Experimental Study and Failure Criterion Analysis of Rubber Fibre Reinforced Concrete under Biaxial Compression-Compression

In order to examine the biaxial compression-compression properties of rubber fibre reinforced concrete(RFRC),an experimental study on RFRC under different lateral compressive stresses was carried out by considering different rubber replacement rates and polypropylene fibre contents.The failure modes and mechanical property parameters of different RFRC working conditions were obtained from the experiment to explore the effects of rubber replacement rate and polypropylene fibre content on the biaxial compression-compression properties of RFRC.The following conclusions were drawn.Under the influence of lateral compressive stress,the biaxial compression-compression failure mode gradually developed from a columnar pattern to a flaky pattern,suggesting that the incorporation of rubber and polypropylene fibres into the concrete resulted in a significant change in the development of cracks.For different rubber replacement rates and polypropylene fibre contents,the vertical compressive stress exhibited the same developing trend under the influence of lateral compressive stress.Specifically,the lateral compressive stress imposed the minimum effect on the vertical compressive stress when the rubber replacement rate and polypropylene fibre content were 20%and 0.4%,respectively,and imposed the maximum effect when the rubber replacement rate and polypropylene fibre content were 20%and 0%,respectively.With the increase of rubber replacement rate,the vertical peak stress was significantly reduced,which implies that an appropriate amount of polypropylene fibres can increase the vertical peak stress to a certain extent.Then,the biaxial compression-compression mechanism of RFRC was analysed from the microscopic level by using scanning electron microscope(SEM).Meanwhile,based on Kupfer’s biaxial compression-compression failure criterion and the octahedral stress space,a biaxial compression-compression failure criterion for RFRC was proposed,which was proven to have good applicability.The research results of this study provide important theoretical basis for the engineering application and development of RFRC.

Reliability analysis of supporting pressure in tunnels based on three-dimensional failure mechanism

Based on nonlinear failure criterion,a three-dimensional failure mechanism of the possible collapse of deep tunnel is presented with limit analysis theory.Support pressure is taken into consideration in the virtual work equation performed under the upper bound theorem.It is necessary to point out that the properties of surrounding rock mass plays a vital role in the shape of collapsing rock mass.The first order reliability method and Monte Carlo simulation method are then employed to analyze the stability of presented mechanism.Different rock parameters are considered random variables to value the corresponding reliability index with an increasing applied support pressure.The reliability indexes calculated by two methods are in good agreement.Sensitivity analysis was performed and the influence of coefficient variation of rock parameters was discussed.It is shown that the tensile strength plays a much more important role in reliability index than dimensionless parameter,and that small changes occurring in the coefficient of variation would make great influence of reliability index.Thus,significant attention should be paid to the properties of surrounding rock mass and the applied support pressure to maintain the stability of tunnel can be determined for a given reliability index.

Improved Reliability Analysis Method Based on the Failure Assessment Diagram

With the uncertainties related to operating conditions,in-service non-destructive testing（NDT） measurements and material properties considered in the structural integrity assessment,probabilistic analysis based on the failure assessment diagram（FAD） approach has recently become an important concern.However,the point density revealing the probabilistic distribution characteristics of the assessment points is usually ignored.To obtain more detailed and direct knowledge from the reliability analysis,an improved probabilistic fracture mechanics（PFM） assessment method is proposed.By integrating 2D kernel density estimation（KDE） technology into the traditional probabilistic assessment,the probabilistic density of the randomly distributed assessment points is visualized in the assessment diagram.Moreover,a modified interval sensitivity analysis is implemented and compared with probabilistic sensitivity analysis.The improved reliability analysis method is applied to the assessment of a high pressure pipe containing an axial internal semi-elliptical surface crack.The results indicate that these two methods can give consistent sensitivities of input parameters,but the interval sensitivity analysis is computationally more efficient.Meanwhile,the point density distribution and its contour are plotted in the FAD,thereby better revealing the characteristics of PFM assessment.This study provides a powerful tool for the reliability analysis of critical structures.

Geomechanical model test for analysis of surrounding rock behaviours in composite strata

Due to the large differences in physico-mechanical pro perties of composite strata,jamming,head sinking and other serious consequences occur frequently during tunnel boring machine(TBM)excavation.To analyse the stability of surrounding rocks in composite strata under the disturbance of TBM excavation,a geomechanical model test was carried out based on the Lanzhou water supply project.The evolution patterns and distribution characteristics of the strain,stress,and tunnel deformation and fracturing were analysed.The results showed that during TBM excavation in the horizontal composite formations(with upper soft and lower hard layers and with upper hard and lower soft layers),a significant difference in response to the surrounding rocks can be observed.As the strength ratio of the surrounding rocks decreases,the ratio of the maximum strain of the hard rock mass to that of the relatively soft rock mass gradually decreases.The radial stress of the relatively soft rock mass is smaller than that of the hard rock mass in both types of composite strata,indicating that the weak rock mass in the composite formation results in the difference in the mechanical behaviours of the surrounding rocks.The displacement field of the surrounding rocks obtained by the digital speckle correlation method(DSCM)and the macro-fracture morphology after tunnel excavation visually reflected the deformation difference of the composite rock mass.Finally,some suggestions and measures were provided for TBM excavation in composite strata,such as advance geological forecasting and effective monitoring of weak rock masses.

Recent progress of physical failure analysis of GaN HEMTs

Gallium nitride(GaN)-based high-electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) are widely used in high power and high frequency application fields, due to the outstanding physical and chemical properties of the GaN material. However, GaN HEMTs suffer from degradations and even failures during practical applications, making physical analyses of post-failure devices extremely significant for reliability improvements and further device optimizations. In this paper, common physical characterization techniques for post failure analyses are introduced, several failure mechanisms and corresponding failure phenomena are reviewed and summarized, and finally device optimization methods are discussed.

MESO-MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY REINFORCED SMART STRUCTURE WITH DAMAGE

The mechanical behaviors of shape memory alloy （SMA） wires reinforced smart structure with damage were analyzed through the variational principle, a governing equation for the structure was derived, mathematical expressions for the meso-displacement field, stressstrain field of typical element with damage were presented, and a failure criterion for interface failure between SMA wires and matrix was established under two kinds of actuation which are dead-load and temperature, where the temperature is included in effective free restoring strain. In addition, there are some other composing factors in the failure criterion such as the interface properties, dynamical properties of SMA, initial debonding length L - l etc. The results are significant to understand structural strength self-adapted control and failure mechanism of SMA wires reinforced smart structure with damage.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL SLOPE STABILITY ANALYSIS BASED ON NONLINEAR FAILURE ENVELOPE

The effects of nonlinearity of strength envelopes on 3D slope stability analysis are investigated.A power relation for the nonlinear envelope is employed to derive the 3D factor of safety equations of an extended Spencer method hich satisfies boty force equilibrium and moment equilibrium.Then,a search procedure is presented based on dynamic programming to determine the 3D critical slip surface for a general slope,Linear and nonlinear strength envelopes used for slope stability computations are obtained by fitting curves to the 103 strength data of consolidated-undrained(CU)triaxial compression tests for compacted Israeli clay.Results of a typical 3D problem show that a linear approximation of the nonlinear strength envelope may lead to a significant overestimation of calculated safety factors.

Failure mechanism of large-diameter shield tunnels and its effects on ground surface settlements

A new technique for the analysis of the three-dimensional collapse failure mechanism and the ground surface settlements for the large-diameter shield tunnels were presented.The technique is based on a velocity field model using more different truncated solid conical blocks to clarify the multiblock failure mechanism.Furthermore,the shape of blocks between the failure surface and the tunnel face was considered as an entire circle,and the supporting pressure was assumed as non-uniform distribution on the tunnel face and increased with the tunnel embedded depth.The ground surface settlements and failure mechanism above large-diameter shield tunnels were also investigated under different supporting pressures by the finite difference method.

A new failure mechanism for deep cavity and upper bound solution of supporting pressure

The investigation of supporting pressure is of great significance to the design of underground structures.Based on the kinematical approach of limit analysis,an improved failure mechanism is proposed,and the supporting pressure is investigated for deep buried cavity.Three failure mechanisms are first introduced according to the existing failure mechanisms of geotechnical structures of limit analysis.A comparison with respect to the optimal failure mechanisms and the upper bound solutions provided among these three mechanisms are then conducted in an attempt to obtain the improved failure mechanism.The results provided by the improved failure mechanism are in good agreement with those by the existing method,the numerical solution and field monitoring,which demonstrates that the proposed failure mechanism is effective for the upper bound analysis of supporting pressure.

Construction of improved rigid blocks failure mechanism for ultimate bearing capacity calculation based on slip-line field theory

Based on the slip-line field theory, a two-dimensional slip failure mechanism with mesh-like rigid block system was constructed to analyze the ultimate bearing capacity problems of rough foundation within the framework of the upper bound limit analysis theorem. In the velocity discontinuities in transition area, the velocity changes in radial and tangent directions are allowed. The objective functions of the stability problems of geotechnical structures are obtained by equating the work rate of external force to internal dissipation along the velocity discontinuities, and then the objective functions are transformed as an upper-bound mathematic optimization model. The upper bound solutions for the objective functions are obtained by use of the nonlinear sequential quadratic programming and interior point method. From the numerical results and comparative analysis, it can be seen that the method presented in this work gives better calculation results than existing upper bound methods and can be used to establish the more accurate plastic collapse load for the ultimate bearing capacity of rough foundation.

Mechanical Behavior and Failure Mechanism of an As-Extruded Mg-11wt%Y Alloy at Elevated Temperature

Through carrying out the high-temperature tensile experiments on an as-extruded Mg-11wt%Y alloy at 350℃,400℃,450℃,500℃and 550℃,the mechanical behavior and fracture mechanisms at elevated temperatures are investigated and compared.Tensile results show that with the increase of temperature,the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the alloy increase at first and then decrease,while that the elongation ratio decreases firstly and then increases.For the sample being tested at 350℃,the values of yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and the elongation ratio are 188 MPa,266 MPa and 11%,respectively.At 400℃,the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength reach the maximum values of,respectively,198 MPa and 277 MPa,but the elongation ratio is the lowest and its value is only 8%.When the applied temperature is increased to 550℃,the values of yield strength and ultimate tensile strength,respectively,decrease to 140 MPa and 192 MPa and the elongation ratio increases to 38%.Failure analysis demonstrates that the fracture surfaces of different samples are mainly composed of plastic dimples and exhibit the typical characteristic of ductile fracture.The observation to the fracture side surfaces indicates that at the temperatures of 350℃and 400℃,microcracks mainly initiate in the interior of Mg_(24)Y_(5)particles.When the temperatures are 450℃,500℃and 550℃,the cracks preferentially initiate at the Mg_(24)Y_(5)/α-Mg interfaces.

Multiscale Failure Mechanism Analysis of SiC Fiber‑Reinforced TC17 Composite Subjected to Transverse Tensile Loading at Elevated Temperature

This study presents a multiscale method to evaluate the transverse tensile strength and failure mechanism of SiC_(f)/TC17 cruciform specimen machined from a large-size ring.The mechanical properties and failure of the specimen were evaluated through a macroscale model under transverse tensile loading at 200°C.A mesoscale model was developed to analyze the transverse tensile behavior and failure of the composite specimen.Interfacial debonding,plastic deformation of matrix and cladding,and damage to the composite core were incorporated into the mesoscopic and macroscopic models.The stress–strain curves and fracture modes obtained from the numerical simulation showed good agreement with the experimental curves,acoustic emission test results,and fracture morphology.The simulation results suggested that the damage to the central region interface and the plastic deformation of the matrix initiated first and propagated outwards.Subsequently,the interfacial failure,matrix failure,and formation of macro-crack developed,which led to the crack of the titanium matrix composite core.Finally,cladding was plastically deformed and crack developed,which led to the severe failure of the cruciform specimen.

Upper bound solutions for supporting pressures of shallow tunnels with nonlinear failure criterion

Linear failure criterion is widely used in calculation of earth pressure acting on shallow tunnels. However, experimental evidence shows that nonlinear failure criterion is able to represent fairly well the failure of almost all types of rocks, A nonlinear Hock-Brown failure criterion is employed to estimate the supporting pressures of shallow tunnels in limit analysis framework. Two failure mechanisms are proposed for calculating the work rate of extemal force and the internal energy dissipation. A tangential line to the nonlinear failure criterion is used to formulate the supporting pressure problem as a nonlinear programming problem. The objective function formulated in this way is minimized with respect to the failure mechanism and the location of tangency point. In order to assess the validity, the supporting pressures for the proposed failure mechanisms are calculated and compared with each other, and the present results are compared with previously published solutions when the nonlinear criterion is reduced to linear criterion. The agreement supports the validity of the proposed failure mechanisms. An experiment is conducted to investigate the influences of the nonlinear criterion on collapse shape and supporting pressures of shallow tunnels.

Three-dimensional analysis of slopes reinforced with piles

Based on the upper bound of limit analysis, the plane-strain analysis of the slopes reinforced with a row of piles to the 3D case was extended. A 3D rotational failure mechanism was adopted to yield the upper bound of the factor of safety. Parametric studies were carried out to explore the end effects of the slope failures and the effects of the pile location and diameter on the safety of the reinforced slopes. The results demonstrate that the end effects nearly have no effects on the most suitable location of the installed piles but have significant influence on the safety of the slopes. For a slope constrained to a narrow width, the slope becomes more stable owing to the contribution of the end effects. When the slope is reinforced with a row of piles in small space between piles, the effects of group piles are significant for evaluating the safety of slopes. The presented method is more appropriate for assessing the stability of slopes reinforced with piles and can be also utilized in the design of plies stabilizing the unstable slopes.

Pseudo-static stability analysis of rock slopes reinforced by passive bolts using the generalized Hoek-Brown criterion

The stability analysis of passive bolt-reinforced rock slopes under seismic loads is investigated within the framework of the kinematic approach of limit analysis theory.A pseudo-static method is adopted to account for the inertial forces induced in the rock mass by seismic events.The strength properties of the rock material are described by a modified Hoek-Brown strength criterion,whereas the passive bolts are modeled as bar-like inclusions that exhibit only resistance to tensile-compressive forces.Taking advantage of the ability to compute closed-form expressions for the support functions associated with the modified Hoek-Brown strength criterion,a rotational failure mechanism is implemented to derive rigorous lower bound estimates for the amount of reinforcement strength to prevent slope failure.The approach is then applied to investigating the effects of relevant geometry,strength and loading parameters in light of a preliminary parametric study.The accuracy of the approach is assessed by comparison of the lower bound estimates with finite element limit analysis solutions,thus emphasizing the ability of the approach to properly predict the stability conditions and to capture the essential features of deformation localization pattern.Finally,the extension of the approach to account for slipping at the interface between reinforcements and surrounding rock mass is outlined.

Mass‑Spring‑Damping Theory Based Equivalent Mechanical Model for Cylindrical Lithium‑ion Batteries under Mechanical Abuse

An equivalent mechanical model with the equivalent physical meaning of mass-spring-damping is proposed for cylindrical lithium-ion batteries through experiments and theory.The equivalent mechanical model of a cylindrical lithium-ion battery consists of a spring-damping parallel unit.Therefore,a spring-damping parallel unit connecting a damping unit in series is selected to construct the constitutive characteristics of the battery under mechanical abuse.Comparison results show that the equivalent mechanical model can more effectively describe the mechanical properties of the batteries than most cubic fitting models,of which the average relative error of the equivalent mechanical model under different states-of-charge is less than 6.75%.Combined with the proposed equivalent mechanical model,the failure process of the batteries was simulated and analyzed using LS-Dyna and HyperWorks.Under rigid rod tests,failure occurred at the core and bottom of the batteries;under hemispherical punch tests,failure occurred at the core and top,consistent with the experimental results.The average prediction error for the failure displacement under different abuse conditions is less than 4%in the simulations.The equivalent mechanical model requires only a few parameters and can be recognized easily.In the future,the model can be used in safety warning devices based on mechanical penetration.

Upper bound limit analysis of roof collapse in shallow tunnels with arbitrary cross sections under condition of seepage force

The analytical solutions for predicting the exact shape of collapse mechanisms in shallow tunnels with arbitrary excavation profiles were obtained by virtue of the upper bound theorem of limit analysis and variation principle according to Hoek-Brown failure criterion. The seepage force was included in the upper bound limit analysis, and it was computed from the gradient of excess pore pressure distribution. The seepage was regarded as a work rate of external force. The numerical results of roof collapse in square and circular tunnels with different rock parameters were derived and discussed, which proves to be valid in comparison with the previous work. The influences of different parameters on the shape of collapsing blocks were also discussed.

Study on interface failure of shape memory alloy(SMA)reinforced smart structure with damages

Shape memory alloy （SMA） reinforced smart structure can be used to make structural shape and strength selfadapted and structural damage self-restrained. Although SMA smart structures without damages were extensively studied, researches on SMA smart structures with damages have rarely been reported thus far. In this paper, thermo-mechanical behaviors of SMA fiber reinforced smart structures with damages are analyzed through a shear lag model and the variational principle, Mathematical expressions of the meso-displacement field and the stress-strain field of a typical element with damages are obtained, and a failure criterion for interface failure between SMA fibers and matrix is established, which is applied to an example. Results presented herein may provide a theoretical foundation for further studies on integrity of SMA smart structures.

BRIDGE-TOUGHENING ANALYSIS OF THE FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE CONTAINING INTERPHASE EFFECT

A detailed fracture mechanics analysis of bridge-toughening in a fiber reinforced composite is presented in this paper. The integral equation governing bridge-toughening as well as crack opening displacement (COD) for the composite with interfacial layer is derived from the Castigliano's theorem and interface shear-lag model. A numerical result of the COD equation is obtained using the iteration solution of the second Fredholm integral equation. In order to investigate the effect of various parameters on the toughening, an approximate analytical solution of the equation is present and its error analysis is performed, which demonstrates the approximate solution to be appropriate. A parametric study of the influence of the crack length, interfacial shear modules, thickness of the interphase, fiber radius, fiber volume fraction and properties of materials on composite toughening is therefore carried out. The results are useful for experimental demonstration and toughening design including the fabrication process of the composite.

APPLICATION OF STOCHASTIC FINITE ELEMENT METHOD TO STRENGTH AND STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EARTH DAMS

This paper applies the stochastic finite element method to analyse the statistics of stresses in earth dams and assess the safety and reliability of the dams. Formulations of the stochastic finite element method are briefly reviewed and the procedure for assessing dam's strength and stability is described. As an example, a detailed analysis for an actual dam Nululin dam is performed. A practical method for studying built-dams based on the prototype observation data is described.