Borehole stability in naturally fractured rocks with drilling mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening:A coupled DFN-DEM approach

Borehole instability in naturally fractured rocks poses significant challenges to drilling.Drilling mud invades the surrounding formations through natural fractures under the difference between the wellbore pressure(P w)and pore pressure(P p)during drilling,which may cause wellbore instability.However,the weakening of fracture strength due to mud intrusion is not considered in most existing borehole stability analyses,which may yield significant errors and misleading predictions.In addition,only limited factors were analyzed,and the fracture distribution was oversimplified.In this paper,the impacts of mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening on borehole stability in fractured rocks under both isotropic and anisotropic stress states are investigated using a coupled DEM(distinct element method)and DFN(discrete fracture network)method.It provides estimates of the effect of fracture strength weakening,wellbore pressure,in situ stresses,and sealing efficiency on borehole stability.The results show that mud intrusion and weakening of fracture strength can damage the borehole.This is demonstrated by the large displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on natural fractures,and the generation of fracture at shear limit.Mud intrusion reduces the shear strength of the fracture surface and leads to shear failure,which explains that the increase in mud weight may worsen borehole stability during overbalanced drilling in fractured formations.A higher in situ stress anisotropy exerts a significant influence on the mechanism of shear failure distribution around the wellbore.Moreover,the effect of sealing natural fractures on maintaining borehole stability is verified in this study,and the increase in sealing efficiency reduces the radial invasion distance of drilling mud.This study provides a directly quantitative prediction method of borehole instability in naturally fractured formations,which can consider the discrete fracture network,mud intrusion,and associated weakening of fracture strength.The information provided by the numerical approach(e.g.displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on fracture,and fracture at shear limit)is helpful for managing wellbore stability and designing wellbore-strengthening operations.

Stability analysis of loose accumulation slopes under rainfall:case study of a high‑speed railway in Southwest China

The high and steep slopes along a high-speed railway in the mountainous area of Southwest China are mostly composed of loose accumulations of debris with large internal pores and poor stability,which can easily induce adverse geological disasters under rainfall conditions.To ensure the smooth construction of the high-speed railway and the subsequent safe operation,it is necessary to master the stability evolution process of the loose accumulation slope under rainfall.This article simulates rainfall using the finite element analysis software’s hydromechanical coupling module.The slope stability under various rainfall situations is calculated and analysed based on the strength reduction method.To validate the simulation results,a field monitoring system is established to study the deformation characteristics of the slope under rainfall.The results show that rainfall duration is the key factor affecting slope stability.Given a constant amount of rainfall,the stability of the slope decreases with increasing duration of rainfall.Moreover,when the amount and duration of rainfall are constant,continuous rainfall has a greater impact on slope stability than intermittent rainfall.The setting of the field retaining structures has a significant role in improving slope stability.The field monitoring data show that the slope is in the initial deformation stage and has good stability,which verifies the rationality of the numerical simulation method.The research results can provide some references for understanding the influence of rainfall on the stability of loose accumulation slopes along high-speed railways and establishing a monitoring system.

Two-dimensional face stability analysis in rock masses governed by the Hoek-Brown strength criterion with a new multi-horn mechanism

The face stability problem is a major concern for tunnels excavated in rock masses governed by the Hoek-Brown strength criterion.To provide an accurate prediction for the theoretical solution of the critical face pressure,this study adopts the piecewise linear method(PLM)to account for the nonlinearity of the strength envelope and proposes a new multi-horn rotational mechanism based on the Hoek-Brown strength criterion and the associative flow rule.The analytical solution of critical support pressure is derived from the energy-work balance equation in the framework of the plastic limit theorem;it is formulated as a multivariable nonlinear optimization problem relying on 2m dependent variables(m is the number of segments).Meanwhile,two classic linearized measures,the generalized tangential technique(GTT)and equivalent Mohr-Coulomb parameters method(EMM),are incorporated into the analysis for comparison.Surprisingly,the parametric study indicates a significant improvement in support pressure by up to 13%compared with the GTT,and as expected,the stability of the tunnel face is greatly influenced by the rock strength parameters.The stress distribution on the rupture surface is calculated to gain an intuitive understanding of the failure at the limit state.Although the limit analysis is incapable of calculating the true stress distribution in rock masses,a rough approximation of the stress vector on the rupture surface is permitted.In the end,sets of normalized face pressure are provided in the form of charts for a quick assessment of face stability in rock masses.

Strength and Stability Analysis of Deep Sea Drilling Risers

In order to analyze the influence of vortex-induced vibration on the strength and stability of marine drilling risers, a simplified analytical model was established and a method for calculating vortex-induced dynamic response was developed. A case study indicated that at primary resonance, first-order dynamic displacement response is greater than higher-order mode responses, but the influence of dynamic moment and shearing force of higher-order modes cannot be ignored. The natural fi＇equency of risers decreased sharply with increasing length of the riser, but increased with increasing top tension. Various factors should be considered to avoid vortex-induced vibration in practical application, and the influence of vortex-induced vibration could be estimated by calculating the fatigue lifetime of riser.

Stability analysis of shallow tunnels subjected to seepage with strength reduction theory

Based on strength reduction theory,the stability numbers of shallow tunnels were investigated within the framework of upper and lower bound theorems of limit analysis. Stability solutions taking into account of water seepage were presented and compared with those without considering seepage. The comparisons indicate that the maximum difference does not exceed 3.7%,which proves the present method credible. The results show that stability numbers of shallow tunnels considering seepage are much less than those without considering seepage,and that the difference of stability numbers between considering seepage and without considering seepage increase with increasing the depth ratio. The stability numbers decrease with increasing permeability coefficient and groundwater depth. Seepage has significant effects on the stability numbers of shallow tunnels.

Couple analysis on strength reduction theory and rheological mechanism for slope stability

Considering the rheological properties of rock and soil body,and exploiting the merit of strength reduction technique,a theory of couple analysis is brought forward on the basis of strength reduction theory and rheological properties.Then,the concept and the calculation procedure of the safety factor are established at different time.Making use of finite element software ANSYS,the most dangerous sliding surface of the slope can be obtained through the strength reduction technique.According to the dynamic safety factor based on rheological mechanism,a good forecasting could be presented to prevent and cure the landslide.The result shows that the couple analysis reveals the process of the slope failure with the time and the important influence on the long-term stability due to the rheological parameters.

Upper bound analysis of slope stability with nonlinear failure criterion based on strength reduction technique

Based on the upper bound limit analysis theorem and the shear strength reduction technique, the equation for expressing critical limit-equilibrium state was employed to define the safety factor of a given slope and its corresponding critical failure mechanism by means of the kinematical approach of limit analysis theory. The nonlinear shear strength parameters were treated as variable parameters and a kinematically admissible failure mechanism was considered for calculation schemes. The iterative optimization method was adopted to obtain the safety factors. Case study and comparative analysis show that solutions presented here agree with available predictions when nonlinear criterion reduces to linear criterion, and the validity of present method could be illuminated. From the numerical results, it can also be seen that nonlinear parameter rn, slope foot gradient ,β, height of slope H, slope top gradient a and soil bulk density γ have significant effects on the safety factor of the slope.

Limit equilibrium analysis for rock slope stability using basic Hoek–Brown strength criterion

Hoek–Brown(HB)strength criterion can reflect rock’s inherent failure nature,so it is more suitable for analyzing the stability of rock slopes.However,the traditional limit equilibrium methods are at present only suitable for analyzing the rock slope stability using the linear equivalent Mohr–Coulomb(EMC)strength parameters instead of the nonlinear HB strength criterion.Therefore,a new method derived to analyze directly the rock slope stability using the nonlinear HB strength criterion for arbitrary curve slip surface was described in the limit equilibrium framework.The current method was established based on certain assumptions concerning the stresses on the slip surface through amending the initial normal stressσ0 obtained without considering the effect of inter-slice forces,and it can satisfy all static equilibrium conditions of the sliding body,so the current method can obtain the reasonable and strict factor of safety(FOS)solutions.Compared with the results of other methods in some examples,the feasibility of the current method was verified.Meanwhile,the parametric analysis shows that the slope angleβhas an important influence on the difference of the results obtained using the nonlinear HB strength criterion and its linear EMC strength parameters.Forβ≤45°,both of the results are similar,showing the traditional limit equilibrium methods using the linear EMC strength parameters and the current method are all suitable to analyze rock slope stability,but forβ>60°,the differences of both the results are obvious,showing the actual slope stability state can not be reflected in the traditional limit equilibrium methods,and then the current method should be used.

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

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

Assessment on strength reduction schemes for geotechnical stability analysis involving the Drucker-Prager criterion

For geotechnical stability analysis involving the Drucker-Prager(DP)criterion,both the c-ϕreduction scheme and the M-K reduction scheme can be utilized.With the aid of the second-order cone programming optimized finite element method(FEM-SOCP),a comparison of the two strength reduction schemes for the stability analysis of a homogeneous slope and a multilayered slope is carried out.Numerical investigations disclose that the FoS results calculated by the c-ϕreduction scheme agree well with those calculated by the classical Morgenstern-Price solutions.However,the FoS results attained by the M-K reduction scheme may lead to conservative estimation of the geotechnical safety,particularly for the cases with large internal friction angles.In view of the possible big difference in stability analysis results caused by the M-K reduction scheme,the c-ϕreduction scheme is recommended for the geotechnical stability analyses involving the DP criterion.

Wellbore stability model in shale formation under the synergistic effect of stress unloading-hydration

According to the transversely isotropic theory and weak plane criterion, and considering the mechanical damages due to stress unloading and hydration during drilling, a shale wellbore stability model with the influence of stress unloading and hydration was established using triaxial test and shear test. Then, factors influencing the wellbore stability in shale were analyzed. The results indicate that stress unloading occurs during drilling in shale. The larger the confining pressure and axial stress, the more remarkable weakening of shale strength caused by stress unloading. The stress unloading range is positively correlated with the weakening degree of shale strength. Shale with a higher development degree of bedding is more prone to damage along bedding. In this case, during stress unloading, the synergistic effect of weak structural plane and stress unloading happens, leading to a higher weakening degree of shale strength and poorer mechanical stability, which brings a higher risk of wellbore instability. Fluid tends to invade shale through bedding, promoting the shale hydration. Hydration also can weaken shale mechanical stability, causing the decline of wellbore stability. Influence of stress unloading on collapse pressure of shale mainly occurs at the early stage of drilling, while the influence of hydration on wellbore stability mainly happens at the late stage of drilling. Bedding, stress unloading and hydration jointly affect the wellbore stability in shale. The presented shale wellbore stability model with the influence of stress unloading and hydration considers the influences of the three factors. Field application demonstrates that the prediction results of the model agree with the actual drilling results, verifying the reliability of the model.

Seismic stability safety evaluation of gravity dam with shear strength reduction method

A new method of numerical seismic stability safety evaluation for a rock slope is proposed based on the analysis of a gravity dam foundation subjected to earthquake loading. The shear strengths of the weak discontinuities are divided by different shear strength reduction ratios （K） and numerical seismic analysis is carried out after the static analysis is completed. With different K values, the curves of the permanent horizontal displacement of key points of the dam foundation （K-displacement curves） are studied. According to the curve change, the distribution of plastic zones in the foundation, and the slow convergence of the finite element method （FEM）, the seismic stability safety factor is defined as Kwhen the gravity dam is in the limit equilibrium state subjected to earthquake loading. These concepts were applied to the evaluation of seismic stability safety of a gravity dam for a hydropower project. The analysis of the example shows that the proposed method is feasible and is an effective method of seismic stability safety evaluation.

Influence of particle size and ionic strength on the freeze-thaw stability of emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate

The influence of particle size and ionic strength on the freeze-thaw(FT) stability of emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate(WPI) was investigated in this study. The destabilization of emulsions during the FT process could be suppressed in a way by decreasing the particle size of the initial emulsions, which was the result of retarding the coalescence between oil droplets. To further improve the FT stability of emulsions, different amounts of Na Cl were added before emulsification. The emulsions with the ionic strength at 30–50 mmol/L exhibited good FT stability. Notably, the ionic strength in this range would not lower the freezing point of emulsions below the freezing temperature used in this study. Salt addition could improve the structural properties of proteins, which was available to strengthen the rigidity and thickness of interfacial layers, sequentially building up the resistance that the destruction of ice crystals to emulsions. Moreover, stronger flocculation between emulsion droplets could promote the formation of a gel-like network structure dominated by elasticity in the emulsion system, which might effectively inhibit the movement of droplets, and improve the FT stability of emulsions eventually. The result was of great significance for the preparation of emulsion-based foods with improved FT stability.

Vane Shear Strength Based Stability Analysis of Slopes in Unconsolidated Soft Clay

In-situ vane shear test is frequently performed to determine shear strength for slope stability analysis in Tianjin New Harbor.However,the soil shear strength varies with the shear plane orientation.A possible means to reduce the effect of directional dependency of shear strength is to convert the in-situ vane shear strength into undrained shear strength parameters.A method of converting in-situ vane shear strength into undrained shear strength parameters is presented.The shear strength parameters determined for all of the in-situ vane shear strengths are subjected to statistical regression analysis to take into consideration the possible effect of non-homogeneity in the soft clay deposit.Using the regressed shear strength parameters,slope stability analyses are performed for five existing soil slopes.The results of stability analyses indicate that the safety factors obtained from the converted parameters reflect the state of the slopes analyzed much better than those obtained from in-situ vane shear strength and laboratory consolidated-undrained and unconsolidated-undrained strength parameters.It is concluded that the presented methsod of determining undrained shear strength parameters for in-situ vane shear strength is effective.

Limit equilibrium method(LEM) of slope stability and calculation of comprehensive factor of safety with double strength-reduction technique

When the slope is in critical limit equilibrium(LE) state, the strength parameters have different contribution to each other on maintaining slope stability. That is to say that the strength parameters are not simultaneously reduced. Hence, the LE stress method is established to analyze the slope stability by employing the double strengthreduction(DSR) technique in this work. For calculation model of slope stability under the DSR technique, the general nonlinear Mohr–Coulomb(M–C) criterion is used to describe the shear failure of slope. Meanwhile, the average and polar diameter methods via the DSR technique are both adopted to calculate the comprehensive factor of safety(FOS) of slope. To extend the application of the polar diameter method, the original method is improved in the proposed method. After comparison and analysis on some slope examples, the proposed method's feasibility is verified. Thereafter, the stability charts of slope suitable for engineering application are drawn. Moreover, the studies show that:(1) the average method yields similar results as that of the polardiameter method;(2) compared with the traditional uniform strength-reduction(USR) technique, the slope stability obtained using the DSR techniquetends to be more unsafe; and(3) for a slope in the critical LE state, the strength parameter φ, i.e., internal friction angle, has greater contribution on the slope stability than the strength parameters c, i.e., cohesion.

A Calculation Method of Double Strength Reduction for Layered Slope Based on the Reduction of Water Content Intensity

The calculation of the factor of safety(FOS)is an important means of slope evaluation.This paper proposed an improved double strength reductionmethod(DRM)to analyze the safety of layered slopes.The physical properties of different soil layers of the slopes are different,so the single coefficient strength reduction method(SRM)is not enough to reflect the actual critical state of the slopes.Considering that the water content of the soil in the natural state is the main factor for the strength of the soil,the attenuation law of shear strength of clayey soil changing with water content is fitted.This paper also establishes the functional relationship between different reduction coefficients.Then,a USDFLD subroutine is programmed using the secondary development function of finite element software.Controlling the relationship between field variables and calculation time realizes double strength reduction applicable to the layered slope.Finally,by comparing the calculation results of different examples,it is proved that the stress and displacement distribution of the critical slope state obtained by the improved method is more realistic,and the calculated safety factor is more reliable.The newly proposedmethod considers the difference of intensity attenuation between different soil layers under natural conditions and avoids the disadvantage of the strength reduction method with uniform parameters,which provides a new idea and method for stability analysis of layered and complex slopes.

Biopolymer stabilization of clayey soil

This study investigates the efficacy of sodium alginate(SA),xanthan gum(XG),guar gum(GG)and chitosan(CS)d each applied at five different solid biopolymer-to-water mass ratios(or dosages)and cured for 7 d and 28 d d on the unconfined compressive strength(UCS)performance of a high plasticity clayey soil.Moreover,on identifying the optimum biopolymer-treatment scenarios,their performance was compared against conventional stabilization using hydrated lime.For a given curing time,the UCS for all biopolymers followed a riseefall trend with increasing biopolymer dosage,peaking at an optimum dosage and then subsequently decreasing,such that all biopolymer-stabilized samples mobilized higher UCS values compared to the unamended soil.The optimum dosage was found to be 1.5%for SA,XG and CS,while a notably lower dosage of 0.5%was deemed optimum for GG.Similarly,for a given biopolymer type and dosage,increasing the curing time from 7 d to 28 d further enhanced the UCS,with the achieved improvements being generally more pronounced for XG-and CS-treated cases.None of the investigated biopolymers was able to produce UCS improvements equivalent to those obtained by the 28-d soilelime samples;however,the optimum XG,GG and CS dosages,particularly after 28 d of curing,were easily able to replicate 7-d lime stabilization outcomes achieved with as high as twice the soil’s lime demand.Finally,the fundamental principles of clay chemistry,in conjunction with the soil mechanics framework,were employed to identify and discuss the clayebiopolymer stabilization mechanisms.

Slope Stability Analyses of Outang Landslide Based on the Peak and Residual Shear Strength Behavior

Most of the natural and compacted fine-grained soil slopes that are in saturated or unsaturated condition undergo a large deformation prior to reaching failure conditions.Such slopes should be designed taking account of their strain-softening behavior using the residual shear strength (RSS) parameters.In this paper,the slope stability of a recently reactivated Outang landslide near the Three Gorges Dam in China is analyzed based on the RSS parameters of unsaturated soils.In addition,comparisons are provided in the FOS values of slope using both the peak shear strength (PSS) and RSS parameters.Firstly,a series of site investigations of the hydrologic and geologic conditions,ground surface displacements and cracks were described.The PSS and RSS behaviors of the sliding soils derived from a series of direct shear test results performed on saturated and unsaturated soil specimens are summarized.Secondly,a series of slope stability analysis were conducted considering the precipitation and Yangtze River water level variation within a representative period of 7 months,based on the PSS and the RSS properties.In this study,three different scenarios were considered,which include: i) considering only the precipitation with a constant water level;ii) considering only the decrease in water level without rainfall;iii) considering the combination of precipitation and decrease in water level.In each scenario,four steps were included to calculate the values of factor of safety (FOS) at different times.1) A steady-state seepage analysis was conducted with a constant total head at 525 m on the left boundary and 175 m on the slope surface below the Yangtze River water level.The initial pore water pressures were simulated in the slope under no precipitation and variation of water level.2) A specific boundary condition was applied on the slope surface to model the precipitation and Yangtze River water level variation.A transient seepage analysis was conducted to calculate pore water pressures at different times based on the initial pore water pressures.3) The FOS values at different times were calculated by the Morgenstern-Price method taking account of the variation of pore water pressures at different times,using the peak shear strength (PSS) parameters.4) The last step was repeated replacing PSS parameters with RSS parameters.The RSS parameters were lower than the peak values from laboratory’s direct shear test results for the soils in the sliding zones.The reduction in shear strength from peak to residual state under unsaturated soil condition was greater than that for a saturated soil.The FOS decreased almost linearly with time for the scenario in which only the influence of rainfall infiltration was considered.However,the total reduction in the FOS was relatively small.The FOS decreased rapidly at a linear rate with respect to time with a decrease in water level for the scenario in which Yangtze River water level decrease was considered.The FOS reached to a relatively constant value after Yangtze River water level reached the lowest value.The decrease in Yangtze River water level was the dominant factor that contributed to a reduction in the FOS.The FOS was strongly dependent on the development of the phreatic line after the Yangtze River water level reached the lowest value.The FOS calculated by RSS (i.e.FOSR) is less than unity;they were approximately 16% lower in comparison to that calculated by PSS (FOSP).If PSS parameters were used,the slope would still be stable even under the combined influence of precipitation and Yangtze River water level decrease.These results are inconsistent with the field observations.For this reason,the RSS parameters should be taken into account to evaluate reliably the slope stability of the Outang landslide.

Effect of Precipitating Phases on Tensile Strength and Microstructural Stability of a Spray-Deposited Al-Si-Fe-Mn-Cu-Mg Alloy

Spray deposition is a novel process which is used to manufacture rapidly solidified bulk and near-net-shape preforms. In this study, AI-20Si-5Fe-3Mn-3Cu-1Mg alloy was synthesized by spray deposition technique. The aging process of the alloy was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that two kinds of phases, i.e. S(Al2CuMg) and σ(Al5Cu6Mg2), precipitate from matrix and improve the tensile strength of the alloy efficiently at both the ambient and elevated temperatures (300℃). In addition, the σ-Al5Cu6Mg2 is a relatively stable phase which improves microstructural stability of the alloy.

Efficient stabilization of dredged sludge with high water content using an improved bio-carbonation of reactive magnesia cement method

This study proposed an improved bio-carbonation of reactive magnesia cement(RMC)method for dredged sludge stabilization using the urea pre-hydrolysis strategy.Based on unconfined compression strength(UCS),pickling-drainage,and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)tests,the effects of prehydrolysis duration(T),urease activity(UA)and curing age(CA)on the mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics of bio-carbonized samples were systematically investigated and analyzed.The results demonstrated that the proposed method could significantly enhance urea hydrolysis and RMC bio-carbonation to achieve efficient stabilization of dredged sludge with 80%high water content.A significant strength increment of up to about 1063.36 kPa was obtained for the bio-carbonized samples after just 7 d of curing,which was 2.64 times higher than that of the 28-day cured ordinary Portland cement-reinforced samples.Both elevated T and UA could notably increase urea utilization ratio and carbonate ion yield,but the resulting surge in supersaturation also affected the precipitation patterns of hydrated magnesia carbonates(HMCs),which weakened the cementation effect of HMCs on soil particles and further inhibited strength enhancement of bio-carbonized samples.The optimum formula was determined to be the case of T?24 h and UA?10 U/mL for dredged sludge stabilization.A 7-day CA was enough for bio-carbonized samples to obtain stable strength,albeit slightly affected by UA.The benefits of high efficiency and water stability presented the potential of this method in achieving dredged sludge stabilization and resource utilization.This investigation provides informative ideas and valuable insights on implementing advanced bio-geotechnical techniques to achieve efficient stabilization of soft soil,such as dredged sludge.