Shear strength degradation of gas hydrate-bearing sediment due to partial hydrate dissociation

Extraction of methane hydrate from subseafloor reservoir may potentially trigger seabed slides and induce subsidence.To address the problems,it is crucial to properly characterize the phase equilibrium condition of pore hydrate and the shear strength of the soil.As one of the key constitutive components,the phase equilibrium condition enforces a constraint over pore gas pressure,temperature and unhydrated water content.Such a constraint,however,has been traditionally ignored in analyzing the mechanical behavior of hydrate-bearing soil.In this paper,a series of stepwise hydrate dissociation tests was performed,and the phase equilibrium condition of pore hydrate was determined,providing an effective way to evaluate the unhydrated water content during hydrate dissociation.Meanwhile,a series of direct shear tests was also conducted to explore the shear strength characteristics of the soil.It is shown that the shear strength of the hydrate-bearing soil can be significantly influenced by pore gas pressure,unhydrated water content,hydrate saturation and several other factors.In particular,the measured shear strength depends upon the initial water content of the sample,pointing to a potential problem that the shear strength could be wrongly determined if not properly interpreted.A shear strength criterion,which enforces the equilibrium condition of pore hydrate,is developed for hydrate-bearing soil,establishing a link between the equilibrium condition and the shear strength.The proposed equation describes well the shear strength characteristics of hydrate-bearing soils,remarkably unifying the effects of pore pressure,temperature,water content and hydrate saturation.

Effect of impeller type and scale-up on spatial distribution of shear rate in a stirred tank

The main spatial distribution features of shear rate in a stirred tank operated with five different radial and axial flow impellers were presented with particle image velocimetry(PIV)experiments.Not only the average shear rate in the whole tank but also the local value in the vicinity of impeller increases linearly with impeller speed.Furthermore,the shear coefficient(Ks,imp)at the impeller outlet is linearly related to the impeller flow number(Nq)and decreases with the increase of Nq in general at the constant power consumption per unit volume(Pv).During scale-up based on the constant Pv and geometric similarity,CFD results show that the volume-averaged shear rate(cavg)for RDT decreases faster than that of other impellers with the impeller tip velocity(Utip).The novel multi-blade combined(MBC)impeller with the increased height-to-diameter ratio of the stirred tank is able to more effectively improve the distribution uniformity of shear rate at the same Pv after scale-up.These studies provide a data basis for selecting the impeller types and improving the shear rate environment in the large-scale stirred tank.

Undrained vane shear strength of sand-foam mixtures subjected to different shear rates

The shear strength of sand-foam mixtures plays a crucial role in ensuring successful earth pressure balance(EPB)shield tunneling.Since the sand-foam mixtures are constantly sheared by the cutterhead and the screw conveyor with varied rotation speeds during tunneling,it is non-trivial to investigate the effect of shear rates on the undrained shear strength of sand-foam mixtures under chamber pressures to extend the understanding on the tunneling process.This study conducted a series of pressurized vane shear tests to investigate the role of shear rates on the peak and residual strengths of sand-foam mixtures at different pore states.Different from the shear-rate characteristics of natural sands or clay,the results showed that the peak strength of sand-foam mixtures under high vertical total stress(σ_(v)≥200 kPa)and low foam injection ratio(FIR30%)decreased with the increase in shear rate.Otherwise,the peak strength was not measurably affected by shear rates.The sand-foam mixtures in the residual state resembled low-viscous fluid with yield stress and the residual strength increased slightly with shear rates.In addition,the peak and residual strengths were approximately linear with vertical effective stress regardless of the total stress and FIR.The peak effective internal friction angle remained almost invariant in a low shear rate(γ′<0.25 s1)but decreased when the shear rate continued increasing.The residual effective internal friction angle was lower than the peak counterpart and insensitive to shear rates.This study unveiled the role of shear rates in the undrained shear strength of sand-foam mixtures with various FIRs and vertical total stresses.The findings can extend the understanding of the rate-dependent shear characteristics of conditioned soils and guide the decision-making of soil conditioning schemes in the EPB shield tunneling practice.

Effect of high shear rate on solidification microstructure of semisolid AZ91D alloy

To investigate the effects of rotation speed and shearing time on morphology of semisolid AZ91D alloy,experimental work was undertaken using a twin-screw slurry maker.The results show that increasing the rotation speed and reasonable time can give rise to substantial grain refinement during continuous shearing stage,which can be attributed to the increasing of effective nucleation rate caused by the extremely uniform temperature due to high shear rate and high degree of turbulence.Comparing with low rotation speed at the same thermal condition,the analysis indicates that the microstructures obtained at high rotation speed are homogenous spherical and fine grains instead of dendritic or rosette and exhibits uniform distribution in the eutectic matrix.

pH Value Effects in Shear Rheology of Concentrated Alumina Suspensions

The influence of pH on the rheological properties of concentrated alumina suspensions was investigated. At various pH values, the alumina exhibited pseudoplastic, near Bingham flow behaviors. The fully-deflocculated suspensions exhibited Newtonian flow behaviors, while the fully-flocculated suspensions demonstrated very high viscosity and shear yield stress.

Deformation, Phase Transformation and Recrystallization in the Shear Bands Induced by High-Strain Rate Loading in Titanium and Its Alloys

α-titanium and its alloys with a dual-phase structure （α＋β） were deformed dynamically under strain rate of about 10^4 s^-1. The formation and microstructural evolution of the localized shear bands were characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results reveal that both the strain and strain rate should be considered simultaneously as the mechanical conditions for shear band formation, and twinning is an important mode of deformation. Both experimental and calculation show that the materials within the bands underwent a superhigh strain rate （9×10^5 S^-1） deformation, which is two magnitudes of that of average strain rate required for shear band formation; the dislocations in the bands can be constricted and developed into cell structures; the phase transformation from α to α2 within the bands was observed, and the transformation products （α2） had a certain crystallographic orientation relationship with their parent; the equiaxed grains with an average size of 10 μm in diameter observed within the bands are proposed to be the results of recrystallization.

Undrained shear strength evaluation for hydrate-bearing sediment overlying strata in the Shenhu area, northern South China Sea

The undrained shear strength of shallow strata is a critical parameter for safety design in deep-water operations.In situ piezocone penetration tests(CPTU) and laboratory experiments are performed at Site W18-19 in the Shenhu area, northern South China Sea, where China's first marine hydrate exploitation operation is due to be located. The validation of the undrained shear strength prediction model based on CPTU parameters. Different laboratory tests, including pocket penetrometer, torvane, miniature vane and unconsolidated undrained triaxial tests, are employed to solve empirical cone coefficients by statistical and mathematical methods. Finally, an optimized model is proposed to describe the longitudinal distribution of undrained shear strength in calcareous clay strata in the Shenhu area. Research results reveal that average empirical cone coefficients based on total cone resistance, effective resistance, and excess-pore pressure are 13.8, 4.2 and 14.4, respectively. The undrained shear strength prediction model shows a good fit with the laboratory results only within specific intervals based on their compaction degree and gas-bearing conditions. The optimized prediction model in piecewise function format can be used to describe the longitudinal distribution of the undrained shear strength for calcareous clay within all depth intervals from the mud-line to the upper boundary of hydrate-bearing sediments(HBS). The optimized prediction result indicates that the effective cone resistance model is suitable for very soft to firm calcareous clays,the excess-pore pressure model can depict the undrained shear strength for firm to very stiff but gas-free clays,while the total cone resistance model is advantageous for evaluating the undrained shear strength for very stiff and gassy clays. The optimized model in piecewise function format can considerably improve the adaptability of empirical models for calcareous clay in the Shenhu area. These results are significant for safety evaluations of proposed hydrate exploitation projects.

Semisolid microstructure evolution of AZ91D alloy under high shear rate

Experimental work was undertaken to investigate the effect of rotation speed on the solidification microstructure of AZ91D alloy using a twin-screw slurry maker.Then numerical simulation was used to investigate the effect of rotation speed on the flow filed and temperature field of the melt.It was found that increasing the rotation speed could give rise to substantial grain refinement,which can be attributed to the increase of effective nucleation rate caused by the extremely uniform temperature and dispersing any potential clusters of nucleation agents in the bulk liquid under dispersive mixing.

An experimental study of shear strength of gas-hydrate-bearing core samples

The shear strength of gas-hydrate-bearing reservoirs is one of the most important parameters used to study mechanical properties of gas-hydrate-bearing reservoirs. The shear strength of gas-hydrate- bearing reservoirs changes with filling and cementation of gas hydrates, which will affect the wellbore and reservoir stability. Traditional shear tests could not be conducted on gas-hydrate-bearing core samples because the gas hydrates exist under a limited range of temperature and pressure conditions. This paper describes a novel shear apparatus for studying shear strength of gas-hydrate-bearing core samples under original reservoir conditions. The preparation of gas-hydrate-bearing core samples and subsequent shear tests are done in the same cell. Cohesion and internal friction angle of the core samples with different saturations of gas hydrates were measured with the apparatus. The effect of gas hydrates on the shear strength of reservoirs was quantitatively analyzed. This provides a foundation for studying wellbore and reservoir stability of gas-hydrate-bearing reservoirs.

Hot Spot in Materials with Structural Defects under High Shear Loading Rates

The response of three-dimensional sample of Al, containing vacancy complex, under shear loading was simulated. The molecular dynamics method was used and interaction between atoms was described on the base of pseudopotential theory Solitary waves were generated in the sample under mechanical loading. Their interaction with the vacancy complexes was shown to be able to initiate hot spot in that local region of the complexes. Some parameters of the hot spot as well as solitary waves were calculated. The initiation of the hot spot is accompanied with sufficient local structural relaxation.

Molecular Simulations of the Effect of Hydrated Montmorillonite on the Viscosity of Polyacrylamide under Confined Shear

Our researches are based on the fact that the systems composed of polyacrylamide and montmorillonite under a kind of shear state often appear in some important practical processes like drilling well etc. The viscosity of polyacrylamide is usually the most important one among the characteristics to decide if the practical processes succeed or not. Therefore, we studied the effect of hydrated montmorillonite on the viscosities of polyacrylamide with temperature and shear rate varying under confined shear by molecular simulation method. Adopting the condition of confined shear in the research could make our simulations and the practical processes as similar as possible. First, the model of one polyacrylamide polymer chain with 20 monomers linearly linking surrounded by water molecules between two of montmorillonite layers was constructed. Then canonical ensemble （NVT） MD simulations were carried out for the built model at different temperatures and shear rates. From the gained simulation results, we calculated the polymer＇s structural property-radius of gyration, which was directly related to the viscosity property of polyacrylamide polymer. It was found that the viscosity of the polyacrylamide polymer between hydrated clay layers decreased with the temperature increasing from 298 to 343 K under the condition of confined shear. The variation trend of viscosity from simulation results was also confirmed by our experiments. Besides, the viscosity of the polyacrylamide between hydrated clay layers decreased with the shear rate increasing within the range of higher shear rates.

Parameterization of Sheared Entrainment in a Well-developed CBL.PartⅡ:A Simple Model for Predicting the Growth Rate of the CBL

Following the parameterization of sheared entrainment obtained in the companion paper, Liu et al. （2016）, the present study aims to further investigate the characteristics of entrainment, and develop a simple model for predicting the growth rate of a well-developed and sheared CBL. The relative stratification, defined as the ratio of the stratification in the free atmosphere to that in the entrainment zone, is found to be a function of entrainment flux ratio （Ae）. This leads to a simple expression of the entrainment rate, in which Ae needs to be parameterized. According to the results in Liu et al. （2016）, Ae can be simply expressed as the ratio of the convective velocity scale in the sheared CBL to that in the shear-free CBL. The parameterization of the convective velocity scale in the sheared CBL is obtained by analytically solving the bulk model with several assumptions and approximations. Results indicate that the entrainment process is influenced by the dynamic effect, the interaction between mean shear and environmental stratification, and one other term that includes the Coriolis effect. These three parameterizations constitute a simple model for predicting the growth rate of a well-developed and sheared CBL. This model is validated by outputs of LESs, and the results show that it performs satisfactorily. Compared with bulk models, this model does not need to solve a set of equations for the CBL. It is more convenient to apply in numerical models.

Effects of water saturation and loading rate on direct shear tests of andesite

For estimating the long-term stability of underground framework,it is vital to learn the mechanical and rheological characteristics of rock in multiple water saturation conditions.However,the majority of previous studies explored the rheological properties of rock in air-dried and water saturated conditions,as well as the water effects on compressive and tensile strengths.In this study,andesite was subjected to direct shear tests under five water saturation conditions,which were controlled by varying the wetting and drying time.The tests were conducted at alternating displacement rates under three vertical stresses.The results reveal that the shear strength decreases exponentially as water saturation increases,and that the increase in shear strength with a tenfold increase in displacement rate is nearly constant for each of the vertical stresses.Based on the findings of the shear tests in this study and the compression and tension tests in previous studies,the influences of both water saturation and loading rate on the Hoek-Brown failure criterion for the andesite was examined.These results indicate that the brittleness index of the andesite,which is defined as the ratio of uniaxial compressive strength to tensile strength,is independent of both water saturation and loading rate and that the influences of the water saturation dependence and the loading rate dependence of the failure criterion can be converted between each other.

Impacts of Soil Moisture Content and Vegetation on Shear Strength of Unsaturated Soil

It is analyzed that the impacts of vegetation type and soil moisture contenton shear strength of unsaturated soil through direct shearing tests for various vegetation types,different soil moisture contents and different-depth unsaturated soil. The results show that thecohesion of unsaturated soil changes greatly, and the friction angle changes a little with soilmoisture content. It is also shown that vegetation can improve shear strength of unsaturated soil,which therefore provides a basis thatvegetation can reinforce soil and protect slopes.

An interface shear damage model of chromium coating/steel substrate under thermal erosion load

The Cr-plated coating inside a gun barrel can effectively improve the barrel’s erosion resistance and thus increase the service life.However,due to the cyclic thermal load caused by high-temperature gunpowder,micro-element damage tends to occur within the Cr coating/steel substrate interface,leading to a gradual deterioration in macro-mechanical properties for the material in the related region.In order to mimic this cyclic thermal load and,thereby,study the thermal erosion behavior of the Cr coating on the barrel’s inner wall,a laser emitter is utilized in the current study.With the help of in-situ tensile test and finite element simulation results,a shear stress distribution law of the Cr coating/steel substrate and a change law of the interface ultimate shear strength are identified.Studies have shown that the Cr coating/steel substrate interface’s ultimate shear strength has a significant weakening effect due to increasing temperature.In this study,the interfacial ultimate shear strength decreases from 2.57 GPa(no erosion)to 1.02 GPa(laser power is 160 W).The data from this experiment is employed to establish a Cr coating/steel substrate interface shear damage model.And this model is used to predict the flaking process of Cr coating by finite element method.The simulation results show that the increase of coating crack spacing and coating thickness will increase the service life of gun barrel.

Shear strength of an unsaturated weakly expansive soil

To study the weakly expansive clay obtained from a slope along Wuhan—Shiyan expressway in Hubei Province,soil-water property tests and some unsaturated triaxial tests with suction control were conducted,and the soil-water retention curve（SWRC） and unsaturated shear strength of this soil were obtained.Results show that the air-entry suction and the residual degree of saturation of the tested soil are 106 kPa and 8%,respectively.The boundary effect zone and the transition zone can be identified on the desorption curve,but the residual zone is not so obvious.The unsaturated shear strength increases as suction increases within the range of controlled suction in the test,and friction angle,b,in the triaxial shear test is 17.6°.Based on the results,constitutive models for predicting the unsaturated shear strength using the SWRC were evaluated,and comparisons between prediction and measurement were made.It is concluded that for engineering purpose,the constitutive model should be carefully selected based on soil properties when predicting the unsaturated shear strength using the SWRC.

Probabilistic characterization of cyclic shear modulus reduction for normally to moderately over-consolidated clays

Evaluation of the cyclic shear modulus of soils is a crucial but challenging task for many geotechnical earthquake engineering and soil dynamic issues. Improper determination of this property unnecessarily drives up design and maintenance costs or even leads to the construction of unsafe structures. Due to the complexities involved in the direct measurement, empirical curves for estimating the cyclic shear modulus have been commonly adopted in practice for simplicity and economical considerations. However, a systematic and robust approach for formulating a reliable model and empirical curve for cyclic shear modulus prediction for clayey soils is still lacking. In this study, the Bayesian model class selection approach is utilized to identify the most significant soil parameters affecting the normalized cyclic shear modulus and a reliable predictive model for normally to moderately over-consolidated clays is proposed. Results show that the predictability and reliability of the proposed model out performs the well-known empirical models. Finally, a new design chart is established for practical usage.

Monte Carlo Simulation of Scattered Light with Shear Waves Generated by Acoustic Radiation Force for Acousto-Optic Imaging

A Monte Carlo method of multiple scattered coherent light with the information of shear wave propagation in scattering media is presented.The established Monte-Carlo algorithm is mainly relative to optical phase variations due to the acoustic-radiation-force shear-wave-induced displacements of light scatterers.Both the distributions and temporal behaviors of optical phase increments in probe locations are obtained.Consequently,shear wave speed is evaluated quantitatively.It is noted that the phase increments exactly track the propagations of shear waves induced by focus-ultrasound radiation force.In addition,attenuations of shear waves are demonstrated in simulation results.By using linear regression processing,the shear wave speed,which is set to 2.1 m/s in simulation,is estimated to be 2.18 m/s and 2.35 m/s at time sampling intervals of 0.2 ms and 0.5 ms,respectively.

DYNAMIC EFFECTIVE SHEAR STRENGTH OF SATURATED SAND

The dynamic effective shear strength of saturated sand under cyclic loading is discussed in this paper.The discussion includes the transient time depen- dency behaviors based on the analysis of the results obtained in conventional cyclic triaxial tests and cyclic torsional shear triaxial tests.It has been found that the dy- namic effective shear strength is composed of effective frictional resistance and viscous resistance,which are characterized by the strain rate dependent feature of strength magnitude,the coupling of consolidation stress with cyclic stress and the dependency of time needed to make the soil strength sufficiently mobilized,and can also be ex- pressed by the extended Mohr-Coulomb's law.The two strength parameters of the dynamic effective internal frictional angle φd and the dynamic viscosity coefficient η are determined.The former is unvaried for different number of cyclic loading,dy- namic stress form and consolidation stress ratio.And the later is unvaried for the different dynamic shear strain rate γt developed during the sand liquefaction,but increases with the increase of initial density of sand.The generalization of dynamic effective stress strength criterion in the 3-dimensional effective stress space is studied in detail for the purpose of its practical use.

Anisotropic shearing mechanism of Kangding slate:Experimental investigation and numerical analysis

The shear mechanical behavior is regarded as an essential factor affecting the stability of the surrounding rocks in underground engineering.The shear strength and failure mechanisms of layered rock are significantly affected by the foliation angles.Direct shear tests were conducted on cubic slate samples with foliation angles of 0°,30°,45°,60°,and 90°.The effect of foliation angles on failure patterns,acoustic emission(AE)characteristics,and shear strength parameters was analyzed.Based on AE characteristics,the slate failure process could be divided into four stages:quiet period,step-like increasing period,dramatic increasing period,and remission period.A new empirical expression of cohesion for layered rock was proposed,which was compared with linear and sinusoidal cohesion expressions based on the results made by this paper and previous experiments.The comparative analysis demonstrated that the new expression has better prediction ability than other expressions.The proposed empirical equation was used for direct shear simulations with the combined finite-discrete element method(FDEM),and it was found to align well with the experimental results.Considering both computational efficiency and accuracy,it was recommended to use a shear rate of 0.01 m/s for FDEM to carry out direct shear simulations.To balance the relationship between the number of elements and the simulation results in the direct shear simulations,the recommended element size is 1 mm.