Stress tensor determination by modified hydraulic tests on pre-existing fractures:Method and stress constraints

The hydraulic testing of pre-existing fractures(HTPF)is one of the most promising in situ stress measurement methods,particularly for three-dimensional stress tensor determination.However,the stress tensor determination based on the HTPF method requires at least six tests or a minimum of 14-15 tests(under different conditions)for reliable results.In this study,we modified the HTPF method by considering the shear stress on each pre-existing fracture,which increased the number of equations for the stress tensor determination and decreased the number of tests required.Different shear stresses were attributed to different fractures by random sampling;therefore,the stress tensors were obtained by searching for the optimal solution using the least squares criterion based on the Monte Carlo method.Thereafter,we constrained the stress tensor based on the tensile strength criterion,compressive strength criterion,and vertical stress constraints.The inverted stress tensors were presented and analyzed based on the tensorial nature of the stress using the Euclidean mean stress tensor.Two stress-measurement campaigns in Weifang(Shandong Province,China)and Mercantour road tunnel(France)were implemented to highlight the validity and efficiency of the modified HTPF(M-HTPF)method.The results showed that the M-HTPF method can be applied for stress tensor inversion using only three to four tests on pre-existing fractures,neglecting the stress gradient.The inversion results were confined to relatively small distribution dispersions and were significantly reliable and stable due to the shear stresses on the fractures and the stress constraints employed.The M-HTPF method is highly feasible and efficient for complete stress tensor determination in a single borehole.

Analysis on the gear-shifting schedule of hydraulic automatic transmission

With an advanced foreign hydraulic automatic transmission as the objective,an analytical method for the gear-shifting schedule is proposed.First the demanded maximum gradient of test is estimated.Then a test scheme and analytical procedure is formulated by initial test and hypothetical shift parameters.Finally through gear-shifting tests under different road conditions,load,accelerator pedal position limitation,throttle opening and output shaft speed are found to be the gear-shifting parameters.Under a common road condition,the gear-shifting schedule is a double-parameter schedule.Based on the driver＇s demands on braking and dynamic performance,different shift schedules are made under downhill,uphill and quick releasing acceleration pedal conditions.The operation criteria of down-shift schedule on abrupt grade are proposed.

Warm hydroforming of magnesium alloy tube with large expansion ratio

Process of warm tube hydroforming was experimentally investigated for forming an AZ31B magnesium alloy tubular part with a large expansion ratio. Effects of temperature on the mechanical properties and formability were studied by uniaxial tensile test and hydraulic bulge test. Total elongation increases with temperature up to 250℃, but uniform elongation and maximum expansion ratio get the highest value at 175℃. Different axial feeding amounts were applied in experiments to determine the reasonable loading path. A preform with useful wrinkles was then realized and the tubular part with an expansion ratio of 50% was formed. Finally, mechanical condition to produce useful wrinkles is deduced and the result illustrates that useful wrinkles are easier to be obtained for tube with higher strain hardening coefficient value and tubular part with smaller expansion ratio.

Estimates for the local permeability of the Cobourg limestone

Argillaceous limestone formations are being proposed as sites suitable for constructing a deep geologic repository for storing low-to intermediate-level nuclear waste in southern Ontario, Canada. The Cobourg limestone is characterized by a visual appearance of heterogeneity resulting from light gray calcite nodular regions interspersed with dark gray calcite-dolomite-quartz partings containing a clay component. This paper presents the results of experiments conducted to determine the permeability of both the light gray and the dark gray species of the Cobourg limestone. The permeabilities were successfully estimated from both steady state and hydraulic pulse tests conducted using specially designed miniature water entry ports, which were epoxied to the surface of the rock sample containing cavities drilled into the rock species of interest. The results show that the dark gray species of the Cobourg limestone has a permeability that is roughly one order of magnitude greater than the light gray calcite species.

Main Gas Pipelines： Fracture Resistance Assessment of Pipes

This paper proposes an estimation method of fracture resistance of oil ＆ gas pipes, based on the results of full scale hydraulic pressure pipe testing with the artificial notch, made by the authors at 2002-2006. It shows that the fracture process at the stage of stripping （initialization） of crack can be characterized by Critical Fracture Diagram （CFD）. Calculating and experimental way to construct CFD is suggested and discussed. The fracture resistance requirements for oil ＆ gas pipes in terms of fracture mechanics （Kc, Lc） are formulated and proved. The results of full scale hydraulic pressure pipe testing, based on metal testing data of the standard Charpy specimens （KCV） and pipe＇s specification requirements are interrelated. The way to estimate the admissible temperature operation conditions of oil ＆ gas pipes by means of based metal ＂KCV-temperature＂ dependence is proposed.

Characterization of mechanical properties for tubular materials based on hydraulic bulge test under axial feeding force

A T-shape tube hydraulic bulge test under axial feeding force is carried out to characterize the mechanical properties of EN AW 5049-O and 6060-O aluminium alloys.The punch displacement,T-branch height and axial compressive force are recorded online during the experiment.An intelligent inverse identification framework combining the finite element method and numerical optimization algorithm is developed to determine material parameters by fitting simulated results to the experimental data iteratively.The identified constitutive parameters using the inverse modelling technique are compared with those determined by the theoretical analysis and uniaxial tensile test.The comparison shows that the predicted bulge height and punch force based on the material parameters obtained by the three methods are different and the inverse strategy produces the smallest gap between numerical and experimental values.It is possible to conclude that the hydraulic bulge test can be applied to characterize the stress-strain curve of tubular materials at the large strain scope,and the automatic inverse framework is a more accurate post-processing procedure to identify material constitutive parameters compared with the classical analytical model.

An Experi mental Study on Wave-Induced Dynamic Stresses in Seabed

A series of hydraulic model tests with horizontal movable seabed under regular wave actions have been carried out to investigate the dynamic interactions between water waves and seabed soil. Seabed dynamic stresses from experiments are, tound to differ from theoretical resuhs. The response of p0 in permeable seabed has a small decay and phase shift to the nonlinear wave actions, and the dynamic stresses, σs/p0, σh/p0 and u/p0, contain different phase shift characteristics. Such phenomena will strongly affect the dynamic stress path in seabed. If the phase shifts of σs. and σh are neglected, the stress path will become a straight line; otherwise, it will become an elliptical curve. In phase shift cases, the long axis of the p - q diagram will be shortened when the depth increases, and the short axis will become longer when the phase shift increases. For the p＇ - q＇ diagram, the larger the phase lag of u, the longer the short axis. Relative results offer useful information for the analysis of seabed stability.

Components Qualification for the Safe Operation of Nuclear Power Plants

AREVA operates a world-wide unique thermal hydraulic platform to ensure high safety standards in the nuclear industries. This platform is operated as an accredited test and inspection body according to ISO 17025 and 17020 to grant a high and independently confmned quality standard. The accreditation also ensures the independency of the organization and confidentiality to the individual stakeholders, for example research centers, utilities, components suppliers, engineering companies and vendors. Especially for nuclear power plants, it is very relevant to consider that reliability depends on the integrity of its components during its life time-from design through construction, operation and maintenance. For example, a typical NPP （nuclear power plant） has 1,000 to 2,000 large valves and 7,500 to 12,500 small valves, of which about 200 to 400 are designated Safety Class 1. The qualification of these Safety Class 1 components is relevant for reactor new builds but also for installed plants. This paper explains newly established qualification tasks, the corresponding testing infrastructure, and the state of the art of testing technology. By way of example, the paper describes the program and possible sequence of qualifying NPP safety-related components.

Experimental study on slurry-induced fracturing during shield tunneling

Facial support in slurry shield tunneling is provided by slurry pressure to balance the external earth and water pressure.Hydraulic fracturing may occur and cause a significant decrease in the support pressure if the slurry pressure exceeds the threshold of the soil or rock material,resulting in a serious face collapse accident.Preventing the occurrence of hydraulic fracturing in a slurry shield requires investigating the effects of related influencing factors on the hydraulic fracturing pressure and fracture pattern.In this study,a hydraulic fracturing apparatus was developed to test the slurry-induced fracturing of cohesive soil.The effects of different sample parameters and loading conditions,including types of holes,unconfined compressive strength,slurry viscosity,and axial and circumferential loads,on the fracturing pressure and fracture dip were examined.The results indicate that the fracture dip is mainly affected by the deviator stress.The fracturing pressure increases linearly with the increase in the circumferential pressure,but it is almost independent of the axial pressure.The unconfined compressive strength of soil can reflect its ability to resist fracturing failure.The fracturing pressure increases with an increase in the unconfined compressive strength as well as the slurry viscosity.Based on the test results,an empirical approach was proposed to estimate the fracturing pressure of the soil.

Influence of Heat Treatment on Hydroformability of TRIP Seamless Steel Tube

A low-carbon TRIP seamless steel tube, which is expected to be used in the hydroforming process, was successfully fabricated using piercing, cold-drawing and two-stage heat treatment process. The two-stage heat treatment is one crucial step because it significantly affects the microstructure and mechanical properties of TRIP seam less steel tube. In order to obtain the TRIP seamless steel tube with high hydroformability, several different heat treatment processes were conducted. The effects of heat treatment conditions （intercritical annealing （IA） and isothermal bainite treatment （IBT）） on the TRIP seamless steel tube hydroformability which was determined by free hydraulic bulge test were analyzed. Two different internal pressure boosting velocities of 0.2 and 0.5 MPa/s of free hydraulic bulge tests were adopted to determine the effective stress vs. effective strain curve of TRIP seamless steel tube. The results showed that for the predetermined IA condition, the maximum bulge height increased, but the maximum burst internal pressure decreased, with the increase of IBT holding time from 4 to 6 rain. For the predetermined IBT condition, the maximum bulge height decreased, but the maximum burst internal pressure increased, with the increase of IA holding time from 5 to 10 rain. By analyzing the free hydraulic bulge test results, it was found that the maximum bulge heights of TRIP seamless steel tubes with the internal pressure boosting velocity of 0.5 MPa/s were higher than those when the internal pressure boosting velocity was 0.2 MPa/s. This means that an appropriate deformation rate should be chosen to obtain the optimal hydroformability of TRIP seamless steel tube. In addition, the effective stress vs. effective strain curves of TRIP seamless steel tubes were ohtained with free hydraulic bulge test.

An inverse strategy to determine constitutive parameters of tubular materials for hydroforming processes

This paper is to determine the flow stress curve of 5049-O aluminium alloy by a tube hydraulic bulging test with fixed end-conditions. During this test, several tubular specimens are bulged under different internal pressures before their bursting, and the corresponding bulging height and wall thickness at the pole are measured. An inverse strategy is developed to determine the constitutive parameters of tubular materials based on experimental data, which combines the finite element method with gradient-based optimization techniques. In this scheme, the objective function is formulated with the sum of least squares of the error between numerical and experimental data, and finite difference approximation is used to calculate the gradient. The tubular material behavior is assumed to meet the von Mises yield criterion and Hollomon exponential hardening law. Then, constitutive parameters identification is performed by minimization of the objective function. In order to validate the performance of this framework, identified parameters are compared with those obtained by two types of theoretical models, and tensile tests are performed on specimens cut from the same tubes. The comparison shows that this inverse framework is robust and can achieve a more accurate parameter identification by eliminating mechanical and geometrical assumptions in classical theoretical analysis.