Failure behavior and strength model of blocky rock mass with and without rockbolts

To better understand the failure behaviours and strength of bolt-reinforced blocky rocks,large scale extensive laboratory experiments are carried out on blocky rock-like specimens with and without rockbolt reinforcement.The results show that both shear failure and tensile failure along joint surfaces are observed but the shear failure is a main controlling factor for the peak strength of the rock mass with and without rockbolts.The rockbolts are necked and shear deformation simultaneously happens in bolt reinforced rock specimens.As the joint dip angle increases,the joint shear failure becomes more dominant.The number of rockbolts has a significant impact on the peak strain and uniaxial compressive strength(UCS),but little influence on the deformation modulus of the rock mass.Using the Winkler beam model to represent the rockbolt behaviours,an analytical model for the prediction of the strength of boltreinforced blocky rocks is proposed.Good agreement between the UCS values predicted by proposed model and obtained from experiments suggest an encouraging performance of the proposed model.In addition,the performance of the proposed model is further assessed using published results in the literature,indicating the proposed model can be used effectively in the prediction of UCS of bolt-reinforced blocky rocks.

Failure characteristics and its influencing factors of talus-derived rock mass during open-pit mining

The failure characteristic of talus-derived rock mass continues to challenge quantitative hazard assessments in open-pit mining. Physical model test was used to assess the failure modes and mechanisms on talus-derived rock mass. The different types of failure modes of the talus-derived rock mass were introduced and a possible failure mechanism relation between the failure zone and the structure of the talus-derived rock mass was also shown. The physical model test results indicate that the rainfall has significant influence on the stability and failure modes of talus-derived rock mass during open-pit mining. The development of the seepage area caused by rainfall initiates the localized failure in that particular area, and the initiation of localized instability is mainly induced by stress changes concentrated in the seepage area.

Failure mode and strength anisotropic characteristic of stratified rock mass under uniaxial compressive situation

A stratified rock mass model was founded by FLAC^3D. The failure mode and anisotropic characteristic of strength for stratified rock mass were analyzed. The analysis results show that the numerical simulation can visually reflect the failure modes of rock samples under different inclination angles β of structural plane. The stiffness of rock sample before peak strength changes in the compressive procedure. With the increase of β, the compressive strength σc of rock sample decreases firstly and then increases; when β is in the range of 20°-30° and 80°-90°, σc has the largest sensitivity to r; while β falls in the range of 30°-70°, σc varies little. When φj〈β〈90° （ φj is friction angle of structure plane）, the results obtained from numerical simulation and theoretical analysis are in almost the same values; while β〈 φj or β=90°, they are in great different values. The results obtained from theoretical analysis are obvious larger than those from numerical simulation; and the results from numerical simulation can reflect the difference of compressive strength of rock samples for the two situations of β≥φj and β=90°, which is in more accordance with the real situation.

Elasto-plastic Analysis of Circular Tunnels in Jointed Rock Masses Satisfy the Hoek-Brown Failure Criterion

The relationship between the Hoek-Brown parameters and the mechanical response of circular tunnels is il-lustrated. Closed-form and approximate solutions are given for the extent of the plastic zone and the stress and dis-placement fields under axisymmetrical and asymmetric stress conditions. For the same rock masses and under axisym-metrical stress conditions,the radius of the plastic zone in terms of Hoek-Brown criterion is generally an approximation of the radius in terms of the Mohr-Coulomb criterion. The radius in terms of the Hoek-Brown criterion is larger under low stress conditions. For poor quality rock masses (GSI<25),measures (such as grouting,setting rock bolts,etc.) that improve the GSI of rock masses are effective in improving the stability of tunnels. It is not advisable to improve the sta-bility of the tunnels by providing a small support resistance p through shotcrete,except for very poor quality jointed rock masses. Without reference to the quality of the rock mass,the disturbance factor D should not less than 0.5. Meas-ures which disturb rock masses during tunnel construction should be taken carefully when the tunnel depth increases.

Seismic bearing capacity of strip footings on rock masses using the Hoeke Brown failure criterion

In this paper,the bearing capacity of strip footings on rock masses has been studied in the seismic case.The stress characteristics or slip line method was used for analysis.The problem was analyzed in the plane strain condition using the Hoeke Brown failure criterion.First,the equilibrium equations along the stress characteristics were obtained and the rock failure criterion was applied.Then,the equations were solved using the finite difference method.A computer code has been provided for analysis.Given the footing and rock parameters,the code can calculate the stress characteristics network and obtain the stress distribution under the footing.The seismic effects have been applied as the horizontal and vertical pseudo-static coefficients.The results of this paper are very close to those of the other studies.The seismic bearing capacity of weightless rock masses can be obtained using the proposed equations and graphs without calculating the whole stress characteristics network.

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

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

Limit variation analysis of shallow rectangular tunnels collapsing with double-layer rock mass based on a three-dimensional failure mechanism

In the framework of upper bound theorem of limit analysis, the progressive collapse of shallow rectangular tunnels with double-layer rock mass has been theoretically analyzed based on the three-dimensional (3D) velocity discontinuity surfaces. According to the virtual work principle, the difference theorem and the variation method, the collapse surface of double-layer rock mass is determined based on the Hoek-Brown failure criterion. The formula can be degenerated to a single-layer rock collapsing problem when the rock mass is homogeneous. To estimate the validity of the result, the numerical simulation software PLAXIS 3D is used to simulate the collapse of shallow tunnels with double-layer rock mass, and the comparative analysis shows that numerical results are in good agreement with upper-bound solutions. According to the results of parametric analysis, the potential range of collapse of a double-layer rock mass above a shallow cavity decreases with a decrease in A1/A2,σci1/σci2 and σtm1/σtm2 and an increase in B1/B2,γ1/γ2. The range will decrease with a decrease in support pressure q and increase with a decrease in surface overload σs. Therefore, reinforced supporting is beneficial to improve the stability of the cavity during actual construction.

Dynamic Failure Model of Thin Coal and Rock Mass under Uniform Impact Load

During the excavation of deep coal and rock mass, the radial stress of the free face changes from three-dimensional compression state to two-dimensional stress, bearing the combined action of dynamic disturbance and static load at the same time. With that, many mines suffer from dynamic disasters, such as coal and gas outburst, rock burst and rock caving during deep mining excavation, which is often accompanied by plate crack, spalling and other disasters, seriously affecting the stability of stope and roadway. Taking thin rectangular coal and rock mass as the research object, the dual equation of the free vibration was derived and the exact solution model of the free vibration was established with the use of Hamilton dual system. Based on the action characteristics of the uniform impact load, the effective mode of the forced vibration was obtained by using the Duhamel integral principle and the orthogonality of the mode function. Based on the third strength theory and the numerical simulation results, the dynamic damage process and development trend of coal and rock mass were analyzed under uniform impact load. It was concluded that the starting position of dynamic damage can be judged by the first order main mode, and the development direction and trend of the damage can be judged by the fifth and sixth order main modes. It was concluded that the vibration mode functions of coal and rock mass with four side fixed (C-C-C-C), the two sides fixed and simply supported on the other (S-C-S-C) are mainly composed of three modes that are the first order (dominant frequency), the fifth order and the sixth order, from which the dynamic damage mechanism is preliminarily studied.

Reply to Discussion on “A generalized three-dimensional failure criterion for rock masses”

General:Jaiswal and Shrivastva(2012)proposed the mathematical formulations,i.e.the J–S criterion for converting generalized H-B failure criterion into 3D smooth convex failure criterion at deviatoric plane.The J–S strength criterion is in two versions:uniform and variable extension ratio.It has been observed from the analysis that at uniform extension ratio,the required strength parameters are only UCS and m(other parameters such as Ls,a,b and c are related with m).In the case of variable extension ratio,extra parameter f is required along with UCS and m.Thus,it has minimal strength parameters compared to You strength criterion.Furthermore,You strength criterion does not obey the smooth convex condition at deviatoric plane.

Energy evolution mechanism and failure criteria of jointed surrounding rock under uniaxial compression

The object of this article is to investigate the energy evolution mechanism and failure criteria of cross-jointed samples containing an opening during deformation and failure based on the uniaxial compression test and rock energy principle.The results show that the energy evolution characteristics of the samples correspond to a typical progressive damage mode.The peak total energy,peak elastic energy,and total input energy of the samples all first decrease and then increase with an increase of half of the included angle,reaching their minimum values when this angle is 45°,while the dissipated energy generally increases with this angle.The existence of the opening and cross joints can obviously weaken the energy storage capacity of the rock,and the change in the included angle of the cross joint has a great influence on the elastic energy ratio of the sample before the peak stress,which leads to some differences in the distribution laws of the input energy.The continuous change and the subsequent sharp change in the rate of change in the energy consumption ratio can be used as the criteria of the crack initiation and propagation and the unstable failure of the sample,respectively.

Time-dependent dilatancy for brittle rocks

This paper presents a theoretical study on time-dependent dilatancy behaviors for brittle rocks. The theory employs a well-accepted postulation that macroscopically observed dilatancy originates from the expansion of microcracks. The mechanism and dynamic process that microcracks initiate from local stress concentration and grow due to localized tensile stress are analyzed. Then, by generalizing the results from the analysis of single cracks, a parameter and associated equations for its evolution are developed to describe the behaviors of the microcracks. In this circumstance, the relationship between microcracking and dilatancy can be established, and the theoretical equations for characterizing the process of rock dilatancy behaviors are derived. Triaxial compression and creep tests are conducted to validate the developed theory. With properly chosen model parameters, the theory yields a satisfactory accuracy in comparison with the experimental results.

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

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

Particle flow study on strength and meso-mechanism of Brazilian splitting test for jointed rock mass

A discrete element method （DEM） called particle flow code （PFC2D） was used to construct a model for Brazilian disc splitting test in the present study. Based on the experimental results of intact Brazilian disc of rock-like material, a set of micro-parameters in PFC2D that reflected the macro-mechanical behavior of rock-like materials were obtained. And then PFC2D was used to simulate Brazilian splitting test for jointed rock mass specimens and specimen containing a central straight notch. The effect of joint angle and notch angle on the tensile strength and failure mode of jointed rock specimens was detailed analyzed. In order to reveal the meso-mechanical mechanism of crack coalescence, displacement trend lines were applied to analyze the displacement evolution during the crack initiation and propagation. The investigated conclusions can be described as follows. （1） The tensile strength of jointed rock mass disc specimen is dependent to the joint angle. As the joint angle increases, the tensile strength of jointed rock specimen takes on a nonlinear variance. （2） The tensile strength of jointed rock mass disc specimen containing a central straight notch distributes as a function of both joint angle and notch angle. （3） Three major failure modes, i.e., pure tensile failure, shear failure and mixed tension and shear failure mode are observed in jointed rock mass disc specimens under Brazilian test. （4） The notch angle roles on crack initiation and and joint angle play important propagation characteristics of jointed rock mass disc specimen containing a central straight notch under Brazilian test.

Advances in statistical mechanics of rock masses and its engineering applications

To efficiently link the continuum mechanics for rocks with the structural statistics of rock masses,a theoretical and methodological system called the statistical mechanics of rock masses(SMRM)was developed in the past three decades.In SMRM,equivalent continuum models of stressestrain relationship,strength and failure probability for jointed rock masses were established,which were based on the geometric probability models characterising the rock mass structure.This follows the statistical physics,the continuum mechanics,the fracture mechanics and the weakest link hypothesis.A general constitutive model and complete stressestrain models under compressive and shear conditions were also developed as the derivatives of the SMRM theory.An SMRM calculation system was then developed to provide fast and precise solutions for parameter estimations of rock masses,such as full-direction rock quality designation(RQD),elastic modulus,Coulomb compressive strength,rock mass quality rating,and Poisson’s ratio and shear strength.The constitutive equations involved in SMRM were integrated into a FLAC3D based numerical module to apply for engineering rock masses.It is also capable of analysing the complete deformation of rock masses and active reinforcement of engineering rock masses.Examples of engineering applications of SMRM were presented,including a rock mass at QBT hydropower station in northwestern China,a dam slope of Zongo II hydropower station in D.R.Congo,an open-pit mine in Dexing,China,an underground powerhouse of Jinping I hydropower station in southwestern China,and a typical circular tunnel in Lanzhou-Chongqing railway,China.These applications verified the reliability of the SMRM and demonstrated its applicability to broad engineering issues associated with jointed rock masses.

Rock mechanics for design of Brisbane tunnels and implications of recent thinking in relation to rock mass strength

This paper explores the potential implications of recent thinking in relation to rock mass strength for future tunnelling projects in Brisbane,Australia,particularly as they are constructed within deep horizons where the in situ stress magnitudes is larger.Rock mass failure mechanisms for the current tunnels in Brisbane are generally discontinuity controlled and the potential for stress-induced failure is relatively rare.For the road tunnels which have been constructed in Brisbane over the last 12 years,the strength of the more massive rock masses for continuum analysis has been estimated by the application of the Hoek-Brown(H-B)failure criterion using the geological strength index(GSI)to determine the H-B parameters mb,s and a.Over the last few years,alternative approaches to estimating rock mass strength for‘massive to moderately jointed hard rock masses’have been proposed by others,which are built on the work completed by E.Hoek and E.T.Brown in this area over their joint careers.This paper explores one of these alternative approaches to estimating rock mass strength for one of the geological units(the Brisbane Tuff),which is often encountered in tunnelling projects in Brisbane.The potential implications of these strength forecasts for future tunnelling projects are discussed along with the additional work which will need to be undertaken to confirm the applicability of such alternative strength criteria for this rock mass.

Modified Mohr-Coulomb strength criterion considering rock mass intrinsic material strength factorization

With the increase of mining depth of mineral resources,the rock mass stress state is being more and more complex.The rock mass show different features,namely,with the increase of hydrostatic pressure,rock mass failure mode turns from brittle tension failure to structure ductile failure and its limit strength also increases.The restriction of minimal principal stress on the initiation and development of microcrack and the change of micro-unit stress state by the intermediate principal stress play a decisive role in the increase of rock mass limit strength.Based on the rock mass failure behavior law under complex stress state and the σ2-dependence on the rock mass strength,we proposed a Modified Mohr-Coulomb(M-MC) strength criterion which is smooth and convex.Finally,the M-MC criterion is validated by multiaxial test data of eight kinds of rock mass.We also compared the fitting results with Mohr-Coulomb criterion(MC).It shows that the new criterion fits the test data better than the Mohr-Coulomb criterion.So the M-MC strength criterion well reveals the rock mass bearing behavior and can be widely used in the rock mass strength analysis.The results can provide theoretical foundations for stability analysis and reinforcement design of complex underground engineering.

Mechanism of progressive failure of a slope with a steep joint under the action of freezing and thawing:model test

The stability of slope rock masses is influenced by freeze-thaw cycles in cold region,and the mechanism of stability deterioration is not clear.In order to understand the damage and progressive failure characteristics of rock masses under the action of freezing and thawing,a model test was conducted on slope with steep joint in this study.The temperature,frost heaving pressure and deformation of slope rock mass were monitored in real-time during the test and the progressive failure mode was studied.The experimental results show that the temperature variations of cracking and the rock mass of a slope are different.There are obvious latent heat stages in the temperature-change plot in the crack,but not in the slope rock masses.The frost heaving effect in the fracture is closely related to the constraint conditions,which change with the deformation of the fracture.The frost heaving pressure fluctuates periodically during freezing and continues to decrease during thawing.The surface deformation of the rock mass increases during freezing,and the deformation is restored when it thaws.Freeze-thaw cycling results in residual deformation of the rock mass which cannot be fully restored.Analysis shows that the rock mass at the free side of the steep-dip joint rotates slightly under the frost heaving effect,causing fracture propagation.The fracture propagation pattern is a circular arc at the beginning,then extends to the possible sliding direction of the rock mass.Frost heaving force and fracture water pressure are the key factors for the failure of the slope,which can cause the crack to penetrate the rock mass,and a landslide ensues when the overall anti-sliding resistance of the rock mass is overcome.

Fuzzy Random Reliability Analysis of Blocky Rock-Mass in Slopes

Slope stability assessment is a geotechnical problem characterized by many sources of uncertainty. In clas- sical reliability analysis, only the randomness of uncertainties is taken into account but the fuzziness of them is ignored. In this paper, a fuzzy probability approach and a fuzzy JC method are presented for the reliability analysis. The two methods have been applied to stability analysis of a certain slope of permanent ship lock in the Three-Gorges Project. The results obtained from these two methods are basically the same. However, compared with the fuzzy probability means, the fuzzy JC method can reflect the real situation better because it uses a fuzzy-based analysis applied to not only limit state equation but also mechanical parameters.

Mechanical properties and failure characteristics of fractured sandstone with grouting and anchorage

Based on uniaxial compression experimental results on fractured sandstone with grouting and anchorage, we studied the strength and deformation properties, the failure model, crack formation and evolution laws of fractured sandstone under different conditions of anchorage. The experimental results show that the strength and elastic modulus of fractured sandstone with different fracture angles are significantly lower than those of intact sandstone. Compared with the fractured samples without anchorage,the peak strength, residual strength, peak and ultimate axial strain of fractured sandstone under different anchorage increase by 64.5–320.0%, 62.8–493.0%, and 31.6–181.4%, respectively. The number of bolts and degree of pre-stress has certain effects on the peak strength and failure model of fractured sandstone. The peak strength of fractured sandstone under different anchorage increases to some extent, and the failure model of fractured sandstone also transforms from tensile failure to tensile–shear mixed failure with the number of bolts. The pre-stress can restrain the formation and evolution process of tensile cracks, delay the failure process of fractured sandstone under anchorage and impel the transformation of failure model from brittle failure to plastic failure.

Geotechnical investigations and remediation design for failure of tunnel portal section： a case study in northern Turkey

Mass movements are very common problems in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey due to its climate conditions, geological, and geomorphological characteristics. High slope angle, weathering, dense rainfalls, and anthropogenic impacts are generally reported as the most important triggering factors in the region. Following the portal slope excavations in the entrance section of Cankurtaran tunnel, located in the region, where the highly weathered andesitic tuff crops out, a circular toe failure occurred. The main target of the present study is to investigate the causes and occurrence mechanism of this failure and to determine the feasible remedial measures against it using finite element method(FEM) in four stages. These stages are slope stability analyses for pre-and postexcavation cases, and remediation design assessments for slope and tunnel. The results of the FEM-SSR analyses indicated that the insufficient initial support design and weathering of the andesitic tuffs are the main factors that caused the portal failure. After installing a rock retaining wall with jet grout columns and reinforced slope benching applications, the factor of safety increased from 0.83 to 2.80. In addition toslope stability evaluation, the Rock Mass Rating(RMR), Rock Mass Quality(Q) and New Austrian Tunneling Method(NATM) systems were also utilized as empirical methods to characterize the tunnel ground and to determine the tunnel support design. The performance of the suggested empirical support design, induced stress distributions and deformations were analyzed by means of numerical modelling. Finally, it was concluded that the recommended stabilization technique was essential for the dynamic long-term stability and prevents the effects of failure. Additionally, the FEM method gives useful and reasonably reliable results in evaluating the stability of cut slopes and tunnels excavated both in continuous and discontinuous rock masses.