Energy analysis and criteria for structural failure of rocks

The intrinsic relationships between energy dissipation,energy release,strength and abrupt structural failure are key to understanding the evolution of deformational processes in rocks.Theoretical and experimental studies confirm that energy plays an important role in rock deformation and failure.Dissipated energy from external forces produces damage and irreversible deformation within rock and decreases rock strength over time.Structural failure of rocks is caused by an abrupt release of strain energy that manifests as a catastrophic breakdown of the rock under certain conditions.The strain energy released in the rock volume plays a pivotal role in generating this abrupt structural failure in the rocks.In this paper,we propose criteria governing（1） the deterioration of rock strength based on energy dissipation and（2） the abrupt structural failure of rocks based on energy release.The critical stresses at the time of abrupt structural failure under various stress states can be determined by these criteria.As an example,the criteria have been used to analyze the failure conditions of surrounding rock of a circular tunnel.

Nonlinear finite-element-based structural system failure probability analysis methodology for gravity dams considering correlated failure modes

The structural system failure probability(SFP) is a valuable tool for evaluating the global safety level of concrete gravity dams.Traditional methods for estimating the failure probabilities are based on defined mathematical descriptions,namely,limit state functions of failure modes.Several problems are to be solved in the use of traditional methods for gravity dams.One is how to define the limit state function really reflecting the mechanical mechanism of the failure mode;another is how to understand the relationship among failure modes and enable the probability of the whole structure to be determined.Performing SFP analysis for a gravity dam system is a challenging task.This work proposes a novel nonlinear finite-element-based SFP analysis method for gravity dams.Firstly,reasonable nonlinear constitutive modes for dam concrete,concrete/rock interface and rock foundation are respectively introduced according to corresponding mechanical mechanisms.Meanwhile the response surface(RS) method is used to model limit state functions of main failure modes through the Monte Carlo(MC) simulation results of the dam-interface-foundation interaction finite element(FE) analysis.Secondly,a numerical SFP method is studied to compute the probabilities of several failure modes efficiently by simple matrix integration operations.Then,the nonlinear FE-based SFP analysis methodology for gravity dams considering correlated failure modes with the additional sensitivity analysis is proposed.Finally,a comprehensive computational platform for interfacing the proposed method with the open source FE code Code Aster is developed via a freely available MATLAB software tool(FERUM).This methodology is demonstrated by a case study of an existing gravity dam analysis,in which the dominant failure modes are identified,and the corresponding performance functions are established.Then,the dam failure probability of the structural system is obtained by the proposed method considering the correlation relationship of main failure modes on the basis of the mechanical mechanism analysis with the MC-FE simulations.

Comparative analysis of deformation and failure mechanisms of underground powerhouses on the left and right banks of Baihetan hydropower station

The stability of the surrounding rocks of large underground powerhouses is always emphasized during the construction process,especially in large-scale underground projects under construction,such as the Baihetan hydropower station in China.According to field investigations,numerical simulations and monitoring data analysis,we present a comparative analysis of the deformation and failure characteristics of the surrounding rocks of underground powerhouses on the left and right banks of the Baihetan hydropower station.The failure characteristics and deformation magnitude of the underground powerhouses on the left and right banks are quite different.Under the disadvantageous condition where the maximum principal stress intersects the axis of the powerhouse at a large angle,the left bank underground powerhouse shows prominent stress-controlled failure characteristics such as spalling,slack collapse and concrete cracking.Although the maximum principal stress is in the favorable condition which intersects the right bank powerhouse at a small angle,the relatively high intermediate principal stress with an angle subvertical to the right bank powerhouse plays an essential role in its deformation and failure,indicating that the influence of high intermediate principal stress cannot be ignored.In addition,structural plane-controlled failure and large deformation are also more evident on the right bank due to the extensive distribution of weak structural planes and complex surrounding rock properties.

Failure mechanism and control technology of water-immersed roadway in high-stress and soft rock in a deep mine

Aiming at soft rock ground support issues under conditions of high stress and long-term water immersion, the ground failure mechanism is revealed by taking the deep-water sumps of Jiulong Mine as the engineering background and employing field investigation, tests of rock structure, mechanical properties and mineral composition. The main factors leading to the surrounding rock failure include the high and complex stress state of the water sumps, high-clay content and water-weakened rock, and the unreasonable support design. In this paper, the broken and fractured rock mass near roadway opening is considered as ground small-structure, and deep stable rock mass as ground large-structure. A support technology focusing on cutting off the water, strengthening the small structure of the rock and transferring the large structure of the rock is proposed. The proposed support technology of interconnecting the large and small structures, based on high-strength bolts, high-stiffness shotcrete layer plugging water,strengthening the small structure with deep-hole grouting and shallow-hole grouting, highpretensioned cables tensioned twice to make the large and small structures bearing the pressure evenly,channel-steel and high-pretensioned cables are used to control floor heave. The numerical simulation and field test show that this support system can control the rock deformation of the water sumps and provide technical support to similar roadway support designs.

System failure analysis based on DEMATEL–ISM and FMECA

A new method of system failure analysis was proposed. First, considering the relationships between the failure subsystems,the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory(DEMATEL) method was used to calculate the degree of correlation between the failure subsystems, analyze the combined effect of related failures, and obtain the degree of correlation by using the directed graph and matrix operations. Then, the interpretative structural modeling(ISM) method was combined to intuitively show the logical relationship of many failure subsystems and their influences on each other by using multilevel hierarchical structure model and obtaining the critical subsystems. Finally, failure mode effects and criticality analysis(FMECA) was used to perform a qualitative hazard analysis of critical subsystems, determine the critical failure mode, and clarify the direction of reliability improvement.Through an example, the result demonstrates that the proposed method can be efficiently applied to system failure analysis problems.

Deformation tests and failure process analysis of an anchorage structure

In order to study the failure process of an anchorage structure and the evolution law of the body＇s defor- mation field, anchor push-out tests were carried out based on digital speckle correlation methods （DSCM）. The stress distribution of the anchorage interface was investigated using the particle flow numerical simulation method. The results indicate that there are three stages in the deformation and fail- ure process of an anchorage structure： elastic bonding stage, a de-bonding stage and a failure stage. The stress distribution in the interface controls the stability of the structure. In the elastic bonding stage, the shear stress peak point of the interface is close to the loading end, and the displacement field gradually develops into a ＂V＂ shape, in the de-bonding stage, there is a shear stress plateau in the center of the anchorage section, and shear strain localization begins to form in the deformation field. In the failure stage, the bonding of the interface fails rapidly and the shear stress peak point moves to the anchorage free end. The anchorage structure moves integrally along the macro-cracl~ The de-bonding stage is a research focus in the deformation and failure process of an anchorage structure, and plays an important guiding role in roadway support design and prediction of the stability of the surrounding rock.

A FUZZY MODEL FOR THE FAILURE OF COMPOSITE STRUCTURES

In this paper, the fuzzy theory is used to describe the uncertainty in failure definition of composite structures. The concept of structural failure level (SFL) is suggested and a method of evaluation is presented.

Effects of intermediate stress on deep rock strainbursts under true triaxial stresses

The effect of intermediate stress(in situ tunnel axial)on a strainburst is studied with a threedimensional(3D)bonded block distinct element method(DEM).A series of simulations of strainbursts under true triaxial in situ stress conditions(i.e.high tangential stress,moderate intermediate stress and low radial stress)of near-boundary rock masses are performed.Compared with the experimental results,the DEM model is able to capture the stress-strain response,failure pattern and energy balance of strainbursts.The fracturing processes of strainbursts are also numerically reproduced.Numerical results show that,as the intermediate stress increases:(1)The peak strain of strainbursts increases,the yield stress increases,the rock strength increases linearly,and the ratio of yield stress to rock strength decreases,indicating that the precursory information on strainbursts is enhanced;(2)Tensile and shear cracks increase significantly,and slabbing and bending of rock plates are more pronounced;and(3)The stored elastic strain energy and dissipated energy increase linearly,whereas the kinetic energy of the ejected rock fragments increases approximately exponentially,implying an increase in strainburst intensity.By comparing the experimental and numerical results,the effect of intermediate stress on the rock strength of strainbursts is discussed in order to address three key issues.Then,the Mogi criterion is applied to construct new strength criteria for strainbursts by converting the one-face free true triaxial stress state of a strainburst to its equivalent true triaxial stress state.In summary,the effect of intermediate stress on strainbursts is a double-edged sword that can enhance the rock strength and the precursory information of a strainburst,but also increase its intensity.

Loss Factors and their Effect on Resonance Peaks in Mechanical Systems

The loss factors and their effects on the magnitude and frequency of resonance peaks in various mechanical sys-tems are reviewed for acoustic,vibration,and vibration fatigue applications.The main trends and relationships were obtained for linear mechanical models with hysteresis damping.The well-known features(complex module of elasticity,total loss factor,etc.)are clarified for practical engineers and students,and new results are presented(in particular,for 2-DOF in-series models with hysteresis friction).The results are of both educational and prac-tical interest and may be applied for NVH analysis and testing,mechanical and aeromechanical design,and noise and vibration control in buildings.

Analysis of Numerical Simulation Results of LIPS-200 Lifetime Experiments

Accelerator grid structural and electron backstreaming failures are the most important factors affecting the ion thruster＇s lifetime.During the thruster＇s operation,Charge Exchange Xenon（CEX） ions are generated from collisions between plasma and neutral atoms.Those CEX ions grid＇s barrel and wall frequently,which cause the failures of the grid system.In order to validate whether the 20 cm Lanzhou Ion Propulsion System（LIPS-200） satisfies China＇s communication satellite platform＇s application requirement for North-South Station Keeping（NSSK）,this study analyzed the measured depth of the pit/groove on the accelerator grid＇s wall and aperture diameter＇s variation and estimated the operating lifetime of the ion thruster.Different from the previous method,in this paper,the experimental results after the 5500 h of accumulated operation of the LIPS-200 ion thruster are presented firstly.Then,based on these results,theoretical analysis and numerical calculations were firstly performed to predict the on-orbit lifetime of LIPS-200.The results obtained were more accurate to calculate the reliability and analyze the failure modes of the ion thruster.The results indicated that the predicted lifetime of LIPS-200＇s was about 13218.1 h which could satisfy the required lifetime requirement of 11000 h very well.

Material Research Related to Structural Pavement Failure on Motorway A32 in the Netherlands

In 2008 structural failures occurred on the asphalt pavement,with a hydraulic blast furnace slag base,of the motorway A32 (constructed in 1986～1988) in the Netherlands. Within a few weeks serious depressions occurred,in which the asphalt pavement was full of cracks and the base had a very low stiffness. In 2008 and 2009 the pavement including the base was rehabilitated over a length of 10 km.The Dutch Ministry of Public Works has initiated an extensive research into the risks of occurrence of this type of unexpected structural damages on the main road network in the Netherlands. Among many other things this research includes material research into the base material of the A32 to find the cause of the structural failure.In total 130 cores,divided over 26 cross-sections,were drilled from the A32. The cross-sections were divided over 3 areas,with a high and low base stiffness respectively and also at heaves that had grown into the pavement since 1998. In areas with high base stiffness the cores mainly contained bound base material,in areas with low base stiffness mainly granular material and at the heaves it was a mix thereof. Standard (static) and dynamic crushing tests were done on the granular material. Dynamic and monotonic indirect tensile tests and compression tests were performed on the bound material. In all cases no systematic difference was found between the mechanical properties of the blast furnace slag base material from the heavily loaded right traffic lane and the material from the other locations.It is concluded that the pavement failure on the A32 is introduced by the occurrence of full depth asphalt fatigue cracks in the pavement that was originally designed for 12 years (but was never strengthened) in areas where the base stiffness always has been low or became low through crushing (that also has resulted in the heaves). Penetrated rainwater then has weakened the base and pumping has occurred,resulting into loss of bearing capacity and decrease of volume.

Reasons for Charles de Gaulle Airport Collapse

In the early morning hours of May 23, 2004, passengers in Terminal 2E at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris partially collapsed resulting in several fatalities. Structural failure was caused by multiple reasons, all contributing to failure. Similar structures have been successfully erected and built around the world. One famous and comparable structure is the Berlin Main Railway Station. After investigations, it becomes clear that Charles de Gaulle Airport lacks suitable and effective geometry, which is present in Berlin Railway Station.

Analysis of nonlinear vibration for symmetric angle-ply laminated viscoelastic plates with damage

The behavior of nonlinear vibration for symmetric angle-ply laminated plates including the material viscoelasticity and damage evolution is investigated. By employing the von Karman＇s nonlinear theory, strain energy equivalence principle and Boltzmann superposition principle, a set of governing equations of nonlinear integro-differential type are derived. By applying the finite difference method, Newmark method and iterative procedure, the governing equations are solved. The effects of loading amplitudes, exciting frequencies and different ply orientations on the critical time to failure initiation and nonlinear vibration amplitudes of the structures are discussed. Numerical results are presented for the different parameters and compared with the available data.

Effects of Qili Qiangxin capsule on lung structural remodeling in heart failure rats after myocardial infarction and its mechanism

Objective To observe the effect of Qili Qiangxin Capsule(QQC)in improving lung structural remodeling on heart failure(HF)rats after myocardial infarction(MI)and to study its possible mechanism.Methods The proximal left anterior descending branch of coronary artery was ligated using a terylene suture to establish

Composite structural modeling and tensile mechanical behavior of graphene reinforced metal matrix composites

Owing to its distinguished mechanical stiffness and strength, graphene has become an ideal reinforcing material in kinds of composite materials. In this work, the graphene（reduced graphene oxide） reinforced aluminum（Al）matrix composites were fabricated by flaky powder metallurgy. Tensile tests of pure Al matrix and graphene/Al composites with bioinspired layered structures are conducted.By means of an independently developed Python-based structural modeling program, three-dimensional microscopic structural models of graphene/Al composites can be established, in which the size, shape, orientation, location and content of graphene can be reconstructed in line with the actual graphene/Al composite structures. Elastoplastic mechanical properties, damaged materials behaviors, grapheneAl interfacial behaviors and reasonable boundary conditions are introduced and applied to perform the simulations. Based on the experimental and numerical tensile behaviors of graphene/Al composites, the effects of graphene morphology,graphene-Al interface, composite configuration and failure behavior within the tensile mechanical deformations of graphene/Al composites can be revealed and indicated, respectively.From the analysis above, a good understanding can be brought to light for the deformation mechanism of graphene/Al composites.

Comparison of various procedures for progressive collapse analysis of cable-stayed bridges

Alternate path(AP) method is the most widely used method for the progressive collapse analysis,and its application in frame structures has been well proved.However,the application of AP method for other structures,especially for cable-stayed structures,should be further developed.The four analytical procedures,i.e.,linear static,nonlinear static,linear dynamic,and nonlinear dynamic were firstly improved by taking into account the initial state.Then a cable-stayed structure was studied using the four improved methods.Furthermore,the losses of both one cable and two cables were discussed.The results show that for static and dynamic analyses of the cable-stayed bridges,there is large difference between the results obtained from simulations starting with either a deformed or a nondeformed configuration at the time of cable loss.The static results are conservative in the vicinity of the ruptured cable,but the dynamic effect of the cable loss in the area farther away from the loss-cable cannot be considered.Moreover,the dynamic amplification factor of 2.0 is found to be a good estimate for static analysis procedures,since linear static and linear dynamic procedures yield approximately the same maximum vertical deflection.The results of the comprehensive evaluation of the cable failure show that the tread of the progressive failure of the cable-stayed bridges decreases when the location of the failed cables is closer to the pylon.

Gas-kinetic unified algorithm for computable modeling of Boltzmann equation and application to aerothermodynamics for falling disintegration of uncontrolled Tiangong-No.1 spacecraft

How to solve the hypersonic aerothermodynamics around large-scale uncontrolled spacecraft during falling disintegrated process from outer space to earth,is the key to resolve the problems of the uncontrolled Tiangong-No.1 spacecraft reentry crash.To study aerodynamics of spacecraft reentry covering various flow regimes,a Gas-Kinetic Unified Algorithm(GKUA)has been presented by computable modeling of the collision integral of the Boltzmann equation over tens of years.On this basis,the rotational and vibrational energy modes are considered as the independent variables of the gas molecular velocity distribution function,a kind of Boltzmann model equation involving in internal energy excitation is presented by decomposing the collision term of the Boltzmann equation into elastic and inelastic collision terms.Then,the gas-kinetic numerical scheme is constructed to capture the time evolution of the discretized velocity distribution functions by developing the discrete velocity ordinate method and numerical quadrature technique.The unified algorithm of the Boltzmann model equation involving thermodynamics non-equilibrium effect is presented for the whole range of flow regimes.The gas-kinetic massive parallel computing strategy is developed to solve the hypersonic aerothermodynamics with the processor cores 500~45,000 at least 80%parallel efficiency.To validate the accuracy of the GKUA,the hypersonic flows are simulated including the reentry Tiangong-1 spacecraft shape with the wide range of Knudsen numbers of 220~0.00005 by the comparison of the related results from the DSMC and N-S coupled methods,and the low-density tunnel experiment etc.For uncontrolling spacecraft falling problem,the finite-element algorithm for dynamic thermalforce coupling response is presented,and the unified simulation of the thermal structural response and the hypersonic flow field is tested on the Tiangong-1 shape under reentry aerodynamic environment.Then,the forecasting analysis platform of end-of-life largescale spacecraft flying track is established on the basis of ballistic computation combined with reentry aerothermodynamics and deformation failure/disintegration.

Fragility assessment of wood sheathing panels and roof-to-wall connections subjected to wind loading

The performance of the wood-frame buildings after tornadoes has shown that the majority of the wind damage resulted from building envelope failure most typically due to the loss of the roof.To assess the performance and the reliability of low-rise wood-frame residential buildings with a focus on the roofs,fragility analysis can be used to estimate the probability of failure of a roof when constructed with specified nails and sheathing sizes.Thus,this paper examines the fragility of specific types of nails,roof-to-wall(RW)connection details,and sheathing sizes based on the damaged roofs that were previously assessed in the Dunrobin area in Ottawa(Ontario)that was hit with an Enhanced Fujita(EF3)tornado on September 21,2018.The presented fragility analysis considers four scenarios,including different sheathing and nail sizes.Dead loads,wind loads,and resistance on the sheathing panels were compiled and analyzed to determine the failure of the examined roofs.The eight fragility models suggest that the safest roof sheathing(RS)is the 1.22 m×1.22 m sheathing panel with 8 d nails,and the safest RW connections is achieved by using H2.5 hurricane clips.

Evaluation of tensile properties of a compositemetal joint with a novel metal insert design by experimental and numerical methods

Composite-metal joints with a metal insert are one kind of connecting structure.In this paper,tensile experimental tests were carried out to investigate tensile properties of a compositemetal joint with a novel metal insert design.Finite element models of the joint were established,and strain distribution and tensile strength were analyzed.The numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental results.Results show that the joint failure is dominated by shear properties of the resin layer.Increasing the resin layer thickness in a certain range will improve the tensile strength of the joint,while increasing the radius of the fillet on the ending side of the metal insert will decrease the joint strength.Increasing the resin layer plasticity will improve the joint strength.The effect of the embedded depth of the metal insert can be ignored.

Modeling the collapse of the Plasco Building.Part I:Reconstruction of fire

In recent years,fires in tall buildings have become more frequent,which costs billions of dollars each year and the loss of many human lives.The facade fire in the Grenfell tower made the structure uninhabitable,and the collapse of the three World Trade Center(WTC)towers is the total structural failure caused by fire.Despite such events,no well-defined methodology exists to reconstruct both fire and structural behaviors and carrys out the forensic investigation of a building fire.This Part I paper collects the evidence of the Plasco Building fire and generates a coherent timeline to reconstruct the fire processes.The vertical and horizontal fire spread of the building is reconstructed using computational fluid dynamics(CFD)fire modeling and calibrated against the evidence library.The spatio-temporal temperature history from the fire modeling provides realistic fire scenarios to simulate the structural response.The fire simulation results are used as boundary conditions to be transferred to a finite element analysis tool for a detailed structural analysis to determine the likely collapse mechanism of the Plasco Building in Part II.The methodology presented in this paper to reconstruct the fire can also guide the structural fire safety engineers to improve the building fire-safety and life-safety strategies.