Thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling stress intensity factor of brittle rock

A new calculation formula of THM coupling stress intensity factor was derived by the boundary collocation method, in which an additional constant stress function was successfully introduced for the cracked specimen with hydraulic pressure applied on its crack surface. Based on the newly derived formula, THM coupling fracture modes （including tensile, shear and mixed fracture mode） can be predicted by a new fracture criterion of stress intensity factor ratio, where the maximum axial load was measured by self-designed THM coupling fracture test. SEM analyses of THM coupling fractured surface indicate that the higher the temperature and hydraulic pressure are and the lower the confining pressure is, the more easily the intergranular （tension） fracture occurs. The transgranular （shear） fracture occurs in the opposite case while the mixed-mode fracture occurs in the middle case. The tested THM coupling fracture mechanisms are in good agreement with the predicted THM coupling fracture modes, which can verify correction of the newly-derived THM coupling stress intensity factor formula.

Spatial-temporal coupling between high-quality source rocks and reservoirs for tight sandstone oil and gas accumulations in the Songliao Basin, China

The spatial-temporal relationship between high-quality source rocks and reservoirs is a key factor when evaluating the formation,occurrence,and prospectivity of tight oil and gas reservoirs.In this study,we analyze the fundamental oil and gas accumulation processes occurring in the Songliao Basin,contrasting tight oil sand reservoirs in the south with tight gas sand reservoirs in the north.This is done using geochemical data,constant-rate and conventional mercury injection experiments,and fluid inclusion analyses.Our results demonstrate that as far as fluid mobility is concerned,the expulsion center coincides with the overpressure zone,and its boundary limits the occurrence of tight oil and gas accumulations.In addition,the lower permeability limit of high-quality reservoirs,controlled by pore-throat structures,is 0.1×10^-3μm^2 in the fourth member of the Lower Cretaceous Quantou Formation(K1q^4)in the southern Songliao Basin,and 0.05×10^-3μm^2 in the Lower Cretaceous Shahezi Formation(K1sh)in the northern Songliao Basin.Furthermore,the results indicate that the formation of tight oil and gas reservoirs requires the densification of reservoirs prior to the main phase of hydrocarbon expulsion from the source rocks.Reservoir“sweet spots”develop at the intersection of high-quality source rocks(with high pore pressure)and reservoirs(with high permeability).

Numerical analysis of deformation and failure characteristics of deep roadway surrounding rock under static-dynamic coupling stress

In actual production,deep coal mine roadways are often under typical static-dynamic coupling stress(SDCS)conditions with high ground stress and strong dynamic disturbances.With the increasing number of disasters and accidents induced by SDCS conditions,the safe and efficient production of coal mines is seriously threatened.Therefore,it is of great practical significance to study the deformation and failure characteristics of the roadway surrounding rock under SDCS.In this paper,the effects of different in-situ stress fields and dynamic load conditions on the surrounding rock are studied by numerical simulations,and the deformation and failure characteristics are obtained.According to the simulation results,the horizontal stress,vertical stress and dynamic disturbance have a positive correlation with the plastic failure of the surrounding rock.Among these factors,the influence of the dynamic disturbance is the most substantial.Under the same stress conditions,the extents of deformation and plastic failure of the roof and ribs are always greater than those of the floor.The effect of horizontal stresses on the roadway deformation is more notable than that of vertical stresses.The results indicate that for the roadway under high-stress conditions,the in-situ stress test must be strengthened first.After determining the magnitude of the in-situ stress,the location of the roadway should be reasonably arranged in the design to optimize the mining sequence.For roadways that are strongly disturbed by dynamic loads,rock supports(rebar/cable bolts,steel set etc.)that are capable of maintaining their effectiveness without failure after certain dynamic loads are required.The results of this study contribute to understanding the characteristics of the roadway deformation and failure under SDCS,and can be used to provide a basis for the support design and optimization under similar geological and geotechnical circumstances.

System dynamics model of the support-surrounding rock system in fully mechanized mining with large mining height face and its application

Fully mechanized mining with large mining height(FMMLMH)is widely used in thick coal seam mining face for its higher recovery ratio,especially where the thickness is less than 7.0 m.However,because of the great mining height and intense rock pressure,the coal wall rib spalling,roof falling and the instability of support occur more likely in FMMLMH working face,and the above three types of disasters interact with each other with complicated relationships.In order to get the relationship between each two of coal wall,roof,floor and support,and reduce the occurrence probability of the three types of disasters,we established the system dynamics(SD)model of the support-surrounding rock system which is composed of"coal wall-roof-floor-support"(CW-R-F-S)in a FMMLMH working face based on the condition of No.15104 working face in Sijiazhuang coal mine.With the software of Vensim,we also simulated the interaction process between each two factors of roof,floor,coal wall and the support.The results show that the SD model of"CW-R-F-S"system can reveal the complicated and interactive relationship clearly between the support and surrounding rock in the FMMLMH working face.By increasing the advancing speed of working face,the support resistance or the length of support guard,or by decreasing the tipto-face distance,the stability of"CW-R-F-S"system will be higher and the happening probability of the disasters such as coal wall rib spalling,roof falling or the instability of support will be lower.These research findings have been testified in field application in No.15104 working face,which can provide a new approach for researching the interaction relationship of support and surrounding rock.

Numerical investigation on permeability evolution behavior of rock by an improved flow-coupling algorithm in particle flow code

Permeability is a vital property of rock mass, which is highly affected by tectonic stress and human engineering activities. A comprehensive monitoring of pore pressure and flow rate distributions inside the rock mass is very important to elucidate the permeability evolution mechanisms, which is difficult to realize in laboratory, but easy to be achieved in numerical simulations. Therefore, the particle flow code （PFC）, a discrete element method, is used to simulate permeability behaviors of rock materials in this study. Owe to the limitation of the existed solid-fluid coupling algorithm in PFC, an improved flow-coupling algorithm is presented to better reflect the preferential flow in rock fractures. The comparative analysis is conducted between original and improved algorithm when simulating rock permeability evolution during triaxial compression, showing that the improved algorithm can better describe the experimental phenomenon. Furthermore, the evolution of pore pressure and flow rate distribution during the flow process are analyzed by using the improved algorithm. It is concluded that during the steady flow process in the fractured specimen, the pore pressure and flow rate both prefer transmitting through the fractures rather than rock matrix. Based on the results, fractures are divided into the following three types： I） fractures link to both the inlet and outlet, II） fractures only link to the inlet, and III） fractures only link to the outlet. The type I fracture is always the preferential propagating path for both the pore pressure and flow rate. For type II fractures, the pore pressure increases and then becomes steady. However, the flow rate increases first and begins to decrease after the flow reaches the stop end of the fracture and finally vanishes. There is no obvious pore pressure or flow rate concentration within type III fractures.

A new measurement method of crack propagation rate for brittle rock under THMC coupling condition

A new electrical method of conductive carbon-film(with waterproof and anticorrosion ability)was proposed to continuously measure crack propagation rate of brittle rock under THMC coupling condition.A self-designed coupling testing system was used to conduct THMC coupling fracture tests of the pre-cracked red sandstone specimens(where the temperature is only changed)by this new electrical method of conductive carbon-film.Calculation results obtained by the energy method coincide well with the test results.And the higher the temperature is,the earlier the crack is initiated and the larger the crack propagation rate and accelerated velocity are,which can prove the validity of the new electrical method.This new electrical method has advantages of continuously measuring crack propagation rate over the conventional electrical,optical and acoustic methods,and can provide important basis for safety assessment and cracking-arrest design of deep rock mass engineering.

Coupled DEM-FDM analyses of the effects of falling rock’s shape and impact angle on response of granular cushion and rock shed

Rock shed is an effective protection measure against rockfall.To investigate the influences of falling rock’s shape and impact angle on the impact effect of the cushioned rock shed,a modeling approach for a rock shed with a cushion layer using PFC-FLAC.The granular cushion is modeled as an aggregate of discrete non-cohesion particles,while the concrete plate and the beam are modeled as zones.The falling rock with different sphericities and impact angles is modeled as a rigid assembly.The numerical model is validated by comparing the simulation results with experimental and numerical results from previous literature.This model is applied to analyze the effects of rock shape and impact angle on the dynamic interaction effects between falling rock and cushioned rock shed,including the impact force,transmitted bottom force,penetration depth,and plate deflection.The numerical results show that the variation in the falling rock’s shape has different effects on the falling rock with different impact angles.These findings could support rock shed design by revealing the limitations of the assumptions in the past research,which may result in unsafe rock sheds for some rockfall cases.

A 3D microseismic data-driven damage model for jointed rock mass under hydro-mechanical coupling conditions and its application

Rock mass is a fractured porous medium usually subjected to complex geostress and fluid pressure simultaneously.Moreover,the properties of rock mass change in time and space due to mining-induced fractures.Therefore,it is always challenging to accurately measure rock mass properties.In this study,a three-dimensional(3D)microseismic(MS)data-driven damage model for jointed rock mass under hydro-mechanical coupling conditions is proposed.It is a 3D finite element model that takes seepage,damage and stress field effects into account jointly.Multiple factors(i.e.joints,water and microseismicity)are used to optimize the rock mass mechanical parameters at different scales.The model is applied in Shirengou iron mine to study the damage evolution of rock mass and assess the crown pillar stability during the transition from open-pit to underground mining.It is found that the damage pattern is mostly controlled by the structure,water and rock mass parameters.The damage pattern is evidently different from the two-dimensional result and is more consistent with the field observations.This difference is caused by the MS-derived damage acting on the rock mass.MS data are responsible for gradually correcting the damage zone,changing the direction in which it expands,and promoting it to evolve close to reality.For the crown pillar,the proposed model yields a more trustworthy safety factor.In order to guarantee the stability of the pillar,it is suggested to take waterproof and reinforcement measures in areas with a high degree of damage.

Research on space-time coupling action laws of anchor-cable strengthening supporting for rock roadway in deep coal mine

In order to obtain space-time coupling relationship of anchor-cable to improve supporting effect for deep coal mine rock roadway, FLAC3D was used to investigate into mechanical characteristics of the roadway whose crosssection shape was vertical wall and semi-circular arch when the roadway was supported by bolts and metal mesh. The results show that the extent of stress concentrations, the range failure zone, and the deformation at the roof center and two spandrels of roadway are greater than those at other positions, except at the floor. The reasonable positions of anchor-cable supporting are the roof center and two spandrels of roadway. The anchor-cable should be installed at good time with bolts supporting after roadway driving be- cause it can improve the stress states of deep surrounding rock around the roadway and control the roadway deformation effec- tively. The engineering practice has proven that the sustained deformation of deep surrounding rocks is effectively controlled when the anchor-cable supporting is adopted at reasonable positions of the roadway at good time.

Seepage-stress coupling constitutive model of anisotropic soft rock

To provide a seepage-stress coupling constitutive model that can directly describe the seepage-stress coupling relationship, a series of one-dimensional seepage-stress coupling tests on two kinds of soft rock (argillaceous siltstone and brown mudstone) were performed by using an MTS-815.02 tri-axial rock mechanics test system, with which the stress-strain curves according to the seepage variation were obtained. Based on the experimental results and by employing Hooke's law, the formulation of the coefficient of strain-dependent permeability was presented and introduced to establish a coupling model. In addition, the mathematical expression and the incremental formulation for coupling model were advanced, in which five parameters that can be respectively determined by using the experimental results were included. The calculated results show that the proposed coupling model is capable of simulating the stress-strain relationship with considering the seepage-stress coupling in the nonlinear elastic stage of two kinds of soft rock.

Crack initiation rate of brittle rock under thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling condition

A calculation formula of thermal-hydro-mechanical(THM)coupling crack initiation rate for brittle rock was derived based on the energy conservation law.The self-designed THM coupling fracture test with conductive adhesive electrical measurement method was applied to measuring the THM coupling crack propagation rate of brittle rock continuously.Research results show that both calculation and test results of crack initiation rate increased with increase of the temperature and the hydraulic pressure.They are almost in good agreement,which can prove validity of the calculation formula of THM coupling crack initiation rate.

Thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical(THMC)coupling fracture criterion of brittle rock

Based on analysis of thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical(THMC)coupling mechanism for brittle rock,THMC coupling indicator in terms of rock porosity was introduced to represent the influencing degree of THMC coupling field on stress field in order to establish THMC coupling fracture criterion.A novel real-time measurement method of permeability(related to porosity)was proposed to determine the THMC coupling indicator,and self-designed THMC coupling tests and scanning electron microscope tests were conducted on pre-cracked red sandstone specimens to study the macroscopic and microscopic fracture mechanism.Research results show that the higher the hydraulic pressure is,the smaller the crack initiation load is and the easier the Mode I fracture occurs.Test results are in good agreement with prediction results(crack initiation load and angle,and fracture mode),which can verify the effectiveness of the newly established THMC coupling fracture criterion.This new fracture criterion can be also further extended to predict THMC coupling fracture of multi-crack problem.

Thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling damage model of brittle rock

Based on fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and damage mechanics, thermal-hydro-mechanical （THM） coupling damage model of brittle rock is established by analyzing THM coupling mechanism, where THM coupling damage variable DTHM is dominated by TH coupling damage variable DTH, TM coupling damage variable DTM and HM coupling damage variable DHM, and DTH is firstly expressed in term of dimensionless total thermal conductivity of the water Nu. Permeability test, uni-axial compression test and THM coupling test are conducted to measure the permeability, elastic modulus and THM coupling stress-strain curves of brittle rock. The tested values of THM coupling elastic modulus E＇HM are in good agreement with the predicted values of THM coupling elastic modulus ETHM, which can verify the newly established THM coupling damage model.

Seepage-heat transfer coupling process of low temperature return water injected into geothermal reservoir in carbonate rocks in Xian County,China

Fracture seepage and heat transfer in the geothermal reservoir of carbonate rocks after the reinjection of low temperature geothermal return water is a complex coupling process,which is also the frontier of geothermal production and reinjection research.Based on the research of cascade comprehensive development of geothermal resources in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(Xian County),the carbonate geothermal reservoir of Wumishan formation in the geothermal field in Xian County is investigated.With the development of the discrete fracture network model and the coupling model of seepage and heat transfer,the numerical solution of seepage field and temperature field with known fracture network is reached using the finite element software COMSOL,and the coupling process of seepage flow and heat in carbonate rocks is revealed.The results show that the distribution of temperature field of fractured rocks in geothermal reservoir of carbonate rocks has strong non-uniformity and anisotropy.The fracture network is interpenetrated,which constitutes the dominant channel of water conduction,and along which the fissure water moves rapidly.Under the influence of convective heat transfer and conductive heat transfer,one of the main factors to be considered in the study of thermal breakthrough is to make the cold front move forward rapidly.When the reinjection and production process continues for a long time and the temperature of the geothermal reservoir on the pumping side drops to a low level,the temperature of bedrocks is still relatively high and continues to supply heat to the fissure water,so that the temperature of the thermal reservoir on the pumping side will not decrease rapidly to the water temperature at the inlet of reinjection,but will gradually decrease after a long period of time,showing an obvious long tail effect.The distribution of fractures will affect the process of seepage and heat transfer in carbonate reservoirs,which should be considered in the study of fluid thermal coupling in carbonate reservoirs.

Numerical simulation and analysis of moisture-heat coupling of soft rock tunnels in the cold regions

With the western development in China, more problems with rock and soil engineering in cold regions will be encountered. To study the stability of rock mass under the frost and thaw condition is of far significance. We attempt to simulate and analyze the temperature and moisture field in the surrounding rock of Dabanshan tunnel at its exit KI06＋025 in the cold region by software Femlab. First, introduced the common numerical solution to the moisture and heat coupled about the soft rock in tunnels of cold region. Then gave emphasis on simulation of the law of temperature distribution coupled temperature-moisture field and draw a parallel between temperature fields with different coefficient of percolation. In the course of simulation we considered the problem of caloric receptivity, thermal conductivity and critical heat varying with temperature.

Heat-fluid-solid coupling mechanism of supercritical carbon dioxide jet in rock-breaking

Aiming at the synergistic rock-breaking mechanism of supercritical carbon dioxide(SC-CO_(2))jet pressure and tem-perature difference,a heat-fluid-solid calculation model of rock-breaking stress was established and verified to be effective,and the variations of jet flow field and rock stress with jet standoff distance of SC-CO_(2),water and nitrogen were studied.With the increase of jet standoff distance,the jet pressure of SC-CO_(2) decreases and the jet temperature difference increases.The SC-CO_(2) jet is higher in pressure than the nitrogen jet and differs little from the water jet.Temperature difference of SC-CO_(2) jet is 5 times that of water jet and more than 2.5 ti mes that of nitrogen jet when the jet standoff distance is larger than 10.The tem-perature stress is the main reason why SC-CO_(2) jet is superior to water and nitrogen jets in rock-breaking.The rock under the SC-CO_(2) jet has greater rock stress,effective rock-breaking jet standoff distance and rock-breaking area.The jet pressure plays a major role in rock-breaking when the jet standoff distance is small,while the jet temperature difference plays a major role in rock-breaking when the jet standoff distance is large.The SC-CO_(2) jet is an efficient volume rock-breaking method,which results in tensile and shear failure on the rock surface under short time jet and large area tensile failure inside the rock simultaneously under long time jet.

Mechanical Behaviors of Silt Rock Subjected to Coupling Static and Impact Loads

Experiments of silt rock subjected to coupling loads were carried out on tailormade equipment. With a constant dynamic load, the behaviors of eight sets of siltite specimens were investigated with different axial static loads. The experimental results show that the modulus of the specimens under coupling loads increases at first and then decreases with the increase of axial static pressure. The failure model of the specimens also varies. Keeping the dynamic load constant, when the axial static pressure is low, the specimen breaks in two simply. With the increase of axial static pressure, the cone-shaped fragment appeares. When the axial static pressure reaches 90% of the static strength of rock, the specimen smashes into amount of small fragments.

Numerical simulation for influences of pressure solution on T-H-M coupling in aggregate rock

The pressure solution model of granular aggregates was introduced into a FEM code which was developed for the analysis of thermo-hydro-mechanical(T-H-M) coupling in porous medium. Aimed at creating a hypothetical model of nuclear waste disposal in unsaturated quartz aggregate rock mass with laboratory scale, two 4-year computation cases were designed: 1) The porosity and permeability of rock mass are functions of the pressure solution; 2) The porosity and the permeability are constants. Calculation results show that the magnitude and distribution of stresses in the rock mass of these two calculation cases are roughly the same. And, the porosity and the permeability decrease to 43%-54% and 4.4%-9.1% of their original values after case 1 being accomplished; but the negative pore water pressures in cases 1 and 2 are respectively 1.0-1.25 and 1.0-1.1 times of their initial values under the action of nuclear waste. Case 1 exhibits the obvious effect of pressure solution.

Thermo-mechanical coupled particle model for rock

A thermo-mechanical coupled particle model for simulation of thermally-induced rock damage based on the particle simulation method was proposed.The simulation results of three verification examples,for which the analytical solutions are available,demonstrate the correctness and usefulness of the thermo-mechanical coupled particle model.This model is applied to simulating an application example with two cases：one is temperature-independent elastic modulus and strength,while the other is temperature-dependent elastic modulus and strength.The related simulation results demonstrate that microscopic crack initiation and propagation process with consideration of temperature-independent and temperature-dependent elastic modulus and strength are different and therefore,the corresponding macroscopic failure patterns of rock are also different.On the contrary,considering the temperature-dependent elastic modulus and strength has no or little effect on the heating conduction behavior.Numerical results,which are obtained by using the proposed model with temperature-dependent elastic modulus and strength,agree well with the experimental results.This also reveals that the rock subjected to heating experiences much more cracking than the rock subjected to cooling.

Failure mechanism and coupled static-dynamic loading theory in deep hard rock mining: A review

Rock failure phenomena,such as rockburst,slabbing(or spalling) and zonal disintegration,related to deep underground excavation of hard rocks are frequently reported and pose a great threat to deep mining.Currently,the explanation for these failure phenomena using existing dynamic or static rock mechanics theory is not straightforward.In this study,new theory and testing method for deep underground rock mass under coupled static-dynamic loading are introduced.Two types of coupled loading modes,i.e.'critical static stress + slight disturbance' and 'elastic static stress + impact disturbance',are proposed,and associated test devices are developed.Rockburst phenomena of hard rocks under coupled static-dynamic loading are successfully reproduced in the laboratory,and the rockburst mechanism and related criteria are demonstrated.The results of true triaxial unloading compression tests on granite and red sandstone indicate that the unloading can induce slabbing when the confining pressure exceeds a certain threshold,and the slabbing failure strength is lower than the shear failure strength according to the conventional Mohr-Column criterion.Numerical results indicate that the rock unloading failure response under different in situ stresses and unloading rates can be characterized by an equivalent strain energy density.In addition,we present a new microseismic source location method without premeasuring the sound wave velocity in rock mass,which can efficiently and accurately locate the rock failure in hard rock mines.Also,a new idea for deep hard rock mining using a non-explosive continuous mining method is briefly introduced.