A multifunctional rock testing system for rock failure analysis under different stress states: Development and application

The stress state in a rock mass is complex. Stress redistribution around underground excavation may lead to various failure modes, including compressive-shear, tensile-shear, and tensile failures. The ability to perform laboratory tests with these complex stress states is significant for establishing new strength criteria. The present paper introduces a new rock testing system with “tensile-compressive-shear”loading functions. The device includes bi-directional and double-range hydraulic cylinders, auxiliary loading equipment, and roller rows that can perform direct compressive-shear tests, direct tensile tests,and direct tensile-shear tests. The testing system provides maximum vertical and lateral loading forces of2000 k N and allows testing cubical rock specimens with dimensions of 0.5 m × 0.5 m × 0.5 m. The performance of the testing machine was evaluated by testing a rock-like material based on cement mortar under compressive-shear, tensile, and tensile-shear stress states. The failure process and deformation characteristics were monitored during loading using acoustic emission(AE) transient recorder,piezoelectric AE sensors, a high-speed camera, and a thermal infrared camera. The failure mechanism was investigated by analyzing AE counts, AE amplitude, strain, and temperature changes on the rock specimen surface. The test results confirmed that the testing system could successfully simulate the abovementioned stress path. The AE counts and amplitude responses were influenced by different failure modes. The temperature response during the compressive-shear test indicated the development of a high-temperature band on the rock specimen surface. In contrast, a negligible temperature change was observed during the tensile and tensile-shear tests. The newly developed multifunctional rock testing system allows laboratory tests under various failure modes. The monitoring results of multiple variables during rock failure tests provide valuable information on failure characteristics.

Spalling failure of deep hard rock caverns

Spalling is a typical brittle failure phenomenon of hard rock in deep caverns under high geostress.In this study,key issues are systematically studied concerning the spalling failure of deep hard rock caverns.First,the prismatic rock specimens with small thicknesses(i.e.width×thickness×height:20 mm×50 mm×100 mm)are employed in our tests which not only successfully simulate the spalling failure of hard rock in the laboratory but also obtain a reasonable spalling strength similar to that of the rock mass.Then,a series of spalling experiments is carried out to investigate the mechanism of spalling failure of deep hard rock caverns.Our results show that the intermediate principal stress,weak dynamic disturbances,and rock microstructure have significant effects on the spalling failure.The spalling strength is approximately(0.3–0.8)UCS,where UCS is the uniaxial compressive strength of the cylindrical rock sample with a diameter of around 50 mm.The spalling strength increases first and then decreases with increasing intermediate principal stress.Moreover,an empirical spalling strength criterion and a numerical method of spalling failure are proposed.This numerical method can not only simulate the spalling failure zone formed by tangential compressive stress concentration after excavation under different intermediate principal stresses,but also successfully simulate the failure transition from tensile mode to shear mode associated with confinement change in deep hard rock caverns.Furthermore,an acoustic emission-based early warning method using neural network is proposed to predict the spalling failure.Finally,a technical roadmap for preventing and controlling spalling failure of deep hard rock caverns is presented after summarizing the successful experiences in a typical engineering case.

Experimental investigation on hard rock fragmentation of inserted tooth cutter using a newly designed indentation testing apparatus

This investigation aims to explore the effects of stress conditions and rock cutting rates on hard rock fragmentation through indentation tests on a newly designed triaxial testing apparatus.This apparatus was designed to realize a triaxial loading and indentation test of cylindrical specimens using inserted tooth cutter.The boreability and crushing efficiency of granite rock was investigated by analyzing the change rules of the thrusting force,penetration depth,characteristics of chippings and failure patterns.Several quantitative indexes were used to evaluate rock boreability in this investigation.The granite rock samples all had a chiselled pit and a crushed rock core.Under initial stress conditions,only flat-shape chippings were stripped from the rock surface when the thrusting force reached 20 kN.The rock cutting special energy had a close correlation with the initial stress conditions and inserted tooth shape.Moreover,a thrusting force prediction model was proposed in this paper.The contribution of this study is that for the first time the influence mechanism of the initial triaxial stress conditions on rock fragmentation is investigated using an inserted tooth and the newly designed testing apparatus.This study has a crucial importance for practical underground hard rock crushing in geoengineering.

Rock borehole shear tests in dam foundation of Xiangjiaba hydropower station

Xiangjiaba hydropowcr station is one of the complicated geological conditions of its dam foundation, parameters of rock masses are very important issues. To cascade power stations on the Jinsha River, China. Due to the evaluating the rock mass quality and determining the mechanical address these issues, several groups of rock borehole shear tests （RBSTs） were conducted on the black mudstone in the dam foundation of Xiangjiaba hydropower station in the second construction phase. Forty three groups of shear strengths of black mudstone samples were obtained from RBSTs, and the shear strength parameters （c and f） were calculated using the least squares method. In addition, the limitations and merits of RBST employed in the Xiangjiaba hydropower station were discussed. Test results indicate that the shear strength parameters obtained from RBST have a good correlation with the results from sotmd wave test in borehole. It is believed that RBST has a good adaptability and applicability in geotechnical engineering.

Uplift Pile Test in Rocks and Its Bearing Capacity

This paper reports in situ tension test and laboratory model test for large diameter, manually digging anchorage piles in the 2nd Luzhou Changjiang Bridge. Tension behavior, uplift bearing capacity and influence of rock characteristics on bearing capacity are discussed. Proposes are presented with respect to issues related to the construction and design of uplift piles.

Model test study of frost heaving pressures in tunnels excavated in fractured rock mass in cold regions

Based on the similarity theory, taking the horseshoe, city-gate and round linings as examples, the value and distribution regularities of normal frost heaving pressures （hereinafter as frost heaving pressures） in tunnels excavated in fractured rock mass in cold regions under different constraints and freezing depths were studied by a test model. It was found that the larger the frozen depth, the larger the frost heaving pressure, and the stronger the top constraint, the larger the frost heaving pressure. For the horseshoe lining and city-gate lining, the top constraint has a greater effect on the frost heaving pressures on the arch and the inverted arch. For the round lining, the influences of the top constraint on the frost heaving pressure in all linings are almost the same. The frost heaving pressure is maximum on the city-gate lining and minimal on the round lining. The largest frost heaving pressure all occur near the foot of the inverted arch for the three kinds of lining. Thus, the test data basically coincide with the observed in situ data.

Particle flow study on strength and meso-mechanism of Brazilian splitting test for jointed rock mass

A discrete element method （DEM） called particle flow code （PFC2D） was used to construct a model for Brazilian disc splitting test in the present study. Based on the experimental results of intact Brazilian disc of rock-like material, a set of micro-parameters in PFC2D that reflected the macro-mechanical behavior of rock-like materials were obtained. And then PFC2D was used to simulate Brazilian splitting test for jointed rock mass specimens and specimen containing a central straight notch. The effect of joint angle and notch angle on the tensile strength and failure mode of jointed rock specimens was detailed analyzed. In order to reveal the meso-mechanical mechanism of crack coalescence, displacement trend lines were applied to analyze the displacement evolution during the crack initiation and propagation. The investigated conclusions can be described as follows. （1） The tensile strength of jointed rock mass disc specimen is dependent to the joint angle. As the joint angle increases, the tensile strength of jointed rock specimen takes on a nonlinear variance. （2） The tensile strength of jointed rock mass disc specimen containing a central straight notch distributes as a function of both joint angle and notch angle. （3） Three major failure modes, i.e., pure tensile failure, shear failure and mixed tension and shear failure mode are observed in jointed rock mass disc specimens under Brazilian test. （4） The notch angle roles on crack initiation and and joint angle play important propagation characteristics of jointed rock mass disc specimen containing a central straight notch under Brazilian test.

Analysis of the stress ratio of anisotropic rocks in uniaxial tests

The effect of structural discontinuities on the progressive failure process of anisotropic rocks should be paid particular attention.The crack damage stress σ_(cd),also considered as the yield strength,and the relationship between σ_(cd) and the uniaxial peak strength σ_(ucs) of anisotropic rocks for different orientations 8 of the isotropy planes with respect to the loading directions were investigated theoretically and experimentally.A theoretical relation of σ_(cd)/σ_(ucs) with the function of the shape parameter m was established.Additionally,uniaxial compression tests of shale samples were conducted for several inclinations θ.The test result of σ_(cd)/σ_(ucs) was close to the theoretical value for a given orientation.Furthermore,both experimental results and theoretical solutions of σ_(cd)/σ_(ucs) were independent of the inclination θ while σ_(cd) andσ_(ucs) were strongly affected by θ.The strength ratio σ_(cd)/σ_(ucs) may therefore be an intrinsic property of anisotropic rocks and could be used to predict the failure of rock samples.

Multiscale Hierarchical Digital Rock Mass Models and Numerical Testing on Mechanical and Hydaulic Properties of Rock Mass

Underground space utilization and exploration is an irreversible trend for promoting sustainable development especially in megacities.Geotechnical engineering safety is always one of the most important issues in all phases,including planning,design, construction and operation,of the underground project.Engineering geological and hydro-geological characteristics of the foundation rock mass

Test of subcritical crack growth and fracture toughness under water-rock interaction in three types of rocks

The subcritical crack growth and fracture toughness in peridotite, lherzolite and amphibolite were investigated with double torsion test. The results show that water-rock interaction has a significant influence on subcritical crack growth. With water-rock interaction, the crack velocity increases, while the stress intensity factor declines, which illustrates that water-rock interaction can decrease the strength of rocks and accelerate the subcritical crack growth. Based on Charlse theory and Hilling & Charlse theory, the test data were analyzed by regression and the correlation coefficients were all higher than 0.7, which shows the correlation is significant. This illustrates that both theories can explain the results of tests very well. Therefore, it is believed that the subcritical crack growth attributes to the breaking of chemical bond, which is caused by the combined effect of the tensile stress and the chemical reaction between the material at crack tip and the corrosive agent. Meanwhile, water-rock interaction has a vital effect on fracture toughness. The fracture toughness of samples under atmospheric environment is higher than that of samples immersed in water. And water-rock interaction has larger influence on fracture toughness in amphibolite than that in peridotite and lherzolite.

Experimental Study on the Ultrasonic Testing including Porosity of Rock Damage Characteristics

Cement mortar specimens are used to simulate the fracture of rock material under uniaxial compression test, using the ultrasonic instrument measurement test process, the waveform and wave velocity results along with the change of specimen fracture extension are obtained. Experimental results show that at 0 MPa, there are micro-defects in the specimen, leading to the irregular change of the waveform of the measuring points 4# and 5#;At 1 - 4 MPa, there is no crack on the surface of the specimen, the waveform of ultrasonic wave is stable, and the velocity of each point increases with the increase of the strain, but the measuring point increases the wave velocity when the load is applied;When the specimen surface cracks, expect the waveform of measuring point 4# and 5# change in irregularities, the measuring point 2# waveform also changes irregularly and measuring point of the wave velocity has decreased;At the crack propagation stage, ultrasonic wave also changes irregularly along with the expansion of crack, wave velocity with the increase of the strain is also obvious downward trend;When the crack penetrates the whole specimen, the waveform of each measuring point changes abnormally, the continuity is bad, the waveform is irregular and the measured wave velocity is low.

Temperature-controlled triaxial compression/creep test device for thermodynamic properties of soft sedimentary rock and corresponding theoretical prediction

In deep geological disposal of high-level nuclear waste,one of the most important subjects is to estimate long-term stability and strength of host rock under high temperature conditions caused by radioactive decay of the waste.In this paper,some experimental researches on the thermo-mechanical characteristics of soft sedimentary rock have been presented.For this reason,a new temperature-controlled triaxial compression and creep test device,operated automatically by a computer-controlled system,whose control software has been developed by the authors,was developed to conduct the thermo-mechanical tests in different thermal loading paths,including an isothermal path.The new device is proved to be able to conduct typical thermo-mechanical element tests for soft rock.The test device and the related testing method were introduced in detail.Finally,some test results have been simulated with a thermo-elasto-viscoplastic model that was also developed by the authors.

Numerical analysis and field monitoring tests on shallow tunnels under weak surrounding rock

The Jianpudong No. 4 tunnel is a shallow tunnel, which belongs to Shaoshan County scenic highway in Hunan province, China and whose surrounding rock is weak. According to its characteristics, the field monitoring tests and numerical analysis were done. The mechanical characteristics of shallow tunnels under weak surrounding rock and the stress-strain rule of surrounding rock and support were analyzed. The numerical analysis results show that the settlement caused by upper bench excavating accounts for 44% of the total settlement, and the settlement caused by tunnel upper bench supporting accounts for 56% of the total settlement. The maximum axial force of shotcrete lining is 177.2 k N, which locates in hance under the secondary lining. The maximum moment of shotcrete lining is 5.08 k N·m, which locates in the arch foot. The stress curve of steel arch has three obvious stages during the tunnel construction. The maximum axial force of steel arch is 297.4 k N, which locates in tunnel vault. The axial forces of steel arch are respectively 23.5 k N and-21.8 k N, which is influenced by eccentric compression of shallow tunnel and locates in hance. The results show that there is larger earth pressure in tunnel vault which is most unfavorable position of steel arch. Therefore, the advance support should be strengthened in tunnel vault during construction process.

3-D distribution of tensile stress in rock specimens for the Brazilian test

It is claimed that the formula used for calculating the tensile strength of a disk-shaped rock specimen in the Brazilian test is not accurate, because the formula is based on the 2-dimensional elastic theory and only suitable for very long or very short cylinders. The Matlab software was used to obtain the 2-dimensional distribution of stress in the rock specimen for Brazilian test. Then the 2-dimensional stress distribution in Brazilian disk was analyzed by the Marc FEM software. It can be found that the results obtained by the two software packages can verify each other. Finally, the 3-dimensional elastic stress in the specimen was calculated. The results demonstrate that the distribution of stress on the cross section of the specimen is similar to that in 2-dimension. However, the value of the stress on the cross section varies along the thickness of the specimen and the stress is bigger when getting closer to the end of the specimen. For the specimen with a height-to-diameter ratio of 1 and a Poisson＇s ratio of 0.25, the tensile strength calculated with the classical 2-D formula is 23.3% smaller than the real strength. Therefore, the classical 2-D formula is too conservative.

Dynamic rock tests using split Hopkinson(Kolsky)bar system-A review

Dynamic properties of rocks are important in a variety of rock mechanics and rock engineering problems.Due to the transient nature of the loading, dynamic tests of rock materials are very different from and much more challenging than their static counterparts. Dynamic tests are usually conducted using the split Hopkinson bar or Kolsky bar systems, which include both split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB) and split Hopkinson tension bar(SHTB) systems. Signi fi cant progress has been made on the quanti fi cation of various rock dynamic properties, owing to the advances in the experimental techniques of SHPB system.This review aims to fully describe and critically assess the detailed procedures and principles of techniques for dynamic rock tests using split Hopkinson bars. The history and principles of SHPB are outlined,followed by the key loading techniques that are useful for dynamic rock tests with SHPB(i.e. pulse shaping, momentum-trap and multi-axial loading techniques). Various measurement techniques for rock tests in SHPB(i.e. X-ray micro computed tomography(CT), laser gap gauge(LGG), digital image correlation(DIC), Moiré method, caustics method, photoelastic coating method, dynamic infrared thermography) are then discussed. As the main objective of the review, various dynamic measurement techniques for rocks using SHPB are described, including dynamic rock strength measurements(i.e.dynamic compression, tension, bending and shear tests), dynamic fracture measurements(i.e. dynamic imitation and propagation fracture toughness, dynamic fracture energy and fracture velocity), and dynamic techniques for studying the in fl uences of temperature and pore water.

Failure behavior of soil-rock mixture slopes based on centrifuge model test

The stability of soil-rock mixtures(SRMs) that widely distributed in slopes is of significant concern for slope safety evaluation and disaster prevention. The failure behavior of SRM slopes under surface loading conditions was investigated through a series of centrifuge model tests considering various volumetric gravel contents. The displacement field of the slope was determined with image-based displacement system to observe the deformation of the soil and the movement of the block during loading in the tests. The test results showed that the ultimate bearing capacity and the stiffness of SRM slopes increased evidently when the volumetric block content exceeded a threshold value. Moreover, there were more evident slips around the blocks in the SRM slope. The microscopic analysis of the block motion showed that the rotation of the blocks could aggravate the deformation localization to facilitate the development of the slip surface. The high correlation between the rotation of the key blocks and the slope failure indicated that the blocks became the dominant load-bearing medium that influenced the slope failure. The blocks in the sliding body formed a chain to bear the load and change the displacement distribution of the adjacent matrix sand through the block rotation.

A Test Model of Water Pressures within a Fault in Rock Slope

This paper introduces model test results of water pressure in a fault, which is located in a slope and 16 different conditions. The results show that the water pressures in fault can be expressed by a linear function, which is similar to the theoretical model suggested by Hoek. Factors affecting water pressures are water level in tension crack, dip angle of fault, the height of filling materials and thickness of fault zone in sequence.

Discussion on bearing capacity of soft rock ground based on in-situ load test

The suitability of five methods was discussed here,taking the typical results from in-situ load test of Renshou Mansion and Caifu Plaza in Yueyang City for example.It shows that bearing capacity can be obtained by the proportion load and limit load from p-s curve with the first and the second point of contraflexure easily.It is recommended that the accurate value of bearing capacity can be obtained by hyperbola fitting method and minimum curvature radius method theoretically.The rebound method is clear in principle,in which the elastoplasticity characteristic is thought about.Out of consideration for the unsteadiness and unobviousness of bearing capacity from relative settlement method,it can be only adopted as reference.So bearing capacity of soft rock ground should be determined by weathering condition of soft rock and curve type.

Creep properties and permeability evolution in triaxial rheological tests of hard rock in dam foundation

Triaxial creep tests were carried out under seepage pressure by using rock servo-controlled triaxial rheology testing equipment.Based on experimental results,rock rheological properties influenced by seepage-stress coupling were studied,and variations of seepage rate with time in complete creep processes of rock were analyzed.It is shown that,when the applied stress is less than failure stress level,the creep deformation is not obvious,and its main form is steady-state creep.When applied stress level is greater than or less than but close to fracture stress,it is easier to see the increase of creep deformation and the more obvious accelerative creep characteristics.The circumferential creep deformation is obviously higher than the axial creep deformation.At the stage of steady-state creep,the average of seepage flow rate is about 4.7×10-9 m/s at confining pressure(σ3) of 2 MPa,and is about 3.9×10-9 m/s at σ3 of 6 MPa.It is seen that the seepage flow rate at σ3 of 2 MPa in this case is obviously larger than that at σ3 of 6 MPa.At the stage of creep acceleration,the seepage flow rate is markedly increased with the increase of time.The variation of rock permeability is directly connected to the growth and evolution of creep crack.It is suggested that the permeability coefficient in complete creep processes of rock is not a constant,but is a function of rock creep strain,confining pressure,damage variable and pore water pressure.The results can be considered to provide a reliable reference for the establishment of rock rheological model and parameter identification.

Numerical test and evaluating method of impact trend of rock-coal system

The impact trend of rock-coal system was studied by the method of accumulat- ing and releasing of deformation energy and interaction of rock-coal system.The system model of roof-coal-floor was established.Based on the RFPA software,rock fracture process analysis system,the numerical test of deformation,fracture and energy transmis- sion of nonlinear and nonhomogeneous rock-coal system,and the numerical test and evaluating method of impact trend of rock-coal system were achieved.When the same coal seam was in different roof and floor conditions,the fracture process of rock-coal sys- tem can be classified as gradual,sudden and delayed fracture three kinds,and their im- pact trend can be classified as void,intense and medium correspondingly.The rock-coal system's impact trend is evaluated by the system impact index μ and burst expanding forms.The criteria μ are μ<1.0,1.0≤μ<1.5 and μ≥1.5 when the impact trend is void,in- tense or medium,which are tested and verified by the No.2 and No.4 coal seams in Sun- cun mine.