A strength reduction method based on double reduction parameters and its application

In the traditional strength reduction method,the cohesion and the friction angle adopt the same reduction parameter,resulting in equivalent proportional reduction.This method does not consider the different effects of the cohesion and friction angle on the stability of the same slope and is defective to some extent.Regarding this defect,a strength reduction method based on double reduction parameters,which adopts different reduction parameters,is proposed.The core of the double-parameter reduction method is the matching reduction principle of the slope with different angles.This principle is represented by the ratio of the reduction parameter of the cohesion to that of the friction angle,described as η.With the increase in the slopeangle,ηincreases; in particular,when the slope angle is 45°,tηis 1.0.Through the matching reduction principle,different safety margin factors can be calculated for the cohesion and friction angle.In combination with these two safety margin factors,a formula for calculating the overall safety factor of the slope is proposed,reflecting the different contributions of the cohesion and friction angle to the slope stability.Finally,it is shown that the strength reduction method based on double reduction parameters acquires a larger safety factor than the classic limit equilibrium method,but the calculation results are very close to those obtained by the limit equilibrium method.

Limit analysis of vertical anti-pulling screw pile group under inclined loading on 3D elastic-plastic finite element strength reduction method

Based on the functional theory, catastrophe theory, simultaneity principle and the idea of strength reduction method （SRM）, the bearing capacity functional anti SRM of pile group foundation were established, and the criteria of ultimate load and the concept of safety storage coefficient （Css） were advanced. The inclined ultimate loads by the static loading test, load increment method （LIM） and SRM are compared. Theoretically, the ultimate load of piles does not change with the loading levels when it is calculated by SRM. When the one strength reduction parameter is applied in the calculation boundary, there are calculating errors because the bearing capacity action of soils happened in the finite zone. The inclined 10adings are 108, 132 and 144 kN, and SSC are 1.07, 0.94 and 0.79, respectively, so the calculation values of ultimate loads are about 115.56, 124.08 and 113.76 kN, respectively. The error between calculations and observation values is less than 6%. But .the error between calculations of LIM and observations is 20%. Because of the effect of inclined loading, the push-rotation phenomenon of screw pile group appears. Under this testing, the ultimate bearing capacity of piles is mostly determined by the horizontal ultimate bearing capacity, and the effect of the vertical component of inclined load should also be considered.

Strength reduction method for slope based on a ubiquitous-joint criterion and its application

In order to expand the application of strength reduction methods with the ubiquitous-joint criterion, the corresponding program is compiled using FLAC3D software. A procedure for strength reduction in the ubiquitous-joint criterion is proposed to study the safety factor of slopes as well as the relationships of the bedding plane inclination angle β and the safety factor F. The results show that： 1） for the bedding rock slope, the various failure modes cause different variations of the safety factor F; 2） a bed- ding rock slope can be divided into two types by the angle between the bedding plane inclination and slope surface inclination a; when a_〈45~, the bedding slope can be strictly defined as the subsequent bedding rock slope; when 45°〈α〈90°, the bedding slope is defined as an oblique bedding slope; 3） for bedding rock slopes, the safety factor increases with an increase in a; for inverse bed- ding slopes, when the bedding plane inclination angle fl is small, the safety factor F of the slope increases at first, then decreases with an increase in a; when β is large, the safety factor F increases with an increase in α.

Slope analysis based on local strength reduction method and variable-modulus elasto-plastic model

Employing an ideal elasto-plastic model,the typically used strength reduction method reduced the strength of all soil elements of a slope.Therefore,this method was called the global strength reduction method(GSRM).However,the deformation field obtained by GSRM could not reflect the real deformation of a slope when the slope became unstable.For most slopes,failure occurs once the strength of some regional soil is sufficiently weakened; thus,the local strength reduction method(LSRM)was proposed to analyze slope stability.In contrast with GSRM,LSRM only reduces the strength of local soil,while the strength of other soil remains unchanged.Therefore,deformation by LSRM is more reasonable than that by GSRM.In addition,the accuracy of the slope's deformation depends on the constitutive model to a large degree,and the variable-modulus elasto-plastic model was thus adopted.This constitutive model was an improvement of the Duncan–Chang model,which modified soil's deformation modulus according to stress level,and it thus better reflected the plastic feature of soil.Most importantly,the parameters of the variable-modulus elasto-plastic model could be determined through in-situ tests,and parameters determination by plate loading test and pressuremeter test were introduced.Therefore,it is easy to put this model into practice.Finally,LSRM and the variable-modulus elasto-plastic model were used to analyze Egongdai ancient landslide.Safety factor,deformation field,and optimal reinforcement measures for Egongdai ancient landslide were obtained based on the proposed method.

Application of strength reduction method to dynamic anti-sliding stability analysis of high gravity dam with complex dam foundation

Considering that there are some limitations in analyzing the anti-sliding seismic stability of dam-foundation systems with the traditional pseudo-static method and response spectrum method, the dynamic strength reduction method was used to study the deep anti-sliding stability of a high gravity dam with a complex dam foundation in response to strong earthquake-induced ground action. Based on static anti-sliding stability analysis of the dam foundation undertaken by decreasing the shear strength parameters of the rock mass in equal proportion, the seismic time history analysis was carried out. The proposed instability criterion for the dynamic strength reduction method was that the peak values of dynamic displacements and plastic strain energy change suddenly with the increase of the strength reduction factor. The elasto-plastic behavior of the dam foundation was idealized using the Drucker-Prager yield criterion based on the associated flow rule assumption. The result of elasto-plastic time history analysis of an overflow dam monolith based on the dynamic strength reduction method was compared with that of the dynamic linear elastic analysis, and the reliability of elasto-plastic time history analysis was confirmed. The results also show that the safety factors of the dam-foundation system in the static and dynamic cases are 3.25 and 3.0, respectively, and that the F2 fault has a significant influence on the anti-sliding stability of the high gravity dam. It is also concluded that the proposed instability criterion for the dynamic strength reduction method is feasible.

New method of designing anti-slide piles——the strength reduction FEM

At present,the thrust of an anti-slide pile can be worked out with some calculation methods. However,the resistance in front of the pile,the distributions of resistance and thrust,and appropriate pile length cannot be easily obtained. In this paper,the authors applied the strength-reduction finite element method (FEM) to several design cases of anti-slide piles. Using this method,it is possible to take the pile-soil interactions into consideration,obtain reasonable resistance in front of pile and the distributions of thrust and resistance,and reasonable lengths of anti-slide piles. In particular,the thrust and resistance imposed on embedded anti-slide piles can be calculated and composite anti-slide pile structures such as anchored piles and braced piles can be optimized. It is proved through the calculation examples that this method is more reliable and economical in the design of anti-slide pile.

Correlations between direct and indirect strength test methods

The difficulties associated with performing direct compression strength tests on rocks lead to the development of indirect test methods for the rock strength assessment. Indirect test methods are simple, more economical, less time-consuming, and easily adaptable to the field. The main aim of this study was to derive correlations between direct and indirect test methods for basalt and rhyolite rock types from Carlin trend deposits in Nevada. In the destructive methods, point load index, block punch index, and splitting tensile strength tests are performed. In the non-destructive methods, Schmidt hammer and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests are performed. Correlations between the direct and indirect compression strength tests are developed using linear and nonlinear regression analysis methods. The results show that the splitting tensile strength has the best correlation with the uniaxial compression strength.Furthermore, the Poisson's ratio has no correlation with any of the direct and indirect test results.

The Testing Strength Curves of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete by Rebound Method and Ultrasonic-rebound Combined Method

The strength curves of lightweight aggregate concrete （LWAC） were tested based on detecting LWAC with density of 1 400-1 900 kg/m3 and LWAC with strength grade of LC15-LC50 by rebound method and ultrasonic-rebound combined method.The results show that the common measured strength curves tested by above two methods can not satisfy the required accuracy of LWAC strength test.In addition,specified compressive strength curves of testing LWAC by rebound method and ultrasonic-rebound combined method are obtained,respectively.

A case study of multi-seam coal mine entry stability analysis with strength reduction method

In this paper,the advantage of using numerical models with the strength reduction method(SRM) to evaluate entry stability in complex multiple-seam conditions is demonstrated.A coal mine under variable topography from the Central Appalachian region is used as a case study.At this mine,unexpected roof conditions were encountered during development below previously mined panels.Stress mapping and observation of ground conditions were used to quantify the success of entry support systems in three room-and-pillar panels.Numerical model analyses were initially conducted to estimate the stresses induced by the multiple-seam mining at the locations of the affected entries.The SRM was used to quantify the stability factor of the supported roof of the entries at selected locations.The SRM-calculated stability factors were compared with observations made during the site visits,and the results demonstrate that the SRM adequately identifies the unexpected roof conditions in this complex case.It is concluded that the SRM can be used to effectively evaluate the likely success of roof supports and the stability condition of entries in coal mines.

Early Age Compressive Strength of Pastes by Electrical Resistivity Method and Maturity Method

The compressive strength development of Portland cement pastes was investigated by the electrical resistivity method and the maturity method.The experiments were carried out on the cement pastes with different water-cement ratios at different curing temperatures.The results show that the application of the maturity method has limitation to obtain the strength.It is found that both of the compressive strength and the electrical resistivity follow hyperbolic trend for all the mixes.The hyperbolic equation of each mix is obtained to estimate the ultimate resistivity value which can probably be reached.The relationship between electrical resistivity and compressive strength of the cement pastes is established based on the test results and interpreted by the empirical Archie equation and a strength-porosity equation.The relationship between the electrical resistivity after temperature correction and the compressive strength was linear and independent of curing temperature and water-cement ratio.

Mesomechanics Finite-element Method for Determining the Shear Strength of Mudded Intercalation Materials

A new method regarding mesomechanics finite-element research is proposed to predict the peak shear strength of mudded intercalation materials on a mesoscopic scale. Based on geometric and mechanical parameters, along with the strain failure criteria obtained by sample＇s deformation characteristics, uniaxial compression tests on the sample were simulated through a finite-element model, which yielded values consistent with the data from the laboratory uniaxial compression tests, implying that the method is reasonable. Based on this model, a shear test was performed to calculate the peak shear strength of the mudded intercalation, consistent with values reported in the literature, thereby providing a new approach for investigating the mechanical properties of mudded intercalation materials.

An Integrated Structural Strength Analysis Method for Spar Type Floating Wind Turbine

An integrated structural strength analysis method for a Spar type floating wind turbine is proposed in this paper,and technical issues related to turbine structure modeling and stress combination are also addressed.The NREL-5MW ＂Hywind＂ Spar type wind turbine is adopted as study object.Time-domain dynamic coupled simulations are performed by a fully-coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic tool,FAST,on the purpose of obtaining the dynamic characteristics of the floating wind turbine,and determining parameters for design load cases of finite element calculation.Then design load cases are identified,and finite element analyses are performed for these design load cases.The structural stresses due to wave-induced loads and wind-induced loads are calculated,and then combined to assess the structural strength of the floating wind turbine.The feasibility of the proposed structural strength analysis method for floating wind turbines is then validated.

A New Criterion for Defining Inhomogeneous Slope Failure Using the Strength Reduction Method

A new variational method treating the system as a whole with rigorous mathematical and physical derivation was presented in this paper.Combined with classical and engineering examples,variational energy expressions of slopes were derived.In addition,the calculation programs were written in the FISH language set in FLAC3D(fast Lagrangian analysis of continua in three dimensions)software.Factors of safety(FOSs)of the models were determined by the variational method based on the strength reduction method(SRM)and then compared with other criteria or methods.The result showed that the variational method reflected the process of slope plasticity and failure uniformly and was feasible to analyze the stability of inhomogeneous slopes.The method was applicable to both two-dimensional and three-dimensional heterogeneous slopes.The small error with other criteria or methods also showed the accuracy of this method.This method unified other criteria,avoided the artificial error of other criteria,and provided a logical derivation for the instability of heterogeneous slope.This method considered the system as a whole and avoided the shortcomings of the general method of one-sided instability analysis.The proposed method is of great significance as it considers the coupling effect of stress and strain of materials and gives the mechanical basis for the instability of complex slopes.

Application of material strength reserve method to the stability analysis of earth dam of feilaixia multipurpose project

The material strength reserve method is practical in the study of the stability and failure mechanism of earth dam by analysing the development of failure zone of different shear strength parameters of the earth mass of the dam. The stability in the concrete dam and ensemble architecture has got general application while analysing. In combination with Feilaixia Multipurpose Project, application of this method to earth dam stability analysis was studied by plane Finite Element Method(FEM) for the first time. Through plane FEM, we can get the failure mechanism of earth dam and appraise to the security, for operating and managing put forward some reference suggestions.

A Novel Method for Measuring Flexure Strength of Brittle Materials

A novel test method to measure flexure strength for silicon slices and other brittle materials was suggested by using simple supported circular slice samples and steel ball impact loading. The maximal tensile stress expression under concentrating impact load for center of simple supported circular plate was derived based on kinetic energy theorem and small deflection theory of thin plate. The instrument used in the method is simple, the test results are accurate, and the test does not need large scale loading apparatus. An experimental correct method was presented for test results deviated from small deflection limit when the slices were thinner or the strength of slice was higher.

Influence of heterogeneity on rock strength and stiffness using discrete element method and parallel bond model

The particulate discrete element method(DEM) can be employed to capture the response of rock,provided that appropriate bonding models are used to cement the particles to each other.Simulations of laboratory tests are important to establish the extent to which those models can capture realistic rock behaviors.Hitherto the focus in such comparison studies has either been on homogeneous specimens or use of two-dimensional(2D) models.In situ rock formations are often heterogeneous,thus exploring the ability of this type of models to capture heterogeneous material behavior is important to facilitate their use in design analysis.In situ stress states are basically three-dimensional(3D),and therefore it is important to develop 3D models for this purpose.This paper revisits an earlier experimental study on heterogeneous specimens,of which the relative proportions of weaker material(siltstone) and stronger,harder material(sandstone) were varied in a controlled manner.Using a 3D DEM model with the parallel bond model,virtual heterogeneous specimens were created.The overall responses in terms of variations in strength and stiffness with different percentages of weaker material(siltstone) were shown to agree with the experimental observations.There was also a good qualitative agreement in the failure patterns observed in the experiments and the simulations,suggesting that the DEM data enabled analysis of the initiation of localizations and micro fractures in the specimens.

Overhanging rock slope by design:An integrated approach using rock mass strength characterisation,large-scale numerical modelling and limit equilibrium methods

Overhanging rock slopes(steeper than 90°) are typically avoided in rock engineering design, particularly where the scale of the slope exceeds the scale of fracturing present in the rock mass. This paper highlights an integrated approach of designing overhanging rock slopes where the relative dimensions of the slope exceed the scale of fracturing and the rock mass failure needs to be considered rather than kinematic release of individual blocks. The key to the method is a simplified limit equilibrium(LE) tool that was used for the support design and analysis of a multi-faceted overhanging rock slope. The overhanging slopes required complex geometries with constantly changing orientations. The overhanging rock varied in height from 30 m to 66 m. Geomechanical modelling combined with discrete fracture network(DFN)representation of the rock mass was used to validate the rock mass strength assumptions and the failure mechanism assumed in the LE model. The advantage of the simplified LE method is that buttress and support design iterations(along with sensitivity analysis of design parameters) can be completed for various cross-sections along the proposed overhanging rock sections in an efficient manner, compared to the more time-intensive, sophisticated methods that were used for the initial validation. The method described presents the development of this design tool and assumptions made for a specific overhanging rock slope design. Other locations will have different geological conditions that can control the potential behaviour of rock slopes, however, the approach presented can be applied as a general guiding design principle for overhanging rock cut slope.

Application of the Combined Method for Evaluating the Compressive Strength of Concrete on Site

Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and rebound hammer (RH) tests are often used for assessing the quality of concrete and estimation of its compressive strength. Several parameters influence this property of concrete as the type and size of aggregates, cement content, the implementation of concrete, etc. To account for these factors, both of the two tests are combined and their measurements are calibrated with the results of mechanical tests on cylindrical specimens cast on site and on cores taken from the existing structure in work progress at the new-city Massinissa El-Khroub Constantine in Algeria. In this study;the two tests cited above have been used to determine the concrete quality by applying regression analysis models between compressive strength of in situ concrete on existing structure and the nondestructive tests values, the combined method is used, equations are derived using statistical analysis (simple and multiple regression) to estimate compressive strength of concrete on site and the reliability of the technique for prediction of the strength is discussed for this case study.

APPLICATION OF STOCHASTIC FINITE ELEMENT METHOD TO STRENGTH AND STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EARTH DAMS

This paper applies the stochastic finite element method to analyse the statistics of stresses in earth dams and assess the safety and reliability of the dams. Formulations of the stochastic finite element method are briefly reviewed and the procedure for assessing dam's strength and stability is described. As an example, a detailed analysis for an actual dam Nululin dam is performed. A practical method for studying built-dams based on the prototype observation data is described.

基于离散元法的水泥稳定碎石微裂细观机理研究

为探究水泥稳定碎石微裂细观演化机理,构建了细观非均质水泥稳定碎石数值模型,结合室内无侧限抗压强度试验和单轴压缩数值试验反演出模型细观参数,引入微裂隙网络研究不同裂隙参数对微裂程度的影响,分析不同裂隙数目下系统能量演化规律。结果表明:数值模拟与室内试验结果基本吻合,构建的水泥稳定碎石离散元模型可较为准确地表征材料细观破坏特征;微裂损伤是二次振动加载后裂隙宽度增大和裂隙数目增多共同作用的结果,裂隙密度对水泥稳定碎石微裂程度起决定性作用;裂隙密度增加,材料储存弹性应变能的能力减弱,峰值点水泥稳定碎石材料的输入总能量降低。验证了早期微裂对于降低收缩应力的积极作用,揭示了水泥稳定碎石材料微裂力学特征和细观机理。