Comparison between double caliper,imaging logs,and array sonic log for determining the in-situ stress direction:A case study from the ultra-deep fractured tight sandstone reservoirs,the Cretaceous Bashijiqike Formation in Keshen8 region of Kuqa depress

The tight sandstone in the Tarim Basin has the characteristics of large burial depth and development of nature fractures due to concentrated in-situ stress. Identifying the present-day in-situ stress orientation is important in hydrocarbon exploration and development, but also a key scientific question in understanding naturally fractured reservoirs. This paper presents a case study where we integrate various methods using wireline and image-log data, to identify present-day in-situ stress direction of ultra-deep fractured tight sandstone reservoirs, in the Kuqa depression. We discuss the formation mechanism of the elliptical borehole, compares the advantages and applicable conditions of the double caliper method,resistivity image logs and array sonic logs method. The well borehole diameter is measured orthogonally,then the ellipse is fitted, and the in-situ stress orientation is identified by the azimuth of the short-axis borehole, but it fails in the borehole expansion section, the fracture development section and the borehole collapse section. The micro-resistivity image logs method reveals the borehole breakouts azimuth, and also the strike of induced fractures, which are used to determine the orientation of in-situ stress. However, under water-based mud conditions, it’s hard to distinguish natural fractures from induced fractures by image logs. Under oil-based mud conditions, the induced fractures are difficult to identify due to the compromised image quality. As for the sonic log, shear waves will split when passing through an anisotropic formation, shear waves will split during propagation, and the azimuth of fast shear waves is consistent with the orientation of in-situ stress. However, it is usually affected by the anisotropy caused by the excessively fast rotation of the well log tools, so that the azimuth of fast shear wave cannot effectively reflect the orientation of the in-situ stress. Based on comprehensive assessment and comparison, in this paper we propose a method integrating various logging data to identify the orientation of in-situ stress. Among various types of logging data, the breakouts azimuth identified by image logs is proved to be the most credible in identifying the orientation of in-situ stress, while using the direction of induced fractures under water-based mud conditions is also viable. However, the azimuth of the fast shear wave is consistent with the orientation of maximum in-situ stress only when the rotation speed of the logging tool is low. The caliper method can be used as a reference for verifying the other two methods. Using this integrated method to study the orientation of in-situ stress in the Keshen8 trap, the results show that faults are an important factor affecting the direction of in-situ stress, while multi-level faults will produce superimposed effects that cause the current direction of in-situ stress to change.

Implications for rock instability precursors and principal stress direction from rock acoustic experiments

The characteristics of rock instability precursors and the principal stress direction are very crucial for the prevention of geological disasters.This study investigated the qualitative relationship between rock instability precursors and principal stress direction through wave velocity in rock acoustic emission(AE)experiments.Results show that the wave velocity variation exhibits obvious anisotropic characteristics in 0%–20%and 60%–90%of peak strength due to the differences of stress-induced microcrack types.The amplitude of wave velocity variation is related to the azimuth and position of wave propagation path,which indicates that the principal stress direction can be identified by the anisotropic characteristics of wave velocity variations.Furthermore,the experiments also demonstrate that the AE event rate and wave velocity show quiet and stable variations in the elastic stage of rock samples,while they present a trend of active and unstable variations in the plastic stage.It implies that both the AE event rate and wave velocity are effective monitoring parameters for rock instability.The anisotropic characteristics of the wave velocity variation and AE event rate are beneficial complements for identifying the rock instability precursors and determining the principal stress direction,which provides a new analysis method for stability monitoring in practical rock engineering.

Reduction of Residual Stress in Low Alloy Steel with Magnetic Treatment in Different Directions

The behavior that different magnetic treatment directions induce various amounts of welding residual stress reductions in low alloy steel was studied. Reductions of 26%-28% in the longitudinal stress σ x were obtained when low frequency alternating magnetic treatment was applied perpendicularly to the welding bead, whereas reductions of 20%-21% in σ x were measured by using the same treatment parameters except that the field direction was applied parallel to the bead. It is proposed that different extent of stress reductions caused by the above two treatment directions is attributed primarily to the alteration of the energy absorbed by domains from the external magnetic field, which part of energy can arouse plastic deformation in microstructures by the motion of domain walls.

Implications for identification of principal stress directions from acoustic emission characteristics of granite under biaxial compression experiments

The rock fracture characteristics and principal stress directions are crucial for prevention of geological disasters.In this study,we carried out biaxial compression tests on cubic granite samples of 100 mm in side length with different intermediate principal stress gradients in combination with acoustic emission(AE)technique.Results show that the fracture characteristics of granite samples change from‘sudden and aggregated’to‘continuous and dispersed’with the increase of the intermediate principal stress.The effect of increasing intermediate principal stress on AE amplitude is not significant,but it increases the proportions of high-frequency AE signals and shear cracks,which in turn increases the possibility of unstable rock failure.The difference of stress in different directions causes the anisotropy of rock fracture and thus leads to the obvious anisotropic characteristics of wave velocity variations.The anisotropy of wave velocity variations with stress difference is probable to identify the principal stress directions.The AE characteristics and the anisotropy of wave velocity variations of granite under two-dimensional stress are not only beneficial complements for rock fracture characteristic and principal stress direction identification,but also can provide a new analysis method for stability monitoring in practical rock engineering.

Three-dimensional stress variation characteristics in deep hard rock of CJPL-Ⅱ project based on in-situ monitoring

In deep hard rock excavation, stress plays a pivotal role in inducing stress-controlled failure. While the impact of excavation-induced stress disturbance on rock failure and tunnel stability has undergone comprehensive examination through laboratory tests and numerical simulations, its validation through insitu stress tests remains unexplored. This study analyzes the three-dimensional stress changes in the surrounding rock at various depths, monitored during the excavation of B2 Lab in China Jinping Underground Laboratory Phase Ⅱ(CJPL-Ⅱ). The investigation delves into the three-dimensional stress variation characteristics in deep hard rock, encompassing stress components and principal stress. The results indicate changes in both the magnitude and direction of the principal stress during tunnel excavation. To quantitatively describe the degree of stress disturbance, a series of stress evaluation indexes are established based on the distances between stress tensors, including the stress disturbance index(SDI), the principal stress magnitude disturbance index(SDIm), and the principal stress direction disturbance index(SDId). The SDI indicates the greatest stress disturbance in the surrounding rock is 4.5 m from the tunnel wall in B2 Lab. SDIm shows that the principal stress magnitude disturbance peaks at2.5 m from the tunnel wall. SDId reveals that the largest change in principal stress direction does not necessarily occur near the tunnel wall but at a specific depth from it. The established relationship between SDI and the depth of the excavation damaged zone(EDZ) can serve as a criterion for determining the depth of the EDZ in deep hard rock engineering. Additionally, it provides a reference for future construction and support considerations.

A continuous and long-term in-situ stress measuring method based on fiber optic. Part I: Theory of inverse differential strain analysis

A method for in-situ stress measurement via fiber optics was proposed. The method utilizes the relationship between rock mass elastic parameters and in-situ stress. The approach offers the advantage of long-term stress measurements with high spatial resolution and frequency, significantly enhancing the ability to measure in-situ stress. The sensing casing, spirally wrapped with fiber optic, is cemented into the formation to establish a formation sensing nerve. Injecting fluid into the casing generates strain disturbance, establishing the relationship between rock mass properties and treatment pressure.Moreover, an optimization algorithm is established to invert the elastic parameters of formation via fiber optic strains. In the first part of this paper series, we established the theoretical basis for the inverse differential strain analysis method for in-situ stress measurement, which was subsequently verified using an analytical model. This paper is the fundamental basis for the inverse differential strain analysis method.

Support design method for deep soft-rock tunnels in non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field

Due to the long-term plate tectonic movements in southwestern China,the in-situ stress field in deep formations is complex.When passing through deep soft-rock mass under non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field,tunnels will suffer serious asymmetric deformation.There is no available support design method for tunnels under such a situation in existing studies to clarify the support time and support stiffness.This study first analyzed the mechanical behavior of tunnels in non-hydrostatic in-situ stress field and derived the theoretical equations of the ground squeezing curve(GSC)and ground loosening curve(GLC).Then,based on the convergence confinement theory,the support design method of deep soft-rock tunnels under non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field was established considering both squeezing and loosening pressures.In addition,this method can provide the clear support time and support stiffness of the second layer of initial support.The proposed design method was applied to the Wanhe tunnel of the China-Laos railway in China.Monitoring data indicated that the optimal support scheme had a good effect on controlling the tunnel deformation in non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field.Field applications showed that the secondary lining could be constructed properly.

In-situ observation of porosity formation during directional solidification of Al-Si casting alloys

In-situ observation of porosity formation during directional solidification of two Al-Si alloys (7%Si and 13%Si) was made by using of micro-focus X-ray imaging.In both alloys,small spherical pores initially form in the melt far away from the eutectic solid-liquid (S/L) interface and then grow and coagulate during solidification.Some pores can float and escape from the solidifying melt front at a relatively high velocity.At the end of solidification,the remaining pores maintain spherical morphology in the near eutectic alloy but become irregular in the hypoeutectic alloy.This is attributed to different solidification modes and aluminum dendrite interactions between the two alloys.The mechanism of the porosity formation is briefly discussed in this paper.

Performance of water-coupled charge blasting under different in-situ stresses

Water-coupled charge blasting is a promising technique to efficiently break rock masses.In this study,numerical models of double boreholes with water-coupled charge are established using LS-DYNA and are calibrated by the tests of rock masses subjected to explosion loads to examine its performance.The crack levels of rock mass induced by water-coupled charge blasting and air-coupled charge blasting are first compared.It is found that water-coupled charge blasting is more appropriate to fracture deep rock mass than air-coupled charge blasting.In addition,the effects of rock properties,water-coupled charge coefficients,and borehole connection angles on the performance of water-coupled charge blasting are investigated.The results show that rock properties and water-coupled charge coefficients can greatly influence the crack and fragmentation levels of rock mass induced by water-coupled charge blasting under uniform and non-uniform in-situ stresses.However,changing borehole-connection angles can only affect crack and fragmentation levels of rock mass under non-uniform in-situ stresses but barely affect those under uniform in-situ stresses.A formula is finally proposed by considering the above-mentioned factors to provide the design suggestion of water-coupled charge blasting to fracture rock mass with different in-situ stresses.

Influence of maximum principal stress direction on the failure process and characteristics of D-shaped tunnels

To investigate the failure process and characteristics of D-shaped tunnels under different maximum principal stress directions θ, true-triaxial tests were conducted on cubic sandstone samples with a through D-shaped hole. The test results show that the failure process can be divided into 4 periods:calm, buckling deformation, gradual buckling and exfoliation of rock fragment, and formation of a Vshaped notch. With an increase in θ from 0° to 90°, the size of the rock fragments first decreases and then increases, whereas the fractal dimension of the rock fragments first increases and then decreases. Meanwhile, the failure position at the left side shifts from the sidewall to the corner and finally to the floor, whereas the failure position at the right side moves from the sidewall to the spandrel and finally to the roof, which is consistent with the failure position in underground engineering. In addition, the initial vertical failure stress first decreases and then increases. By comparing the results,the failure severities at different maximum principal stress directions can be ranked from high to low in the following order: 90°>60°>30°>45°>0°.

Influences of clean fracturing fluid viscosity and horizontal in-situ stress difference on hydraulic fracture propagation and morphology in coal seam

The viscosity of fracturing fluid and in-situ stress difference are the two important factors that affect the hydraulic fracturing pressure and propagation morphology. In this study, raw coal was used to prepare coal samples for experiments, and clean fracturing fluid samples were prepared using CTAB surfactant. A series of hydraulic fracturing tests were conducted with an in-house developed triaxial hydraulic fracturing simulator and the fracturing process was monitored with an acoustic emission instrument to analyze the influences of fracturing fluid viscosity and horizontal in-situ stress difference on coal fracture propagation. The results show that the number of branched fractures decreased, the fracture pattern became simpler, the fractures width increased obviously, and the distribution of AE event points was concentrated with the increase of the fracturing fluid viscosity or the horizontal in-situ stress difference. The acoustic emission energy decreases with the increase of fracturing fluid viscosity and increases with the increase of horizontal in situ stress difference. The low viscosity clean fracturing fluid has strong elasticity and is easy to be compressed into the tip of fractures, resulting in complex fractures. The high viscosity clean fracturing fluids are the opposite. Our experimental results provide a reference and scientific basis for the design and optimization of field hydraulic fracturing parameters.

Definition of failure criterion for frozen soil under directional shear-stress path

A series of directional shear tests on remolded frozen soil was carried out at 10°C by using a hollow cylinder apparatus to study failure criterion under a directional shear-stress path.Directional shear tests were conducted at five shear rates(10,20,30,40,and 50 kPa/min)and five intermediate principal stress coefficients(b=0,0.25,0.5,0.75,and 1),with the mean principal stress(p=4.5 MPa)kept constant.The results show that the torsional strength and the generalized strength both increase with the increase of the shear rates.According to the failure modes of frozen soil under different shear rates,the specimens present obvious plastic failure and shear band;and the torsional shear component dominates the failure modes of hollow cylindrical specimens.A shear rate of 30 kPa/min is chosen as the loading rate in the directional shear tests of frozen soil.The shape of the failure curve in theπplane is dependent on the directional anglesαof the major prin cipal stress.It is reasonable to use the strain-hardening curves to define the deviatoric stress value atγg=15%(generalized shear strain)as the failure criterion of frozen soil under a directional shear-stress path.

Effect of boron addition on the microstructure and stress-rupture properties of directionally solidified superalloys

This study is focused on the effect of boron addition, in the range of 0.0007wt% to 0.03wt%, on the microstructure and stress-rupture properties of a directionally solidified superalloy. With increasing boron content in the as-cast alloys, there is an increase in the fraction of the γ′/γ eutectic and block borides precipitate around the γ′/γ eutectic. At a high boron content of 0.03wt%, there is precipitation of lamellar borides. Upon heat treatment, fine block borides tend to precipitate at grain boundaries with increasing boron content. Overall, the rupture life of the directionally solidified superalloy is significantly improved with the addition of nominal content of boron. However, the rupture life decreases when the boron content exceeds 0.03wt%.

THEORETICAL STUDY ON ALEKSANDROWSKI′S METHOD OF THE GRAPHICAL DETERMINATION OF PRINCIPAL STRESS DIRECTIONS FROM THE FAULT SLIP DATA SETS

A graphical method for determining the principal stress distribution of a triaxial stress state from a fault slipstate was proposed by Aleksandrowski in 1985,based on Arthaud′s concept of plane movement,Alek-sandrowski′s method,however,is only valid for the cases in which the values of the stress ratios(C)are consid-ered 1o be ,10,2,1.1 and 1.Whether the method is applicable for general cases of all values of C has not yetbeen confirmed.In this paper.Aleksandrowskis′ method is tested using a numerical derivation from spatialgeometric analysis,and it is revealed that this method is correct for all values of stress ratios other than C=,10,2,1.1,and 1,i.c-【C【.

Stress initialization methods for dynamic numerical simulation of rock mass with high in-situ stress

In the context of deep rock engineering,the in-situ stress state is of major importance as it plays an important role in rock dynamic response behavior.Thus,stress initialization becomes crucial and is the first step for the dynamic response simulation of rock mass in a high in-situ stress field.In this paper,stress initialization methods,including their principles and operating procedures for reproducing steady in-situ stress state in LS-DYNA,are first introduced.Then the most popular four methods,i.e.,explicit dynamic relaxation(DR)method,implicit-explicit sequence method,Dynain file method and quasi-static method,are exemplified through a case analysis by using the RHT and plastic hardening rock material models to simulate rock blasting under in-situ stress condition.Based on the simulations,it is concluded that the stress initialization results obtained by implicit-explicit sequence method and dynain file method are closely related to the rock material model,and the explicit DR method has an obvious advantage in solution time when compared to other methods.Besides that,it is recommended to adopt two separate analyses for the whole numerical simulation of rock mass under the combined action of in-situ stress and dynamic disturbance.

Time-sensitivity of the Kaiser effect of acoustic emission in limestone and its application to measurements of in-situ stress

Measuring in-situ stress by using the Kaiser effect in rocks has such advantages as timeefficiency, low cost and little limitation, but the precision of the method is dependent on rock properties and delay time of the measurement. In this paper, experiments on the Kaiser effect in limestones were performed, and it was found that the limestones had good ability to retain a memory of their recent stress history and high time-sensitivity. The longer the experiment was delayed from the extraction of the stone, the larger the Felicity ratio was. As the Felicity ratio approached l, significant Kaiser effect was observed. In-situ stress should be determined by the limestone measurements when the delay time was 40-120 days. Finally, the in-situ stress in a limestone formation could be successfully measured in practice.

Effects of in-situ stress on the stability of a roadway excavated through a coal seam

Roadways excavated through a coal seam can exert an adverse effect on roadway stability. To investigate the effects of in-situ stress on roadway stability, numerical models were built and high horizontal stresses at varying orientations were applied. The results indicate that stress concentrations, roadway deformation and failure increase in magnitude and extent as the excavation angle with respect to the maximum horizontal stress increases. In addition, the stress adjacent to the coal-rock interface sharply varies in space and evolves with time; coal is much more vulnerable to deformation and failure than rock.The results provide insights into the layout of roadways excavated through a coal seam. Roadways should be designed parallel or at a narrow angle to the maximum horizontal stress. The concentrated stress at the top corner of the face-end should be reduced in advance, and the coal seam should be reinforced immediately after excavation.

Preliminary Results of In-situ Stress Measurements along the Longmenshan Fault Zone after the Wenchuan M_s 8.0 Earthquake

Four months after the Wenchuan Ms 8 earthquake in western Sichuan, China, in situ stress measurements were carried out along the Longmenshan fault zone with the purpose of obtaining stress parameters for earthquake hazard assessment. In-situ stresses were measured in three new boreholes by using overcoring with the piezomagnetic stress gauges for shallow depths and hydraulic fracturing for lower depths. The maximum horizontal stress in shallow depths （-20 m） is about 4.3 MPa, oriented N19°E, in the epicenter area at Yingxiu Town, about 9.7 MPa, oriented N51°W, at Baoxing County in the southwestern Longmenshan range, and about 2.6 MPa, oriented N39°E, near Kangding in the southernmost zone of the Longmenshan range. Hydraulic fracturing at borehole depths from 100 to 400 m shows a tendency towards increasing stress with depth. A comparison with the results measured before the Wenchuan earthquake along the Longmenshan zone and in the Tibetan Plateau demonstrates that the stress level remains relatively high in the southwestern segment of the Longmenshan range, and is still moderate in the epicenter zone. These results provide a key appraisal for future assessment of earthquake hazards of the Longmenshan fault zone and the aftershock occurrences of the Wenchuan earthquake.

Determination of stress intensity factor with direct stress approach using finite element analysis

In this article, a direct stress approach based on finite element analysis to determine the stress intensity factor is improved. Firstly, by comparing the rigorous solution against the asymptotic solution for a problem of an infinite plate embedded a central crack, we found that the stresses in a restrictive interval near the crack tip given by the rigorous solution can be used to determine the stress intensity factor, which is nearly equal to the stress intensity factor given by the asymptotic solution. Secondly, the crack problem is solved numerically by the finite element method. Depending on the modeling capability of the software, we designed an adaptive mesh model to simulate the stress singularity. Thus, the stress result in an appropriate interval near the crack tip is fairly approximated to the rigorous solution of the corresponding crack problem. Therefore, the stress intensity factor may be calculated from the stress distribution in the appropriate interval, with a high accuracy.

DDM regression analysis of the in-situ stress field in a non-linear fault zone

A multivariable regression analysis of the in-situ stress field, which considers the non-linear deformation behavior of faults in practical projects, is presented based on a newly developed three-dimensional displacement discontinuity method （DDM） program. The Bar- ton-Bandis model and the Kulhaway model are adopted as the normal and the tangential deformation model of faults, respectively, where the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is satisfied. In practical projects, the values of the mechanical parameters of rock and faults are restricted in a bounded range for in-situ test, and the optimal mechanical parameters are obtained from this range by a loop. Comparing with the traditional finite element method （FEM）, the DDM regression results are more accurate.