Effect of surcharge loading on horseshoe-shaped tunnels excavated in saturated soft rocks

Underground facilities are usually constructed under existing buildings,or buildings are constructed over existing underground structures.It is then imperative to account for the current overburden loads and future surface loadings in the design of tunnels.In addition,tunnels are often constructed beneath the groundwater level,such as cross-river tunnels.Therefore,it is also important to consider the water pressure impact on the tunnel lining behaviour.Tunnels excavated by a conventional tunnelling method are considered in this paper.The hyperstatic reaction method(HRM)is adopted in this study to investigate the effect of surcharge loading on a horseshoe-shaped tunnel behaviour excavated in saturated soft rocks.The results obtained from the HRM and numerical modelling are in good agreement.Parametric studies were then performed to show the effects of the water pressure,surcharge loading value and its width,and groundwater level on the behaviour of the horseshoe-shaped tunnel lining,in terms of internal forces and displacements.It displays that the bending moment,normal forces and radial displacements are more sensitive to the water pressure,surcharge loading and groundwater level.

Non-Darcy flow seepage characteristics of saturated broken rocks under compression with lateral constraint

Using an MTS816.03 test system and self-designed seepage apparatus, seepage tests of saturated broken rocks were conducted, and the influence of lithology, axial stress, grain size distribution and loading rate on seepage characteristics was analyzed. The results show that： （1） Under the same axial stress （12 MPa）, the permeability of different lithologic samples increases in the order： gangue 〈 mudstone 〈 sandstone 〈 limestone. The permeability of gangue is 3 magnitudes lower than that of limestone. The absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β increases in the order： limestone 〈 sandstone 〈 mudstone 〈 gangue. The non-Darcy coefficient β of limestone, which is positive, is 5 magnitudes lower than that of gangue. （2） With increasing axial stress, the permeability of saturated broken sandstone decreases, and the absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β increases. After the axial stress exceeds 12 MPa, the curves of permeability and non-Darcy coefficient β all tend to be stable. （3） With increasing Talbol power exponent, the permeability increases, and the absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β decreases. （4） With increasing loading, the permeability increases, and the absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β decreases. When the loading rate is 0.5 kN/s, the non-Darcy coefficient β is positive.

Strength characteristics of dry and saturated rock at different strain rates

The strength of rock materials is largely affected by water and loading conditions, but there are few studies on mechanical properties of saturated rocks at high strain rates. Through compressive tests on dry and saturated sandstone specimens, it was found that the dynamic compressive strength of both dry and saturated sandstone specimens increased with the increase of strain rates. The saturated rock specimens showed stronger rate dependence than the dry ones. The water affecting factor （WAF）, as the ratio of the strength under dry state to that under saturated state, was introduced to describe the influence of water on the compressive strength at different strain rates. The WAF under static load was close to 1.38, and decreased with the increase of strain rate. When the strain rate reached 190 s^-1, the WAF reduced to 0.98. It indicates that the compressive strength of saturated specimens can be higher than that of dry ones when the strain rate is high enough. Furthermore, the dual effects of water and strain rate on the strength of rock were discussed based on sliding crack model, which provided a good explanation for the experimental results.

Creep experiment and rheological model of deep saturated rock

By the methods of uniaxial single-stage loading and graded incremental cyclic loading, the creep experiments were performed on the deep saturated rock from Dongguashan Mine, and the creep curves of saturated rock under different loading stresses were obtained. By comparing with the creep rule of dry rock in the same location, the creep rule of deep saturated rock was analyzed. Based on the united rheological mechanical model, the rheological model of deep saturated rock was recognized, and the parameters of the model were determined. The results show that the creep curves are very smooth under low stress, but the phenomena of wave and catastrophe turn up under high stress, and the bearing capacity of rock is weakening over time. The rheological properties of saturated and dry rocks are very different under tlie condition of deep high stress, especially when unloading, degradation and damage of rock quality is more serious, and the effect of water cannot be neglected. The H--HIN--NJS model （Schofield-Scott-Blair model） was selected to represent the rheology rule of deep saturated rock, and the fitting curves of model agree well with the experiment data, so the selected model is reasonable.

Experimental investigation on the energy evolution of dry and water-saturated red sandstones

In order to investigate the effect of water content on the energy evolution of red sandstone, the axial loading–unloading experiments on dry and water-saturated sandstone samples were conducted, and the distribution and evolution of elastic energy and dissipated energy within the rock were measured.The results show that the saturation process from dry to fully-saturated states reduces the strength, rigidity and brittleness of the rock by 30.2%, 25.5% and 16.7%, respectively. The water-saturated sample has larger irreversible deformation in the pre-peak stage and smaller stress drop in the post-peak stage.The saturation process decreases the accumulation energy limit by 38.9%, but increases the dissipated energy and residual elastic energy density, thus greatly reducing the magnitude and rate of energy release. The water-saturated sample has lower conversion efficiency to elastic energy by 3% in the prepeak region; moreover, the elastic energy ratio falls with a smaller range in the post-peak stage.Therefore, saturation process can greatly reduce the risk of dynamic disaster, and heterogeneous water content can lead to dynamic disaster possibly on the other hand.

Mechanical Response of Saturated Geological Rock Mass under Tidal Force

In this paper, the mechanical response of saturated geological rock under tidal force is explored by poroelastic theory. First, we use the free energy formula of saturated rock under a tidal force to study the relationships of pore pressure with stress, and stress with strain. Then we analyze the relationship between rock strain and tidal potential by the equilibrium differential equations of saturated rock under tidal force. Finally, we derive the physical relationship between the two parameters （pore pressure and tidal mean stress） of saturated rock and tidal potential. The relationship shows that：pore pressure is directly proportional with tidal potential, but tidal mean stress of saturated rock is inversely proportional with tidal potential. The ratio coefficient is related not only to the Lame coefficients of rock skeletons, but also to the Blot modulus. By using this model to analyze observational well water level of C-18 well which locates in Huili, Sichuan Province, the well level response coefficient （D） was estimated. This way, we derive the Skempton coefficient （B）, the coefficient A and C which refer to the response coefficients of pore pressure and tidal stress to tidal potential respectively. Then we compare the differences among each coefficient in coupling and uncoupling conditions. It shows that for saturated rocks, the response of stress and pore pressure to earth tides is a product of coupling, and it is necessary to take into account the coupling effect when we study the mechanical response. The model will provide the basis not only for the study of mechanics and hydrodynamics of well-confined aquifer systems, and the mechanics of faulting under tidal force, but also for quantitative research of the triggering mechanism of tidal forces.

Development of fractures in soft rock surrounding a roadway and their control

As the excavation of roadway, new fractures will be formed and the pre-existing fractures extend with the redistribution of stress in surrounding rocks. Eventually, fracture zone and bed separation are formed in rocks because of the developed fractures. Therefore, mastering the fracture evolution of surrounding rocks is very important to maintain the stability of roadway. The surrounding rocks of main haulage road- way in a certain coal mine is so broken and loose that the supporting is very difficult. Based on compre- hensive anal[ysis of the engineering geological conditions, a sight instrument was used to observe the fractures of internal surrounding rocks, Four indices, i.e., the width of fracture zone W, the number of fractures n, the width of fractures d and rock fracture designation RFD, are put forward to evaluate the fracture dewelopment. According to the evolution rules of the soft rock roadway from this paper, control principles by stages and by regions are presented through the research. At the same time, the best time of grouting reinforcement is determined on the basis of fracture saturation. Field practice shows that the roadway can satisfy normal production during service periods by suitable first support and grouting reinforcement.

Research on seismic fluid identification driven by rock physics

Seismic fluid identification works as an effective approach to characterize the fluid feature and distribution of the reservoir underground with seismic data. Rock physics which builds bridge between the elastic parameters and reservoir parameters sets the foundation of seismic fluid identification, which is also a hot topic on the study of quantitative characterization of oil/gas reservoirs. Study on seismic fluid identification driven by rock physics has proved to be rewarding in recognizing the fluid feature and distributed regularity of the oil/gas reservoirs. This paper summarizes the key scientific problems immersed in seismic fluid identification, and emphatically reviews the main progress of seismic fluid identification driven by rock physics domestic and overseas, as well as discusses the opportunities, challenges and future research direction related to seismic fluid identification. Theoretical study and practical application indicate that we should incorporate rock physics, numerical simulation, seismic data processing and seismic inversion together to enhance the precision of seismic fluid identification.