Assessing the range of blasting-induced cracks in the surrounding rock of deeply buried tunnels based on the unified strength theory

Blasting-induced cracks in the rock surrounding deeply buried tunnels can result in water gushing and rock mass collapse,posing significant safety risks.However,previous theoretical studies on the range of blasting-induced cracks often ignore the impact of the in-situ stress,especially that of the intermediate principal stress.The particle displacement−crack radius relationship was established in this paper by utilizing the blasthole cavity expansion equation,and theoretical analytical formulas of the stress−displacement relationship and the crack radius were derived with unified strength theory to accurately assess the range of cracks in deep surrounding rock under a blasting load.Parameter analysis showed that the crushing zone size was positively correlated with in-situ stress,intermediate principal stress,and detonation pressure,whereas negatively correlated with Poisson ratio and decoupling coefficient.The dilatancy angle-crushing zone size relationship exhibited nonmonotonic behavior.The relationships in the crushing zone and the fracture zone exhibited opposite trends under the influence of only in-situ stress or intermediate principal stress.As the in-situ stress increased from 0 to 70 MPa,the rate of change in the crack range and the attenuation rate of the peak vibration velocity gradually slowed.

Continuous-discontinuous element method for three-dimensional thermal cracking of rocks

Thermal cracking of rocks can significantly affect the durability of underground structures in engineering practices such as geothermal energy extraction,storage of nuclear waste and tunnelling in freezeethaw cycle induced areas.It is a scenario of strong coupled thermomechanical process involving discontinuity behaviours of rocks.In this context,a numerical model was proposed to investigate the thermal cracking of rocks,in a framework of the continuous-discontinuous element method(CDEM)for efficiently capturing the initiation and propagation of multiple cracks.A simplex integration strategy was adopted to account for the influences of temperature-dependent material properties.Several benchmark tests were considered and the obtained results were compared with analytical solutions and numerical results from the literature.The results show that the fracture degree of the cases when considering temperature-dependent material parameters had 10%differences approximately compared with the cases with constant parameters.

ULF electric and magnetic anomalies accompanying the cracking of rock sample

The anomalies of electric-magnetic field and self-potential before earthquakes are important precursory phenom-ena. A simulating experiment study on the variations in ultra-low frequency (ULF) magnetic field and self-poten-tial during rock cracking was carried out in a magnetic field-free space. The results revealing in detail the whole process of the occurrences of electric and magnetic anomalies are significant for understanding the microscopic mechanism of ULF electric and magnetic signals. The experiment indicated that at the initial stage the slow changes in strain, self-potential and magnetic field with small amounts appeared firstly near the source of initial cracking, and then extended as the crack developed on. In the time domain, the self-potential anomaly emerged first and ULF magnetic field changes arose then. The shape of the ULF electric and magnetic anomaly varied ob-viously in early-, mid- and late-term of the test. The authors attributed the pulse-like changes of self-potential to the generation and movement of the accumulated electric charges during the cracking caused by charge separation on the crack tips within the sample. While the magnetic pulses of shorter-period at the last stage of the test, may be induced by instantaneous electric current of the accumulated charge during the cracking acceleration. The technical method and the observational results of this experiment are given in detail and the microscopic mechanism of elec-tric and magnetic precursors before earthquake are discussed in the present paper as well.

Characteristics of acoustic emission signals in damp cracking coal rocks

A uniaxial load experiment on coal rocks at different stress rates was carried out, based on the characteristics of acoustic emission (AE) signals in cracking coal rocks, decomposition, de-noising and reconstruction for the AE signals through wavelet packet transform for solving the current problems created by the presence of noise in AE signals and the existing problems in AE signal processing. The results show that the various characteristics of AE signals in coal rocks cracking under different situations can be clearly reflected, after the AE signals are de-noised by the wavelet packet. Compared to dry coal rocks, the number of AE occurrences in damp coal rocks was significantly reduced, as well as the average amplitude. The number of AE occurrences in damp and dry coal rocks clearly increased with increases in the loading rate, but the largest amplitude of the AE signals in damp coal rocks has been reduced. There is no clear evidence of change in dry coal rocks.

Numerical analysis of confinement effect on crack propagation mechanism from a flaw in a pre-cracked rock under compression

In many situations rocks are subjected to biaxial loading and the failure process is controlled by the lateral confinement stresses. The importance of confinement stresses has been recognized in the literature by many researchers, in particular, its influence on strength and on the angle of fracture, but still there is not a clear description for the influence of confining stress on the crack propagation mechanism of rocks. This paper presents a numerical pro- cedure for the analysis of crack propagation in rock-like ma- terials under compressive biaxial loads. Several numerical simulations of biaxial tests on the rock specimen have been carried out by a bonded particle model （BPM） and the influ- ence of confinement on the mechanism of crack propagation from a single flaw in rock specimens is studied. For this purpose, several biaxial compressive tests on rectangular spec- imens under different confinement stresses were modeled in （2 dimensional particle flow code） PFC2D. The results show that wing cracks initiate perpendicular to the flaw and trend toward the direction of major stress, however, when the lat- eral stresses increase, this initiation angle gets wider. Also it is concluded that in addition to the material type, the initiation direction of the secondary cracks depends on confine- ment stresses, too. Besides, it is understood that secondary cracks may be produced from both tensile and shear mechanisms.

Effects of water intrusion and loading rate on mechanical properties of and crack propagation in coal–rock combinations

Tackling the problems of underground water storage in collieries in arid regions requires knowledge of the effect of water intrusion and loading rate on the mechanical properties of and crack development in coal–rock combinations. Fifty-four coal–rock combinations were prepared and split equally into groups containing different moisture contents(dry, natural moisture and saturated) to conduct acoustic emission testing under uniaxial compression with loading rates ranging from 0.1 mm/min to 0.6 mm/min. The results show that the peak stress and strength-softening modulus, elastic modulus, strain-softening modulus, and post-peak modulus partly decrease with increasing moisture content and loading rate. In contrast, peak strain increases with increasing moisture content and fluctuates with rising loading rate. More significantly, the relationship between stiffness and stress, combined with accumulated counts of acoustic emission, can be used to precisely predict all phases of crack propagation. This is helpful in studying the impact of moisture content and loading rate on crack propagation and accurately calculating mechanical properties. We also determined that the stress thresholds of crack closure, crack initiation, and crack damage do not vary with changes of moisture content and loading rate, constituting 15.22%, 32.20%, and 80.98% of peak stress, respectively. These outcomes assist in developing approaches to water storage in coal mines, determining the necessary width of waterproof coal–rock pillars, and methods of supporting water-enriched roadways, while also advances understanding the mechanical properties of coal–rock combinations and laws of crack propagation.

ZONAL DISINTEGRATION MECHANISM OF DEEP CRACK-WEAKENED ROCK MASSES UNDER DYNAMIC UNLOADING

Size and quantity of fractured zone and non-fractured zone are controlled by cracks contained in deep rock masses. Zonal disintegration mechanism is strongly dependent on the interaction among cracks. The strong interaction among cracks is investigated using stress superposition principle and the Chebyshev polynomials expansion of the pseudo-traction. It is found from numerical results that crack nucleation, growth and coalescence lead to failure of deep crack- weakened rock masses. The stress redistribution around the surrounding rock mass induced by unloading excavation is studied. The effect of the excavation time on nucleation, growth, interaction and coalescence of cracks was analyzed. Moreover, the influence of the excavation time on the size and quantity of fractured zone and non-fractured zone was given. When the excavation time is short, zonal disintegration phenomenon may occur in deep rock masses. It is shown from numerical results that the size and quantity of fractured zone increase with decreasing excavation time, and the size and quantity of fractured zone increase with the increasing value of in-situ geostress.

Experimental Study on Mechanical Characteristics of Cracked Rock Mass Reinforced by Bolting and Grouting

The stress hardening characteristics of the reinforced rock mass in uniaxial compression tests were revealed by means of the experimental study on mechanical characteristics of cracked rock mass reinforced by bolting and grouting. And the load-beating mechanism of the reinforced rock mass was perfectly reflected by the experiment. The results can offer some useful advice for support design and stability analysis of deep drifts in unstable strata.

Coordination and evolution mechanism of fractal crack network in mining rock mass destruction

Based on the natural characters of stratum, complicated geological mining conditions and the essence of mining rock mass destruction, the complexity of rock mass destruction caused by miningw as analyzed. The inner link between rock mass destruction phenomena caused by mining and nonlinear science was revealed. There are numerous cracks in natural rock mass. The cracks’ distribution is irregular and is of statistical fractal structure. Self-organizational nonlinear evolution of the inner structure flaws leads to the rock mass destruction with external force. The evolution includes single fault’s fractal development, formation and evolution of fractal crack network and coordination of fractal crack network, etc. The law of fractal crack network’s evolution was introduced, at the same time, the coordination of fractal crack network was analyzed. Finally, based on coordination the principal equation of mining-caused subsidence of structural rock mass was established and its steady-state solution and unsteady-state solution were found.

Testing study of subcritical crack growth rate and fracture toughness in different rocks

Subcritical crack growth of double torsion specimens made of ore, lherzolite, marble and granite was studied using Instron1342 type electro hydraulic servo test machine. The relations of the mode-I stress intensity factor KI versus the subcritical crack growth velocity v and the fracture toughness KIC were obtained by the double torsion constant displacement load relaxation method. The behavior of subcritical crack growth was analyzed for different rocks. The results show that lgKI—lgv relations of four kinds of rocks measured by this method accord with linear rule, i.e. the relations between subcritical crack growth velocity and stress intensity factor have a power law, which is in good agreement with CHARLES theory. lgKI—lgv curves move to top left corner with the decrease of the elastic modulus, which implies that the subcritical crack growth velocity speeds up. The maximum subcritical crack growth velocity exhibits negative exponential increase, and mode-I fracture toughness KIC decreases with the decrease of elastic modulus. The testing results provide a basis for time-dependence of rock engineering stability.

Deformation analysis of transversely isotropic coal-rock mass with porous and cracks

Coal-rock as a typical sedimentary rock has obvious stratification,namely it has transversely isotropic feature.Meanwhile,deformation leads to coal-rock mass having the characteristics of different porous and crack structures as well as local anisotropy.Equivalent axial and circumferential strain' formulas of the pure coal-rock mass specimen with a single crack were derived through the establishment of equivalent mechanical model of standard cylindrical coal-rock specimen,and have been widely used to a variety of media combined different structures containing multiple cracks.The complete stress strain curve of a real coal-rock specimen was obtained by the CTC test.Additionally,according to the comparison with the theoretical value,the theoretical mechanical model could well explain the deformation characteristics of coal-rock mass and verify its validity.Further,following features were analyzed:strain normalized coefficient and elastic modulus(Poisson's ratio) in vertical and parallel direction to the stratification,stratification angle,porosity,pore radius,normal and tangential stiffness of crack,and the relationship of different crack width with different tangential stiffness of crack.Through the analysis above,it substantiate this claim that the theoretical model with better reliability reflects the transversely isotropic nature of the coal-rock and the local anisotropy caused by the porous and cracks.

THE CONSTITUTIVE RELATION OF CRACK-WEAKENED ROCK MASSES UNDER AXIAL-DIMENSIONAL UNLOADING

An accurate and efficient numerical method for solving the crack-crack interaction problem is presented. The method is mainly by means of the dislocation model, stress superposition principle and Chebyshev polynomial expansion of the pseudo-traction. This method can be applied to compute the stress intensity factors of multiple kinked cracks and multiple rows of periodic cracks as well as the overall strains of rock masses containing multiple kinked cracks under complex loads. Many complex computational examples are given. The dependence of the crack-crack interaction on the crack configuration, the geometrical and physical parameters, and loads pattern, is investigated. By comparison with numerical results under confining pressure unloading, it is shown that the crack-crack interaction under axial-dimensional unloading is weaker than those under confining pressure unloading. Numerical results for single faults and crossed faults show that the single faults are more unstable than the crossed faults. It is found from numerical results for different crack lengths and different crack spacing that the interaction among kinked cracks decreases with an increase in length of the kinked cracks and the crack spacing under axial-dimensional unloading.

Electric potential and apparent resistivity in rocks containing non-uniformly distributed cracks

In this paper, the formula of electric field distribution and ground apparent resistivity of high resistance rock medium containing low resistance crack are deduced and simulated. The result shows that interstitial parameters, such as buried depth, scale, strike, and real resistivity, etc, have influence on observation and computing result of apparent resistivity. This study provided a useful foundation for earthquake prediction using apparent resistivity method.

Use of double edge-cracked Brazilian disk geometry for compression-shear fracture investigation of rock

A new specimen geometry-the double edge-cracked Brazilian disk and a relevant fracture analysis byweight function method are proposed for the investigation of rock fracture caused by compression-shear loading. Notonly can the mixed mode fracture with any ratio of KⅠ/KⅡ be achieved, but also the pure mode Ⅱ crack extensioncan be obtained. The combined mode fracture analysis for this geometry shows that diametral compression in the far-field can induce a compression-shear stress state in the singular stress field ahead of crack tips. Experimental investi-gations conducted on marble specimens show that the pure mode Ⅱ crack extension can be obtained when the dimen-sionless crack length a＞0.7 and the inclined crack angle 5°≤ψ≤40°. Normalized mode Ⅰ and mode Ⅱ stress inten-sity factors decrease from -0.45 and 2.47 at ψ=5° to -1.65 and 1.52 at ψ=40°, respectively. The strains at threepoints of specimen are also measured in order to investigate the influence of stress singularity on initial crack exten-sion. The results show that the principal orientations of strain at three points are very stable in the loading process.The derived formulae are quite explicit, and the specimen geometry is easy to fabricate and convenient to achieve thepure mode Ⅱ crack extension. Therefore, it can hopefully be used to obtain mode Ⅱ fracture toughness of rock.

Numerical Study of Elastic Wave Propagation Characteristics in Cracked Rock

Numerical methods can provide extremely powerful tools for analysis and design of engineering systems with complex factors that are not possible or very difficult with the use of the conventional methods. In this paper, we use the 2-D boundary element method (BEM) program to model elastic wave excited by a point explosive source propagating in cracked rocks. As an example, we consider the typical crack distributions in rocks, both models for the real crack structure are also talked about. The elastic wave propagating in rocks with aligned cracks and parallel fractures is assumed. Effects of different crack parameters, such as crack scale length and crack density are analyzed. Numerical results show that the BEM is a powerful interpretive tool for understanding the complicated wave propagation and interaction in cracked solids.

含孔洞多裂隙复合岩层裂纹扩展和分形特性模拟研究

利用RFPA2D模拟在单轴压缩的条件下,含预制裂隙和孔洞复合岩层的裂纹扩展、破坏模式和分形特征,通过改变裂隙倾角和岩层倾角对裂纹扩展过程进行分析。结果表明:岩层倾角为0°不变而裂隙倾角变化时,模型试件破坏模式分为X型破坏模式和Y型破坏模式,对比应力-应变曲线和声发射数、分形维数-步数曲线发现分形维数对岩层破坏具有一定的表征作用;裂隙倾角为0°不变而岩层倾角变化时,模型试件破坏模式分为穿切软岩破坏模式和沿软岩破坏模式;通过Matlab计算得到的部分含孔复合岩层裂纹的分形维数与模型试件抗压强度的变化规律相同,分形维数与抗压强度之间的拟合存在显著的线性关系。

Dynamic experimental study on rock meso-cracks growth by digital image processing technique

A new meso-mechanical testing scheme based on SEM was developed to carry out the experiment of microfracturing process of rocks. The microfracturing process of the pre-crack marble sample on surrounding rock in the immerged Long-big tunnel in Jinping Cascade II Hydropower Station under uniaxial compression was recorded by using the testing scheme. According to the stereology theory, the propagation and coalescent of cracks at meso-scale were quantitatively investigated with digital technology. Therefore, the basic geometric information of rock microcracks such as area, angle, length, width, perimeter, was obtained from binary images after segmentation. The failure mechanism of specimen under uniaxial compression with the quantitative information was studied from macro and microscopic point of view. The results show that the image of microfracturing process of the specimen can be observed and recorded digitally. During the damage of the specimen, the distribution of microcracks in the specimen is still subjected to exponential distribution with some microcracks concentrated in certain regions. Finally, the change law of the fractal dimension of the local element in marble sample under different external load conditions is obtained by means of the statistical calculation of the fractal dimension.

高温环境下花岗岩损伤演变及量化研究

为揭示高温环境下岩石的损伤演变,将花岗岩加热至600℃、800℃、1 000℃并分析其断口形貌特征,采用数字图像处理技术、损伤力学和“损伤微元”理论,结合各温度下花岗岩细观裂纹特性,建立了岩石损伤评价方法,并开展岩石损伤量化研究。结果表明:花岗岩的断口特征与裂纹的萌生和扩展相关,且裂纹数量、分布密度随温度上升而增加;各温度区间下,花岗岩细观裂纹长度服从对数正态分布,内部损伤表现形式以短裂纹为主,长裂纹为辅;不同温度下花岗岩细观裂纹由单方向延伸发育成多方向贯穿,最高损伤度和温度呈正相关。该研究揭示了高温下花岗岩内部裂纹损伤演化规律,该损伤评价方法对高温地层岩石稳定性评估和地下工程的维护具有重要的参考价值。

王家岭煤矿综放工作面上覆岩层运动规律及卸压区瓦斯抽采试验研究

为实现低瓦斯高涌出矿井综放工作面安全高效开采,以王家岭煤矿为背景,结合物理相似模拟实验、UDEC数值模拟和微震监测,系统分析了王家岭煤矿综放工作面上覆岩层运动规律,在此基础上,开展了现场卸压区瓦斯抽采试验。研究结果表明:随工作面推进,煤层顶板上覆岩层垮落高度距煤层底板距离增大,离层裂隙距顶板距离增大,空洞高度减小;采空区两侧瓦斯运移通道的裂隙多于压实区的裂隙。初次来压前,采空区垂直应力随工作面的推进而降低;初次来压后,采空区垂直应力随工作面的推进而增大。在进、回风巷顶板,煤层、采空区顶底板共发生2 572个微震事件,工作面前方50 m范围内应力集中较大,应注意超前支护防范。12301工作面周期来压步距20~26 m,采动裂缝带高度90~110 m,周期来压4~6次。现场卸压区瓦斯抽采试验中,合理层位工作面瓦斯抽采量是其他层位工作面瓦斯抽采量的1.5倍,且工作面上隅角和回风流瓦斯浓度均小于0.8%,瓦斯治理效果显著。

Comprehensive Review of Studies on Metamorphic Rocks

Marble is a metamorphic rock, which is one of the 3 basic rock types (magmatic, sedimentary, metamorphic) forming the earth’s crust. The major characteristic sought after in a rock mass in the field for it to be exportable and usable as marble is its suitability to be cut in blocks. In the process of producing marble slabs from marble blocks, the blocks are expected not to contain potentially problematic hard or weak zones and their geomechanical and chemical properties should conform to the relevant standards. Ignoring of the geological properties of the rock in the process of deciding for marble production at a marble site and determination of production location, direction and method is the most important parameter that would increase production loss. In order to reduce losses by determination of geological properties of marble, many academic studies have been conducted on the effects of water saturation, temperature, freezing and thawing on its mechanical and fracture properties. There are further studies on crack propagation in marble under stress. However, even those marble blocks that are obtained based on geological parameters may suffer serious cracks or fractures due to stresses caused by their weight and geometry. Therefore, cutting direction is of critical importance in order to minimize marble waste in the process of cutting a marble block which is brought to the inventory or processing site with cracks, cavities or fractures. Certain studies exist within such context, where the geometry of the discontinuity within a block is determined using non-destructive methods, such as ultrasonic testing, in order to determine the appropriate cutting direction. Such studies made use of ultrasonic waves to determine the physical and chemical structures of magmatic and sedimentary rocks by measuring the progress velocity of sonic waves in the rock. Said studies, however, mostly worked on sedimentary and magmatic rock specimens, focusing less on metamorphic rocks such as marble due to their anisotropic properties. Understanding the academic literature studies on marble would provide significant contribution to the reduction of production losses during the processing marble blocks in processing plants and the achievement of production efficiency levels that are within economic limits. Within such scope, this study has reviewed the past academic studies on marble, classified them under 6 categories, and comprehensively analyzed each category based on materials, testing setups, test specimens, test parameters and research techniques.