Evaluation of Dynamic Behavior of Bedrock Foundation Based on FEM and DEM Simulations

The seismic behavior of the bedrock foundation during earthquakes concerns the stability and safety of nuclear power plants. Discontinuities like joints and faults existing in rock masses affect significantly the dynamic behavior of bedrock. The dynamic FEM （finite element method） has been commonly utilized to analyze the seismic responses of bedrock, however, it cannot well represent the large deformation behavior of discontinuities. The DEM （distinct element method） has a better capability of simulating the sliding and separation of discontinuities existing in the bedrock, which influence the propagation of seismic waves. In this study, the dynamic FEM and DEM simulations were carried out to investigate the seismic behavior of the bedrock foundation under a nuclear power plant, and the differences between those two methods were illuminated. Numerical simulation results indicate that the FEM underestimates the attenuation effect of faults on the propagation of seismic waves. With the capability of simulating large deformation behavior of discontinuities, the DEM can be regarded as a better method for studying the seismic responses of bedrock foundation which contains discontinuities.

A Numerical Simulation Study of Temperature and Pressure Effects on the Breakthrough Pressure of CO_(2)in Unsaturated Low-permeability Rock Core

Gas breakthrough pressure is a key parameter to evaluate the sealing capacity of caprock,and it also plays important roles in safety and capacity of CO_(2)geological storage.Based on the published experimental results,we present numerical simulations on CO_(2)breakthrough pressure in unsaturated low-permeability rock under 9 multiple P-T conditions(which can keep CO_(2)in gaseous,liquid and supercritical states)and thus,a numerical method which can be used to accurately predict CO_(2)breakthrough pressure on rock-core scale is proposed.The simulation results show that CO_(2)breakthrough pressure and breakthrough time are exponential correlated with P-T conditions.Meanwhile,pressure has stronger effects on experimental results than that of temperature.Moreover,we performed sensitivity studies on the pore distribution indexλ(0.6,0.7,0.8,and 0.9)in van Genuchten-Muale model.Results show that with the increase ofλ,CO_(2)breakthrough pressure and breakthrough time both show decreasing trends.In other words,the larger the value ofλis,the better the permeability of the caprock is,and the worse the CO_(2)sealing capacity is.The numerical method established in this study can provide an important reference for the prediction of gas breakthrough pressure on rock-core scale and for related numerical studies.

Wing crack model subjected to high hydraulic pressure and far field stresses and its numerical simulation

By considering the effect of hydraulic pressure filled in wing crack and the connected part of main crack on the stress intensity factor at wing crack tip, a new wing crack model exerted by hydraulic pressure and far field stresses was proposed. By introducing the equivalent crack length lcq of wing crack, two terms make up the stress intensity factor K1 at wing crack tip： one is the component K（1） for a single isolated straight wing crack of length 2l subjected to hydraulic pressure in wing crack and far field stresses, and the other is the component K1^（2） due to the effective shear stress induced by the presence of the equivalent main crack. The FEM model of wing crack propagation subjected to hydraulic pressure and far field stresses was also established according to different side pressure coefficients and hydraulic pressures in crack. The result shows that a good agreement is found between theoretical model of wing crack proposed and finite element method （FEM）. In theory, an unstable crack propagation is shown if there is high hydraulic pressure and lateral tension. The wing crack model proposed can provide references for studying on hydraulic fracturing in rock masses.

Numerical simulation on behavior of pile foundations under cyclic axial loads

On the basis of the two dimensional finite element analysis model, the pile foundations' mechanical effect of the rigid pile composite foundation under the dynamic load was researched. Through the research, the development law and deformation property of axial force of pile body, shaft resistance of pile, and cumulative settlement of pile head under vertical cyclic dynamic loads were concluded. Through the comparison and analysis of the test results of dynamic models, the test results of Poulos(1989) and cumulative settlement model of the single pile under cyclic loads were confirmed. Based on the above research, Fortran language was adopted to introduce the soil attenuation factor, the secondary development of relevant modules of ABAQUS was carried out, and the effect of soil attenuation factor on dynamic property of pile-soil was discussed further.

3-D fracture network dynamic simulation based on error analysis in rock mass of dam foundation

Accurate 3-D fracture network model for rock mass in dam foundation is of vital importance for stability,grouting and seepage analysis of dam foundation.With the aim of reducing deviation between fracture network model and measured data,a 3-D fracture network dynamic modeling method based on error analysis was proposed.Firstly,errors of four fracture volume density estimation methods(proposed by ODA,KULATILAKE,MAULDON,and SONG)and that of four fracture size estimation methods(proposed by EINSTEIN,SONG and TONON)were respectively compared,and the optimal methods were determined.Additionally,error index representing the deviation between fracture network model and measured data was established with integrated use of fractal dimension and relative absolute error(RAE).On this basis,the downhill simplex method was used to build the dynamic modeling method,which takes the minimum of error index as objective function and dynamically adjusts the fracture density and size parameters to correct the error index.Finally,the 3-D fracture network model could be obtained which meets the requirements.The proposed method was applied for 3-D fractures simulation in Miao Wei hydropower project in China for feasibility verification and the error index reduced from 2.618 to 0.337.

Numerical Simulation for Roadways in Swelling Rock Under Coupling Function of Water and Ground Pressure

According to the analogical relation in the governing differential equations of the humidity stress field theory and the temperature stress field theory, the problem of solving the humidity stress field was transformed into that of solving the temperature stress field by the change of parameters. As a result, the problem of roadways in swelling rock under the coupling function of water and ground pressure can be solved by the analytical module of temperature stress field in software ANSYS. In the numerical simulation mentioned above, three kinds of supporting, i.e. steel support, bolting support and non support, were taken into account, the pressure distribution and deformation state of roadways with a swelling rock floor under the coupling function of water and ground pressure were analyzed and compared with those in the action of only ground pressure. The research results provides a scientific basis for the deformation control of roadways in swelling rock.

Numerical simulation of stress for the blasting of foundation pit

Through the simulation of explicit dynamic analysis software LS-DYNA,made an analysis to the particle velocity and the stress distribution of surrounding rock when the explosives blasting.Explicated the mechanical character of surrounding rock in the foun- dation pit blasting,provided a basis to set of blasting parameters and optimized the blast- ing construction.

Numerical simulation and land subsidence control for deep foundation pit dewatering of Longyang Road Station on Shanghai Metro Line 18

In terms of controlling groundwater in deep foundation pit projects, the usual methods include increasing the curtain depth, reducing the amount of pumped groundwater, and implementing integrated control, in order to reduce the drawdown and land subsidence outside pits. In dewatering design for confined water, factors including drawdown requirements, the thickness of aquifers, the depth of dewatering wells and the depth of cutoff curtains have to be considered comprehensively and numerical simulations are generally conducted for calculation and analysis. Longyang Road Station on Shanghai Metro Line 18 is taken as the case study subject in this paper, a groundwater seepage model is developed according to the on-site engineering geological conditions and hydrogeological conditions, the excavation depth of the foundation pit as well as the design depth of the enclosure, hydrogeological parameters are determined via the pumping test, and the foundation pit dewatering is simulated by means of the three-dimensional finite difference method, which produces numerical results that consistent with real monitoring data as to the groundwater table. Besides, the drawdown and the land subsidence both inside and outside the pit caused by foundation pit dewatering are calculated and analyzed for various curtain depths. This study reveals that the drawdown and the land subsidence change faster near the curtain with the increase in the curtain depth, and the gradient of drawdown and land subsidence changes dwindles beyond certain depths. In this project, the curtain depth of 47/49 m is adopted, and a drawdown-land subsidence verification test is completed given hanging curtains before the excavation. The result turns out that the real measurements basically match the calculation results from the numerical simulation, and by increasing the depth of curtains, the land subsidence resulting from dewatering is effectively controlled.

Numerical Simulation and Field Monitoring Analysis for Deep Foundation Pit Construction of Subway Station

To investigate the effect of deep foundation pit excavation on the stability of retaining structure, a subway stationin the city of Jinan was selected as a project, and a FLAC3D-based three dimensional model was developed fornumerical simulation. The horizontal displacement of the retaining structure, the axial force of the support, andthe vertical displacement of the column were studied and compared to the collected data from the field. The findingsindicate that when the foundation pit is excavated, the maximum deformation of the retaining structure progressivelydecreases from the top, the distortion of the retaining structure gradually rises, and the final maximumdeformation is around 17 meters deep. In each layer of support, the largest axial force support is located in thefirst reinforced concrete support;the uplift of the pit bottom caused by soil unloading plays a primary role in thevertical displacement of the column, and the column exhibits an upward trend under all construction conditions.When compared to the measured data, the generated findings are comparable and the fluctuation trend is extremelyconsistent. The findings of this article may give technical direction for the development of subway stationswith a comparable engineering basis.

Numerical simulation for influences of pressure solution on T-H-M coupling in aggregate rock

The pressure solution model of granular aggregates was introduced into a FEM code which was developed for the analysis of thermo-hydro-mechanical(T-H-M) coupling in porous medium. Aimed at creating a hypothetical model of nuclear waste disposal in unsaturated quartz aggregate rock mass with laboratory scale, two 4-year computation cases were designed: 1) The porosity and permeability of rock mass are functions of the pressure solution; 2) The porosity and the permeability are constants. Calculation results show that the magnitude and distribution of stresses in the rock mass of these two calculation cases are roughly the same. And, the porosity and the permeability decrease to 43%-54% and 4.4%-9.1% of their original values after case 1 being accomplished; but the negative pore water pressures in cases 1 and 2 are respectively 1.0-1.25 and 1.0-1.1 times of their initial values under the action of nuclear waste. Case 1 exhibits the obvious effect of pressure solution.

Numerical simulation of rock deformation during the mineralization of the Xiangshan uranium deposit, Jiangxi province, south China

The Xiangshan uranium deposit in Jiangxi province is one of the most important uranium deposits in China. The aim of our study is to obtain a better understanding of rock deformation and dilation associated with mineralization, to predict the most favorable locations of mineralization, and to assist with future mineral exploration in this deposit. On the basis of geological and structural data from previous studies, we have constructed a coupled deformation and fluid flow numerical model and simulated the faulting deformation and major mechanical factors controlling mineralization in the deposit. Particular attention has been paid to variations in regional stress, distributions of shear strain, volumetric strain and pore pressure. The relationship between the struc-tural/faulting movement and mineralization is obtained through analyzing the deformation state of fault zones. The results suggest that the mineralization is related to volumetric strain, shear strain and pore pressures. The locations displaying all these factors rep-resent the most favorable sites for mineralization. These model results are important for guiding the exploration of new uranium deposits in Xiangshan.

Hermite Finite Element Method for Vibration Problem of Euler-Bernoulli Beam on Viscoelastic Pasternak Foundation

Viscoelastic foundation plays a very important role in civil engineering. It can effectively disperse the structural load into the foundation soil and avoid the damage caused by the concentrated load. The model of Euler-Bernoulli beam on viscoelastic Pasternak foundation can be used to analyze the deformation and response of buildings under complex geological conditions. In this paper, we use Hermite finite element method to get the numerical approximation scheme for the vibration equation of viscoelastic Pasternak foundation beam. Convergence and error estimation are rigourously established. We prove that the fully discrete scheme has convergence order O(τ2+h4), where τis time step size and his space step size. Finally, we give four numerical examples to verify the validity of theoretical analysis.

Study on the Safety of the Foundation Rock Masses in the Tangkou Bank of the Taipinghu Bridge

The Taipinghu Bridge is an important project, and the safety of rock masses of its foundation is very crucial. This article analyzes the potential causes of the deformation of the rock masses of the bridge foundation, and uses the Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua to analyze the geologic model. The simulating process shows that no mater in the excavating process or in the loading process the rock masses are suit for the engineering. The modeling and analyzing process can be used for reference.

Numeric simulation analysis of load-settlement relation of pile in layer foundation

Considering the level distribution of soil layers, the soils surrounding pile are simulated with level finite layer elements. Supposing that the vertical deformation of the soil elements surrounding pile varies in the form of exponent function with radial distance, and considering the nonlinear constitutive relation of stress and strain, the stiffness matrix is established. The mechanics behavior of the pile—soil interface is simulated with a nonlinear interface element. This method can truly express the behavior of the pile-soil system. The load-settlement relation Q-S curves of two big diameter prototype piles on bearing test are analyzed, and satisfying results are obtained. This method is reasonable in theory and feasible in engineering.

Numerical Study of the Mechanical Behavior of a Foundation Raft under the Hydrodynamic Influence of the Mechanical Characteristics of Clay Soils

The clay soils of the city of Douala are constantly saturated with water, which permanently favors the hydrodynamic behavior of the soils (swelling or consolidation). This phenomenon can cause serious disturbances in the structure of buildings resulting in the appearance of cracks in structures (buildings, road bridge, viaduct, etc.). The foundation raft is a very important structure in the dimensioning of structures. Given the soil-structure interactions, its mechanical characteristics must be the subject of a special study linked to the building environment. In this article, we present a study of the mechanical behavior of a foundation raft anchored in a laminate floor. The aim is to highlight the influence of the mechanical properties of the foundation soil on the evolution of the mechanical behavior of the raft. The method used is a numerical simulation. A physical model taking into account a 5-storey building based in Douala in the Denver district is studied. The foundation on the raft foundation of this building follows an elastic constitutive law with Mazars damage, and rests on a laminated soil of plastic elastic model with Camclay plasticity criterion. The ground-raft and ground-ground interfaces are carried out with the finite elements joined to three nodes (JOI3), and obey the Coulomb model;it is an expansion joint model with Mohr-Coulomb type criterion and associated flow. The numerical resolution is carried out by the finite element method, and the numerical simulations via the Cast3M calculation code. The results from the simulations show that the mechanical characteristics of foundation soils, in this case the water content, the compactness, the state of consolidation, greatly influence the mechanical behavior of the foundation slab. There is indeed a significant settlement and a great deformation of the raft foundation when the water content of the soil layers increases, and when the states of consolidation and compactness are low. This article allows us to predict and control the evolution of the behavior of the ground-structure interface of a raft foundation and to adopt a new model appropriate for the sizing of civil engineering structures.

Bearing Capacity and Technical Advantages of Composite Bucket Foundation of Offshore Wind Turbines

Based on mechanical characteristics such as large vertical load, large horizontal load, large bending moment and complex geological conditions, a large scale composite bucket foundation （CBF） is put forward. Both the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation are employed to study the bearing capacity of CBF and the relationship between loads and ground deformation. Furthermore, monopile, high-rise pile cap, tripod and CBF designs are compared to analyze the bearing capacity and ground deformation, with a 3-MW wind generator as an example. The resuits indicate that CBF can effectively bear horizontal load and large bending moment resulting from upper structures and environmental load.

Investigation on fracture models and ground pressure distribution of thick hard rock strata including weak interlayer

Dynamic disasters,such as rock burst due to the breaking of large area stiff roof strata,are known to occur in the hard rock strata of coal mines.In this paper,mechanical models of the fracturing processes of thick hard rock strata were established based on the thick plate theory and numerical simulations.The results demonstrated that,based on the fracture characteristics of the thick hard rock strata,four fracture models could be analyzed in detail,and the corresponding theoretical failure criteria were determined in detail.In addition,the influence of weak interlayer position on the fracture models and ground pressure of rock strata is deeply analyzed,and six numerical simulation schemes have been implemented.The results showed that the working face pressure caused by the independent movement of the lower layer is relatively low.The different fracture type of the thick hard rock strata had different demands on the working resistance of the hydraulic powered supports.The working resistance of the hydraulic powered supports required by the stratified movements was lower than that of the non-stratified movements.

Optimization of dewatering schemes for a deep foundation pit near the Yangtze River, China

A deep foundation pit constructed for an underground transportation hub was excavated near the Yangtze River. Among the strata, there are two confined aquifers, between which lies an aquiclude that is partially missing. To guarantee the safety of pit excavation, the piezometric head of the upper confined aquifer, where the pit bottom is located, should be 1 m below the pit bottom, while that of the lower confined aquifer should be dewatered down to a safe water level to avoid uplift problem. The Yangtze River levee is notably close to the pit, and its deformation caused by dewatering should be controlled. A pumping test was performed to obtain the hydraulic conductivity of the upper confined aquifer. The average value of the hydraulic conductivity obtained from analytical calculation is 20.45 m/d, which is larger than the values from numerical simulation（horizontal hydraulic conductivity K_H = 16 m/d and vertical hydraulic conductivity K_V = S m/d）. The difference between K_H and K_V indicates the anisotropy of the aquifer. Two dewatering schemes were designed for the construction and simulated by the numerical models for comparison purposes. The results show that though the first scheme could meet the dewatering requirements, the largest accumulated settlement and differential settlement would be94.64 mm and 3.3‰, respectively, greatly exceeding the limited values. Meanwhile, the second scheme,in which the bottoms of the waterproof curtains in ramp B and the river side of ramp A are installed at a deeper elevation of-28 m above sea level, and 27 recharge wells are set along the levee, can control the deformation of the levee significantly.

Numerical simulation of roof cavings in several Kuzbass mines using finite-difference continuum damage mechanics approach

An essential stage of mine design is an estimation of the steps of the first and periodic roof caving in longwall mines.Generally,this is carried out using the field experience and can be much enhanced by numerical simulation.In this work,the finite-difference method was applied coupled with the continuum damage mechanics(CDM)approach to simulate the stress-strain evolution of the rock mass with the underground opening during coal extraction.The steps and stages of roof caving were estimated relying on the numerical simulation data,and they were compared with the field data from several operating mines in the south of the Kuznetsk Basin,Russia.The dependence of the first roof caving step in simulation linearly correlates with field data.The results correspond to the actual roofs of longwall panels of the flat-dipping coal seams and the average rate of face advancement is approximately 5 m/day.

Stability analysis of gravity anchor foundation of layered argillaceous sandstone under dry-wet cycles

To investigate the stability of gravity anchors of suspension bridges,in-situ tests of the vertical bearing capacity of the bedrock,shear resistance of the anchor-rock interface,shear resistance of the bedrock were conducted in a suspension bridge project.Under dry-wet cycles,the deterioration law of the mechanical properties of argillaceous sandstone was identified in laboratory tests:the elastic modulus,cohesion and friction of the argillaceous sandstone deteriorated significantly at first few dry-wet cycles and then declined slowly after 10 cycles,ultimately these three mechanical parameters were reduced to about 1/3,1/3,2/3 of the initial value respectively.Moreover,numerical simulation was used to restore in-situ shear tests and a good agreement was obtained.Base on the results of in-situ and laboratory tests,the stability of the gravity anchor foundation under natural conditions and drywet cycles was calculated and its failure modes were analyzed.The results demonstrated that the dry-wet cycles caused uneven settlement of the anchor foundation,resulting in more serious stress concentration in the substrate.The dry-wet cycles remarkably reduced the stability coefficient of the anchor foundation,whose failure mode shifted from overturning failure under natural conditions to sliding failure.When there was weak interlayer in the rock layer,the anti-sliding stability of the anchor foundation was affected drastically.