for determining the shear strength of the high-level pillars(i.e.cohesion and internal friction angle)when they are supported by cemented backfilling.In this study,a formula was derived for the upper limit of the confining pressure σ3max on a high-level pillar supported by cemented backfilling in a deep metal mine.A new method of estimating the shear strength of such pillars was then proposed based on the Hoek eBrown failure criterion.Our analysis indicates that the horizontal stress σhh acting on the cemented backfill pillar can be simplified by expressing it as a constant value.A reasonable and effective value for σ3max can then be determined.The value of s3max predicted using the proposed method is generally less than 3 MPa.Within this range,the shear strength of the high-level pillar is accurately calculated using the equivalent MohreCoulomb theory.The proposed method can effectively avoid the calculation of inaccurate shear strength values for the high-level pillars when the original HoekeBrown criterion is used in the presence of large confining pressures,i.e.the situation in which the cohesion value is too large and the friction angle is too small can effectively be avoided.The proposed method is applied to a deep metal mine in China that is being excavated using the HLSCB method.The shear strength parameters of the high-level pillars obtained using the proposed method were input in the numerical simulations.The numerical results show that the recommended level heights and sizes of the high-level pillars and rooms in the mine are rational.

Anisotropic time-dependent behaviors of shale under direct shearing and associated empirical creep models

Understanding the anisotropic creep behaviors of shale under direct shearing is a challenging issue.In this context,we conducted shear-creep and steady-creep tests on shale with five bedding orientations (i.e.0°,30°,45°,60°,and 90°),under multiple levels of direct shearing for the first time.The results show that the anisotropic creep of shale exhibits a significant stress-dependent behavior.Under a low shear stress,the creep compliance of shale increases linearly with the logarithm of time at all bedding orientations,and the increase depends on the bedding orientation and creep time.Under high shear stress conditions,the creep compliance of shale is minimal when the bedding orientation is 0°,and the steady-creep rate of shale increases significantly with increasing bedding orientations of 30°,45°,60°,and 90°.The stress-strain values corresponding to the inception of the accelerated creep stage show an increasing and then decreasing trend with the bedding orientation.A semilogarithmic model that could reflect the stress dependence of the steady-creep rate while considering the hardening and damage process is proposed.The model minimizes the deviation of the calculated steady-state creep rate from the observed value and reveals the behavior of the bedding orientation's influence on the steady-creep rate.The applicability of the five classical empirical creep models is quantitatively evaluated.It shows that the logarithmic model can well explain the experimental creep strain and creep rate,and it can accurately predict long-term shear creep deformation.Based on an improved logarithmic model,the variations in creep parameters with shear stress and bedding orientations are discussed.With abovementioned findings,a mathematical method for constructing an anisotropic shear creep model of shale is proposed,which can characterize the nonlinear dependence of the anisotropic shear creep behavior of shale on the bedding orientation.

Failure transition of shear-to-dilation band of rock salt under triaxial stresses

Great potential of underground gas/energy storage in salt caverns seems to be a promising solution to support renewable energy.In the underground storage method,the operating cycle unfortunately may reach up to daily or even hourly,which generates complicated pressures on the salt cavern.Furthermore,the mechanical behavior of rock salt may change and present distinct failure characteristics under different stress states,which affects the performance of salt cavern during the time period of full service.To reproduce a similar loading condition on the cavern surrounding rock mass,the cyclic triaxial loading/unloading tests are performed on the rock salt to explore the mechanical transition behavior and failure characteristics under different confinement.Experimental results show that the rock salt samples pre-sent a diffused shear failure band with significant bulges at certain locations in low confining pressure conditions(e.g.5 MPa,10 MPa and 15 MPa),which is closely related to crystal misorientation and grain boundary sliding.Under the elevated confinement(e.g.20 MPa,30 MPa and 40 MPa),the dilation band dominates the failure mechanism,where the large-size halite crystals are crushed to be smaller size and new pores are developing.The failure transition mechanism revealed in the paper provides additional insight into the mechanical performance of salt caverns influenced by complicated stress states.

Experimental investigation on shear strength deterioration at the interface between different rock types under cyclic loading

The shear strength deterioration of bedding planes between different rock types induced by cyclic loading is vital to reasonably evaluate the stability of soft and hard interbedded bedding rock slopes under earthquake;however,rare work has been devoted to this subject due to lack of attention.In this study,experimental investigations on shear strength weakening of discontinuities with different joint wall material(DDJM)under cyclic loading were conducted by taking the interface between siltstone and mudstone in the Shaba slope of Yunnan Province,China as research objects.A total of 99 pairs of similar material samples of DDJM(81 pairs)and discontinuities with identical joint wall material(DIJM)(18 pairs)were fabricated by inserting plates,engraved with typical surface morphology obtained by performing three-dimensional laser scanning on natural DDJMs sampled from field,into mold boxes.Cyclic shear tests were conducted on these samples to study their shear strength changes with the cyclic number considering the effects of normal stress,joint surface morphology,shear displacement amplitude and shear rate.The results indicate that the shear stress vs.shear displacement curves under each shear cycle and the peak shear strength vs.cyclic number curves of the studied DDJMs are between those of DIJMs with siltstone and mudstone,while closer to those of DIJMs with mudstone.The peak shear strengths of DDJMs exhibit an initial rapid decline followed by a gradual decrease with the cyclic number and the decrease rate varies from 6%to 55.9%for samples with varied surface morphology under different testing conditions.The normal stress,joint surface morphology,shear displacement amplitude and shear rate collectively influence the shear strength deterioration of DDJM under cyclic shear loading,with the degree of influence being greater for larger normal stress,rougher surface morphology,larger shear displacement amplitude and faster shear rate.

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 behaviors of backfill-rock composites: Physical shear test and back-analysis

The shear behavior of backfill-rock composites is crucial for mine safety and the management of surface subsidence.For exposing the shear failure mechanism of backfill-rock composites,we conducted shear tests on backfill-rock composites under three constant normal loads,compared with the unfilled rock.To investigate the macro-and meso-failure characteristics of the samples in the shear tests,the cracking behavior of samples was recorded by a high-speed camera and acoustic emission monitoring.In parallel with the experimental test,the numerical models of backfill-rock composites and unfilled rock were established using the discrete element method to analyze the continuous-discontinuous shearing process.Based on the damage mechanics and statistics,a novel shear constitutive model was proposed to describe mechanical behavior.The results show that backfill-rock composites had a special bimodal phenomenon of shearing load-deformation curve,i.e.the first shearing peak corresponded to rock break and the second shearing peak induced by the broken of aeolian sand-cement/fly ash paste backfill.Moreover,the shearing characteristic curves of the backfill-rock composites could be roughly divided into four stages,i.e.the shear failure of the specimens experienced:stage I:stress concentration;stage II:crack propagation;stage III:crack coalescence;stage IV:shearing friction.The numerical simulation shows that the existence of aeolian sand-cement/fly ash paste backfill inevitably altered the coalescence type and failure mode of the specimens and had a strengthening effect on the shear strength of backfillrock composites.Based on damage mechanics and statistics,a shear constitutive model was proposed to describe the shear fracture characteristics of specimens,especially the bimodal phenomenon.Finally,the micro-and meso-mechanisms of shear failure were discussed by combining the micro-test and numerical results.The research can advance the better understanding of the shear behavior of backfill-rock composites and contribute to the safety of mining engineering.

Shear band evolution and acoustic emission characteristics of sandstone containing non-persistent flaws

Direct shear tests were conducted on sandstone specimens under different constant normal stresses to study the coalescence of cracks between non-persistent flaws and the shear sliding characteristics of the shear-formed fault.Digital image correlation and acoustic emission(AE)techniques were used to monitor the evolution of shear bands at the rock bridge area and microcracking behaviors.The experimental results revealed that the shear stresses corresponding to the peak and sub-peak in the stressdisplacement curve are significantly affected by the normal stress.Strain localization bands emerged at both the tip of joints and the rock bridge,and their extension and interaction near the peak stress caused a surge in the AE hit rate and a significant decrease in the AE b value.Short and curvilinear strain bands were detected at low normal stress,while high normal stress generally led to more microcracking events and longer coplanar cracks at the rock bridge area.Furthermore,an increase in normal stress resulted in a higher AE count rate and more energetic AE events during friction sliding along the shearformed fault.It was observed that the elastic energy released during the crack coalescence at the prepeak stage was much greater than that released during friction sliding at the post-peak stage.More than 75%of AE events were located in the low-frequency band(0e100 kHz),and this proportion continued to rise with increasing normal stress.Moreover,more AE events of low AF value and high RA value were observed in specimens subjected to high normal stress,indicating that greater normal stress led to more microcracks of shear nature.

Seismic performance evaluation of hybrid coupled shear wall system with shear and flexural fuse-type steel coupling beams

Replaceable flexural and shear fuse-type coupling beams are used in hybrid coupled shear wall(HCSW)systems,enabling concrete buildings to be promptly recovered after severe earthquakes.This study aimed to analytically evaluate the seismic behavior of flexural and shear fuse beams situated in short-,medium-and high-rise RC buildings that have HCSWs.Three building groups hypothetically located in a high seismic hazard zone were studied.A series of 2D nonlinear time history analyses was accomplished in OpenSees,using the ground motion records scaled at the design basis earthquake level.It was found that the effectiveness of fuses in HCSWs depends on various factors such as size and scale of the building,allowable rotation value,inter-story drift ratio,residual drift quantity,energy dissipation value of the fuses,etc.The results show that shear fuses better meet the requirements of rotations and drifts.In contrast,flexural fuses dissipate more energy,but their sectional stiffness should increase to meet other requirements.It was concluded that adoption of proper fuses depends on the overall scale of the building and on how associated factors are considered.

On the calibration of a shear stress criterion for rock joints to represent the full stress-strain profile

Conventional numerical solutions developed to describe the geomechanical behavior of rock interfaces subjected to differential load emphasize peak and residual shear strengths.The detailed analysis of preand post-peak shear stress-displacement behavior is central to various time-dependent and dynamic rock mechanic problems such as rockbursts and structural instabilities in highly stressed conditions.The complete stress-displacement surface(CSDS)model was developed to describe analytically the pre-and post-peak behavior of rock interfaces under differential loads.Original formulations of the CSDS model required extensive curve-fitting iterations which limited its practical applicability and transparent integration into engineering tools.The present work proposes modifications to the CSDS model aimed at developing a comprehensive and modern calibration protocol to describe the complete shear stressdisplacement behavior of rock interfaces under differential loads.The proposed update to the CSDS model incorporates the concept of mobilized shear strength to enhance the post-peak formulations.Barton’s concepts of joint roughness coefficient(JRC)and joint compressive strength(JCS)are incorporated to facilitate empirical estimations for peak shear stress and normal closure relations.Triaxial/uniaxial compression test and direct shear test results are used to validate the updated model and exemplify the proposed calibration method.The results illustrate that the revised model successfully predicts the post-peak and complete axial stressestrain and shear stressedisplacement curves for rock joints.

Photoacoustic elastography based on laser-excited shear wave

Elastography can be used as a diagnostic method for quantitative characterization of tissue hardness information and thus,differential changes in pathophysiological states of tissues.In this study,we propose a new method for shear wave elastography(SWE)based on laser-excited shear wave,called photoacoustic shear wave elastography(PASWE),which combines photoacoustic(PA)technology with ultrafast ultrasound imaging.By using a focused laser to excite shear waves and ultrafast ultrasonic imaging for detection,high-frequency excitation of shear waves and noncontact elastic imaging can be realized.The laser can stimulate the tissue with the light absorption characteristic to produce the thermal expansion,thus producing the shear wave.The frequency of shear wave induced by laser is higher and the frequency band is wider.By tracking the propagation of shear wave,Young’s modulus of tissue is reconstructed in the whole shear wave propagation region to further evaluate the elastic information of tissue.The feasibility of the method is verified by experiments.Compared with the experimental results of supersonic shear imaging(SSI),it is proved that the method can be used for quantitative elastic imaging of the phantoms.In addition,compared with the SSI method,this method can realize the noncontact excitation of the shear wave,and the frequency of the shear wave excited by the laser is higher than that of the acoustic radiation force(ARF),so the spatial resolution is higher.Compared to the traditional PA elastic imaging method,this method can obtain a larger imaging depth under the premise of ensuring the imaging resolution,and it has potential application value in the clinical diagnosis of diseases requiring noncontact quantitative elasticity.

Retraction to: Shear strength of extremely altered serpentinites based on degree of saturation (Ankara, Turkey)

The Editor in Chief has retracted this article.After publication,concerns were raised over potentially inconsistent data-for example,the author mentioned residual soil with silt fraction,but Fig.5 shows even the smallest grains are beyond silt grains.Further analysis showed that Fig.6 and Fig.9 show both loose and dense soils exhibiting very similar dilatance behaviour,which is not typical.The author shared raw data,but it was incomplete and could not be verified.The Editor in Chief,therefore,has lost confidence in the findings of this article.The author does not agree to this retraction.

Shear behavior and off-fault damage of saw-cut smooth and tension-induced rough joints in granite

The damage of rock joints or fractures upon shear includes the surface damage occurring at the contact asperities and the damage beneath the shear surface within the host rock.The latter is commonly known as off-fault damage and has been much less investigated than the surface damage.The main contribution of this study is to compare the results of direct shear tests conducted on saw-cut planar joints and tension-induced rough granite joints under normal stresses ranging from 1 MPa to 50 MPa.The shear-induced off-fault damages are quantified and compared with the optical microscope observation.Our results clearly show that the planar joints slip stably under all the normal stresses except under 50 MPa,where some local fractures and regular stick-slip occur towards the end of the test.Both post-peak stress drop and stick-slip occur for all the rough joints.The residual shear strength envelopes for the rough joints and the peak shear strength envelope for the planar joints almost overlap.The root mean square(RMS)of asperity height for the rough joints decreases while it increases for the planar joint after shear,and a larger normal stress usually leads to a more significant decrease or increase in RMS.Besides,the extent of off-fault damage(or damage zone)increases with normal stress for both planar and rough joints,and it is restricted to a very thin layer with limited micro-cracks beneath the planar joint surface.In comparison,the thickness of the damage zone for the rough joints is about an order of magnitude larger than that of the planar joints,and the coalesced micro-cracks are generally inclined to the shear direction with acute angles.The findings obtained in this study contribute to a better understanding on the frictional behavior and damage characteristics of rock joints or fractures with different roughness.

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.

Optimizing profile line interval for enhanced accuracy in rock joint morphology and shear strength assessments

2D profile lines play a critical role in cost-effectively evaluating rock joint properties and shear strength.However, the interval(ΔI_(L)) between these lines significantly impacts roughness and shear strength assessments. A detailed study of 45 joint samples using four statistical measures across 500 different ΔI_(L)values identified a clear line interval effect with two stages: stable and fluctuation-discrete.Further statistical analysis showed a linear relationship between the error bounds of four parameters,shear strength evaluation, and their corresponding maximum ΔI_(L)values, where the gradient k of this linear relationship was influenced by the basic friction angle and normal stress. Accounting for these factors,lower-limit linear models were employed to determine the optimal ΔI_(L)values that met error tolerances(1%–10%) for all metrics and shear strength. The study also explored the consistent size effect on joints regardless of ΔI_(L)changes, revealing three types of size effects based on morphological heterogeneity.Notably, larger joints required generally higher ΔI_(L)to maintain the predefined error limits, suggesting an increased interval for large joint analyses. Consequently, this research provides a basis for determining the optimal ΔI_(L), improving accuracy in 2D profile line assessments of joint characteristics.

Rheological properties and concentration evolution of thickened tailings under the coupling effect of compression and shear

Cemented paste backfill(CPB)is a key technology for green mining in metal mines,in which tailings thickening comprises the primary link of CPB technology.However,difficult flocculation and substandard concentrations of thickened tailings often occur.The rheological properties and concentration evolution in the thickened tailings remain unclear.Moreover,traditional indoor thickening experiments have yet to quantitatively characterize their rheological properties.An experiment of flocculation condition optimization based on the Box-Behnken design(BBD)was performed in the study,and the two response values were investigated:concentration and the mean weighted chord length(MWCL)of flocs.Thus,optimal flocculation conditions were obtained.In addition,the rheological properties and concentration evolution of different flocculant dosages and ultrafine tailing contents under shear,compression,and compression-shear coupling experimental conditions were tested and compared.The results show that the shear yield stress under compression and compression-shear coupling increases with the growth of compressive yield stress,while the shear yield stress increases slightly under shear.The order of shear yield stress from low to high under different thickening conditions is shear,compression,and compression-shear coupling.Under compression and compression-shear coupling,the concentration first rapidly increases with the growth of compressive yield stress and then slowly increases,while concentration increases slightly under shear.The order of concentration from low to high under different thickening conditions is shear,compression,and compression-shear coupling.Finally,the evolution mechanism of the flocs and drainage channels during the thickening of the thickened tailings under different experimental conditions was revealed.

THE NONLINEAR STABILITY OF PLANE PARALLEL SHEAR FLOWS WITH RESPECT TO TILTED PERTURBATIONS

The nonlinear stability of plane parallel shear flows with respect to tilted perturbations is studied by energy methods.Tilted perturbation refers to the fact that perturbations form an angleθ∈(0,π/2)with the direction of the basic flows.By defining an energy functional,it is proven that plane parallel shear flows are unconditionally nonlinearly exponentially stable for tilted streamwise perturbation when the Reynolds number is below a certain critical value and the boundary conditions are either rigid or stress-free.In the case of stress-free boundaries,by taking advantage of the poloidal-toroidal decomposition of a solenoidal field to define energy functionals,it can be even shown that plane parallel shear flows are unconditionally nonlinearly exponentially stable for all Reynolds numbers,where the tilted perturbation can be either spanwise or streamwise.

Protective performance of shear stiffening gel-modified foam against ballistic impact:Experimental and numerical study

As one of the most widely used personal protective equipment(PPE),body armors play an important role in protecting the human body from the high-velocity impact of bullets or projectiles.The body torso and critical organs of the wear may suffer severe behind-armor blunt trauma(BABT)even though the impactor is stopped by the body armor.A type of novel composite material through incorporating shear stiffening gel(STG)into ethylene-vinyl acetate(EVA)foam is developed and used as buffer layers to reduce BABT.In this paper,the protective performance of body armors composed of fabric bulletproof layers and a buffer layer made of foam material is investigated both experimentally and numerically.The effectiveness of STG-modified EVA in damage relief is verified by ballistic tests.In parallel with the experimental study,numerical simulations are conducted by LS-DYNA®to investigate the dynamic response of each component and capture the key mechanical parameters,which are hardly obtained from field tests.To fully describe the material behavior under the transient impact,the selected constitutive models take the failure and strain rate effect into consideration.A good agreement between the experimental observations and numerical results is achieved to prove the validity of the modelling method.The tests and simulations show that the impact-induced deformation on the human body is significantly reduced by using STG-modified EVA as the buffering material.The improvement of protective performance is attributed to better dynamic properties and more outstanding energy absorption capability of the composite foam.

Shear mechanical properties and frictional sliding responses of rough joint surfaces under dynamic normal displacement conditions

A comprehensive understanding of the dynamic frictional characteristics in rock joints under high normal load and strong confinement is essential for ensuring the safety of deep engineering construction and mitigating geological disasters.This study conducted shear experiments on rough rock joints under displacement-controlled dynamic normal loads,investigating the shear behaviors of joints across varying initial normal loads,normal loading frequencies,and normal loading amplitudes.Experimental results showed that the peak/valley shear force values increased with initial normal loads and normal loading frequencies but showed an initial increase followed by a decrease with normal loading amplitudes.Dynamic normal loading can either increase or decrease shear strength,while this study demonstrates that higher frequencies lead to enhanced friction.Increased initial normal loading and normal loading frequency result in a gradual decrease in joint roughness coefficient(JRC)values of joint surfaces after shearing.Positive correlations existed between frictional energy dissipation and peak shear forces,while post-shear joint surface roughness exhibited a negative correlation with peak shear forces through linear regression analysis.This study contributes to a better understanding of the sliding responses and shear mechanical characteristics of rock joints under dynamic disturbances.

Fault Identification for Shear-Type Structures Using Low-Frequency Vibration Modes

Shear-type structures are common structural forms in industrial and civil buildings,such as concrete and steel frame structures.Fault diagnosis of shear-type structures is an important topic to ensure the normal use of structures.The main drawback of existing damage assessment methods is that they require accurate structural finite element models for damage assessment.However,for many shear-type structures,it is difficult to obtain accurate FEM.In order to avoid finite elementmodeling,amodel-freemethod for diagnosing shear structure defects is developed in this paper.This method only needs to measure a few low-order vibration modes of the structure.The proposed defect diagnosis method is divided into two stages.In the first stage,the location of defects in the structure is determined based on the difference between the virtual displacements derived from the dynamic flexibility matrices before and after damage.In the second stage,damage severity is evaluated based on an improved frequency sensitivity equation.Themain innovations of this method lie in two aspects.The first innovation is the development of a virtual displacement difference method for determining the location of damage in the shear structure.The second is to improve the existing frequency sensitivity equation to calculate the damage degree without constructing the finite elementmodel.Thismethod has been verified on a numerical example of a 22-story shear frame structure and an experimental example of a three-story steel shear structure.Based on numerical analysis and experimental data validation,it is shown that this method only needs to use the low-order modes of structural vibration to diagnose the defect location and damage degree,and does not require finite element modeling.The proposed method should be a very simple and practical defect diagnosis technique in engineering practice.

Shear strength degradation of gas hydrate-bearing sediment due to partial hydrate dissociation

Extraction of methane hydrate from subseafloor reservoir may potentially trigger seabed slides and induce subsidence.To address the problems,it is crucial to properly characterize the phase equilibrium condition of pore hydrate and the shear strength of the soil.As one of the key constitutive components,the phase equilibrium condition enforces a constraint over pore gas pressure,temperature and unhydrated water content.Such a constraint,however,has been traditionally ignored in analyzing the mechanical behavior of hydrate-bearing soil.In this paper,a series of stepwise hydrate dissociation tests was performed,and the phase equilibrium condition of pore hydrate was determined,providing an effective way to evaluate the unhydrated water content during hydrate dissociation.Meanwhile,a series of direct shear tests was also conducted to explore the shear strength characteristics of the soil.It is shown that the shear strength of the hydrate-bearing soil can be significantly influenced by pore gas pressure,unhydrated water content,hydrate saturation and several other factors.In particular,the measured shear strength depends upon the initial water content of the sample,pointing to a potential problem that the shear strength could be wrongly determined if not properly interpreted.A shear strength criterion,which enforces the equilibrium condition of pore hydrate,is developed for hydrate-bearing soil,establishing a link between the equilibrium condition and the shear strength.The proposed equation describes well the shear strength characteristics of hydrate-bearing soils,remarkably unifying the effects of pore pressure,temperature,water content and hydrate saturation.