Failure mechanisms and destruction characteristics of cemented coal gangue backfill under compression effect of non-uniform load

Backfill mining is one of the most important technical means for controlling strata movement and reducing surface subsidence and environmental damage during exploitation of underground coal resources. Ensuring the stability of the backfill bodies is the primary prerequisite for maintaining the safety of the backfilling working face, and the loading characteristics of backfill are closely related to the deformation and subsidence of the roof. Elastic thin plate model was used to explore the non-uniform subsidence law of the roof, and then the non-uniform distribution characteristics of backfill bodies’ load were revealed. Through a self-developed non-uniform loading device combined with acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC) monitoring technology, the synergistic dynamic evolution law of the bearing capacity, apparent crack, and internal fracture of cemented coal gangue backfills (CCGBs) under loads with different degrees of non-uniformity was deeply explored. The results showed that: 1) The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of CCGB increased and then decreased with an increase in the degree of non-uniformity of load (DNL). About 40% of DNL was the inflection point of DNL-UCS curve and when DNL exceeded 40%, the strength decreased in a cliff-like manner;2) A positive correlation was observed between the AE ringing count and UCS during the loading process of the specimen, which was manifested by a higher AE ringing count of the high-strength specimen. 3) Shear cracks gradually increased and failure mode of specimens gradually changed from “X” type dominated by tension cracks to inverted “Y” type dominated by shear cracks with an increase in DNL, and the crack opening displacement at the peak stress decreased and then increased. The crack opening displacement at 40% of the DNL was the smallest. This was consistent with the judgment of crack size based on the AE b-value, i. e., it showed the typical characteristics of “small b-value-large crack and large b-value-small crack”. The research results are of significance for preventing the instability and failure of backfill.

Investigation of granite failure precursor under axial load using modified LSTM framework

Granite is usually composed of quartz,biotite,feldspar,and cracks,and the variation characteristics of these components could reflect the deformation and failure process of rock well.Taking granite as an example,the video camera was used to record the deformation and failure process of rock.The distribution of meso-components in video images was then identified.The meso-components of rock failure precursors were also discussed.Moreover,a modified LSTM(long short-term memory method)based on SSA(sparrow search algorithm)was proposed to estimate the change of meso-components of rock failure precursor.It shows that the initiation and expansion of cracks are mainly caused by feldspar and quartz fracture,and when the quartz and feldspar exit the stress framework,rock failure occurs;the second large increase of crack area and the second large decrease of quartz or feldspar area may be used as a precursor of rock failure;the precursor time of rock failure based on meso-scopic components is about 4 s earlier than that observed by the naked eye;the modified LSTM network has the strongest estimation ability for quartz area change,followed by feldspar and biotite,and has the worst estimation ability for cracks;when using the modified LSTM network to predict the precursors of rock instability and failure,quartz and feldspar could be given priority.The results presented herein may provide reference in the investigation of rock failure mechanism.

Numerical and theoretical study of load transfer behavior during cascading pillar failure

To further study the load transfer mechanism of roofemulti-pillarefloor system during cascading pillar failure(CPF),numerical simulation and theoretical analysis were carried out to study the three CPF modes according to the previous experimental study on treble-pillar specimens,e.g.successive failure mode(SFM),domino failure mode(DFM)and compound failure mode(CFM).Based on the finite element code rock failure process analysis(RFPA^(2D)),numerical models of treble-pillar specimen with different mechanical properties were established to reproduce and verify the experimental results of the three CPF modes.Numerical results show that the elastic rebound of roofefloor system induced by pillar instability causes dynamic disturbance to adjacent pillars,resulting in sudden load increases and sudden jump displacement of adjacent pillars.The phenomena of load transfer in the roofemulti-pillarefloor system,as well as the induced accelerated damage behavior in adjacent pillars,were discovered and studied.In addition,based on the catastrophe theory and the proposed mechanical model of treble-pillar specimen edisc spring group system,a potential function that characterizes the evolution characteristics of roof emulti-pillarefloor system was established.The analytical expressions of sudden jump and energy release of treble-pillar specimenedisc spring group system of the three CPF modes were derived according to the potential function.The numerical and theoretical results show good agreement with the experimental results.This study further reveals the physical essence of load transfer during CPF of roof emulti-pillarefloor system,which provides references for mine design,construction and disaster prevention.

Strength and failure characteristics of marble spheres subjected to paired point loads

Failure of irregular rock samples may provide implications in the rapid estimation of rock strength,which is imperative in rock engineering practice.In this work,analytical,experimental and numerical investigations were carried out to study the mechanical properties and failure characteristics of rock spheres under paired point loads.Analytical solutions indicted that with the increase in sample size(contact angle)and decrease in Poisson’s ratio,the uneven tensile stress in theta direction decreased.Then laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the load characteristics and failure mode of spherical marble samples with different sizes subjected to a pair of diametral point loads.The discrete element method(DEM)was adopted to study the failure process of rock spheres.The effect of the sphere diameter on the point load contact angle was examined in terms of peak load,crushed zone distribution and energy dissipation.Experimental and numerical results showed that the samples primarily fail in tension,with crushed zones formed at both loading points.With increase in the sample size,the contact angle,crushed area and total work increase.As the specimen diameter increases from 30 mm to 50 mm,the peak load on the specimen increases from 3.6 kN to 8.8 kN,and the percentage of crushed zone(ratio of crushing zone to sample radius,d/r)increased from 0.191 to 0.262.The results of the study have implications for understanding the failure of irregular rock specimens under point loading conditions and their size effects.

Virtual strain loading method for low temperature cohesive failure of asphalt binder

Cohesive failure is one of the primary reasons for low-temperature cracking in asphalt pavements.Understanding the micro-level mechanism is crucial for comprehending cohesive failure behavior.However,previous literature has not fully reported on this aspect.Moreover,there has been insufficient attention given to the correlation between macroscopic and microscopic failures.To address these issues,this study employed molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the low-temperature tensile behavior of asphalt binder.By applying virtual strain,the separation work during asphalt binder tensile failure was calculated.Additionally,a correlation between macroscopic and microscopic tensile behaviors was established.Specifically,a quadrilateral asphalt binder model was generated based on SARA fractions.By applying various combinations of virtual strain loading,the separation work at tensile failure was determined.Furthermore,the impact of strain loading combinations on separation work was analyzed.Normalization was employed to establish the correlation between macroscopic and microscopic tensile behaviors.The results indicated that thermodynamic and classical mechanical indicators validated the reliability of the tetragonal asphalt binder model.The strain loading combination consists of strain rate and loading number.All strain loading combinations exhibited the similar tensile failure characteristic.The critical separation strain was hardly influenced by strain loading combination.However,increasing strain rate significantly enhanced both the maximum traction stress and separation work of the asphalt binder.An increment in the loading number led to a decrease in separation work.The virtual strain combination of 0.5%-80 provided a more accurate representation of the actual asphalt's tensile behavior trend.

Failure mechanism and coupled static-dynamic loading theory in deep hard rock mining: A review

Rock failure phenomena,such as rockburst,slabbing(or spalling) and zonal disintegration,related to deep underground excavation of hard rocks are frequently reported and pose a great threat to deep mining.Currently,the explanation for these failure phenomena using existing dynamic or static rock mechanics theory is not straightforward.In this study,new theory and testing method for deep underground rock mass under coupled static-dynamic loading are introduced.Two types of coupled loading modes,i.e.'critical static stress + slight disturbance' and 'elastic static stress + impact disturbance',are proposed,and associated test devices are developed.Rockburst phenomena of hard rocks under coupled static-dynamic loading are successfully reproduced in the laboratory,and the rockburst mechanism and related criteria are demonstrated.The results of true triaxial unloading compression tests on granite and red sandstone indicate that the unloading can induce slabbing when the confining pressure exceeds a certain threshold,and the slabbing failure strength is lower than the shear failure strength according to the conventional Mohr-Column criterion.Numerical results indicate that the rock unloading failure response under different in situ stresses and unloading rates can be characterized by an equivalent strain energy density.In addition,we present a new microseismic source location method without premeasuring the sound wave velocity in rock mass,which can efficiently and accurately locate the rock failure in hard rock mines.Also,a new idea for deep hard rock mining using a non-explosive continuous mining method is briefly introduced.

Study on Failure Mechanism and Bearing Capacity of Three-Dimensional Rectangular Footing Subjected to Combined Loading

This paper presents two kinematic failure mechanisms of threc-dimensional rectangular footing resting on homogeneous undrained clay foundation under uniaxial vertical loading and uniaxial moment loading. The failure mechanism under vertical loading comprises a plane strain Prandti-type mechanism over the central part of the longer side, and the size of the mechanism gradually reduces at the ends of the longer side and over the shorter side as the corner of rectangular footing is being approached where the direction of soil motion remains normal to each corresponding side respectively. The failure mechanism under moment loading comprises a plane strain scoop sliding mechanism over the central part of the longer side, and the radius of scoop sliding mechanism increases linearly at the ends of the longer side. On the basis of the kinematic failure mechanisms mentioned above, the vertical ultimate bearing capacity and the ultimate bearing capacity against moment or moment ultimate bearing capacity are obtained by use of upper bound limit analysis theory. At the same time, numerical analysis results, Skempton＇ s results and Salgado et al. ＇s results are compared with this upper bound solution. It shows that the presented failure mechanisms and plastic limit analysis predictions are validated. In order to investigate the behaviors of undrained clay foundation beneath the rectangular footing subjected to the combined loadings, numerical analysis is adopted by virtue of the general-purpose FEM software ABAQUS, where the clay is assumed to obey the Mohr-Coulomb yielding criterion. The failure envelope and the ultimate bearing capacity are achieved by the numerical analysis results with the varying aspect ratios from length L to breadth B of the rectangular footing. The failure mechanisms of rectangular footing which are subjected to the combined vertical loading V and horizontal loading H （Vertical loading V and moment loading M, and horizontal loading H and moment loading M respectively are observed in the finite element analysis. ） is explained by use of the upper bound plasticity limit analysis theory. Finally, the reason of eccentricity of failure envelope in H-M loading space is given in this study, which can not be explained by use of the traditional ＇ swipe test＇.

A review of experimental and theoretical research on the deformation and failure behavior of rocks subjected to cyclic loading

Rock engineering is highly susceptible to cyclic loads resulting from earthquakes,quarrying or rockbursts.Acquiring the fatigue properties and failure mechanism of rocks is pivotal for long-term stability assessment of rock engineering structures.So far,significant progress has been gained on the mechanical characteristics of rocks subjected to cyclic loading.For providing a global insight of typical results and main features of rocks under cyclic loading conditions,this study comprehensively reviews the state-ofthe-art of deformation and failure mechanism and fatigue constitutive relationship of rocks subjected to cyclic loading in the past 60 years.Firstly,cyclic tests on rocks are classified into different types based on loading paths,loading parameters,loading types and environment conditions.Secondly,representative results are summarized and highlighted in terms of the fatigue response of rocks,including the deformation degradation,energy dissipation,damage evolution and failure characteristics;both laboratory testing and numerical results are presented,and various measurement techniques such as X-ray microcomputed tomography(micro-CT)and digital image correlation(DIC)are considered.Thirdly,the influences of cyclic loads on the mechanical characteristics of rocks are discussed,including the cyclic stress,frequency,amplitude and waveform.Subsequently,constitutive relationships for rocks subjected to cyclic loading are outlined,in which typical fatigue constitutive models are compared and analyzed,regarding the elastoplastic model,the internal variable model,the energy-based damage model and the discrete element-based model.Finally,some ambiguous questions and prospective research are interpreted and discussed.

Load-redistribution strategy based on time-varying load against cascading failure of complex network

Cascading failure can cause great damage to complex networks, so it is of great significance to improve the network robustness against cascading failure. Many previous existing works on load-redistribution strategies require global information, which is not suitable for large scale networks, and some strategies based on local information assume that the load of a node is always its initial load before the network is attacked, and the load of the failure node is redistributed to its neighbors according to their initial load or initial residual capacity. This paper proposes a new load-redistribution strategy based on local information considering an ever-changing load. It redistributes the loads of the failure node to its nearest neighbors according to their current residual capacity, which makes full use of the residual capacity of the network. Experiments are conducted on two typical networks and two real networks, and the experimental results show that the new load-redistribution strategy can reduce the size of cascading failure efficiently.

Mechanical properties and failure modes of stratified backfill under triaxial cyclic loading and unloading

Multiple filling of gobs will lead to a layered structure of the backfill.To explore the influence of layering structure on the mechanical properties and failure modes of backfill,different backfill specimens were prepared with a cement/sand ratio of 1:4,a slurry concentration of 75%,and backfilling times of 1,2,3 and 4,separately.Triaxial cyclic loading and unloading experiments were carried out.The results show that with an increase in backfilling time,the peak strength of backfill decreases as a polynomial function and the peak strain increases as an exponential function.The cyclic load enhances the linear characteristic of backfill deformation.The loading and unloading deformation moduli have a linear negative correlation with the backfilling time.The unloading deformation modulus is always slightly higher than the loading deformation modulus.The failure modes of stratified backfill are mainly characterized by conjugate shear failure at the upper layer and tensile failure across the layer plane,and there is usually no damage in the lower layer away from the loading area.

Model test to investigate failure mechanism and loading characteristics of shallow-bias tunnels with small clear distance

Based on the similarity theory,a tunnel excavation simulation testing system under typical unsymmetrical loading conditions was established.Using this system,the failure mechanism of surrounding rock of shallow-bias tunnels with small clear distance was analyzed along with the load characteristics.The results show that:1) The failure process of surrounding rock of shallow-bias tunnels with small clear distance consists of structural and stratum deformation induced by tunnel excavation; Microfracture surfaces are formed in the tunnel surrounding rock and extend deep into the rock mass in a larger density; Tensile cracking occurs in shallow position on the deep-buried side,with shear slip in deep rock mass.In the meantime,rapid deformation and slip take place on the shallow-buried side until the surrounding rocks totally collapse.The production and development of micro-fracture surfaces in the tunnel surrounding rock and tensile cracking in the shallow position on the deep-buried side represent the key stages of failure.2) The final failure mode is featured by an inverted conical fracture with tunnel arch as its top and the slope at tunnel entrance slope as its bottom.The range of failure on the deep-buried side is significantly larger than that on the shallow-buried side.Such difference becomes more prominent with the increasing bias angle.What distinguishes it from the "linear fracture surface" model is that the model proposed has a larger fracture angle on the two sides.Moreover,the bottom of the fracture is located at the springing line of tunnel arch.3) The total vertical load increases with bias angle.Compared with the existing methods,the unsymmetrical loading effect in measurement is more prominent.At last,countermeasures are proposed according to the analysis results: during engineering process,1) The surrounding rock mass on the deep-buried side should be reinforced apart from the tunnel surrounding rock for shallow-buried tunnels with small clear distance; moreover,the scope of consolidation should go beyond the midline of tunnel(along the direction of the top of slope) by 4 excavation spans of single tunnel.2) It is necessary to modify the load value of shallow-bias tunnels with small clear distance.

AN ANALYSIS oF THE SHEAR FAILURE OF RIGID-LINEAR HARDENING BEAMS UNDER IMPULSIVE LOADING

A theoretical rigid-plastic analysis for the dynamic shear failure of beams under impulsive loading is presented when using a travelling plastic shear hinge model which tabes into account material strain hardening. The maximum dynamic shear strain and shear strain-rate can be predicted in addition to the permanent transverse deflections and other parameters. The conditions for the three modes of shear failure, i.e., excess deflection failure, excess shear strain failure and adiabatic shear failure are analyzed. The special case of an infinitesimally small plastic zone is discussed and compared with Nonaka's solution for a rigid, perfectly plastic material. The results can also be generalized to examine the dynamic response of fibre-reinforced beams.

Experimental study on the deformation behaviour,energy evolution law and failure mechanism of tectonic coal subjected to cyclic loads

Compared to intact coal,tectonic coal exhibits unique characteristics.The deformation behaviours under cyclic loading with different confining pressures and loading rates are monitored by MTS815 test system,and the mechanical and energy properties are analysed using experimental data.The results show that the stress-strain curve could be divided into four stages in a single cycle.The elastic strain and elastic energy density increase linearly with deviatoric stress and are proportional to the confining pressure and loading rate;irreversible strain and dissipated energy density increase exponentially with deviatoric stress,inversely proportional to the confining pressure and loading rate.The internal structure of tectonic coal is divided into three types,all of which are damaged under different deviatoric stress levels,thereby explaining the segmentation phenomenon of stress-strain curve of tectonic coal in the cyclic loading process.Tectonic coal exhibits nonlinear energy storage characteristics,which verifies why the tectonic coal is prone to coal and gas outburst from the principle of energy dissipation.In addition,the damage mechanism of tectonic coal is described from the point of energy distribution by introducing the concepts of crushing energy and friction energy.

Pressure-impulse diagram with multiple failure modes of one-way reinforced concrete slab under blast loading using SDOF method

Two loosely coupled single degree of freedom (SDOF) systems were used to model the flexural and direct shear responses of one-way reinforced concrete slabs subjected to explosive loading. Blast test results show that the SDOF systems are accurate in predicting the failure mode of the slab under blast loads by incorporating the effects of the strain rate effect caused by rapid load application. Based on different damage criteria, pressure-impulse (P-I) diagrams of the two failure modes were analyzed with the SDOF systems. The effects of span length, concrete strength, and reinforcement ratio of the slab on the P-I diagram were also investigated. Results indicate that a slab tends to fail in direct shear mode when it is of a smaller span length and tends to fail in flexure mode when it is of a larger span length. With the increase of the concrete strength or reinforced ratio, both the flexure and shear capacity increase. Based on numerical results, a simplified method and a semi analytical equation for deriving the P-I diagram are proposed for different failure modes and damage levels.

Mechanical properties and charge signal characteristics in coal material failure under different loading paths

Rock burst is a catastrophic dynamic disaster caused by sudden failure and instability of coal, loading paths play an important role in the failure of coal, the coal failure process is associated with charge exception infonnation. Hence, violent coal failure mechanics and time-frequency domain distribution of charge signal such as rock burst under different loading paths should be studied in-depth. In this paper, grade and cyclic loading test were carried out for coal with impact tendency samples produced by blocks cored from 800 depth in Xiaoqing coal mine of the Tiefa coal group in northeast China. Theory discussion was carried out for the result of stress and strain, frequency-spectra analysis was conducted for the wavelet charge data, figures showing the evolution mechanism of mechanical properties and the relationship of timefrequency domain amplitude of charge signals in coal with different loading paths and stage were obtained. The failure process and characteristics of coal under different loading paths were summarized. It found that the loading path changed the manner of energy accelerate-release, there were more plastic strain generation in coal under cyclic loading than that under grade loading, the former was more likely to cause greater damage and failure, then the strength of coal under cyclic loading is generally lower than that under grade loading, an energy conversion mechanical model of stress, damage and deformation was developed and explained the effect of the loading path. Charge signal was primarily distributed in the strengthening and peak stages, where there was a high amplitude pulse at each stress drop. The charge pulse was a type of low frequency signal with a primary frequency distribution range of 1 -100Hz. Discussion on the charge generating mechanism from the perspective of friction slip, it demonstrated that the charge obtained during the coal failure process directly to stress loaded on and damage, the result verified it better. We propose that the research results in this study could be efficiently applied to daily mining activities, to provide an early warning and effectively avoid rock burst disaster.

Relationship between diameter of split Hopkinson pressure bar and minimum loading rate under rock failure

In order to investigate the relationship between bar diameter and loading rate of the split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB) setup under the failure of rock specimen and realize the medium strain rate loading of specimen,new SHPB setups with different elastic bar's diameters of 22,36,50 and 75 mm were constructed.The tests were carried out on these setups at different loading rates,and the specimens had the same diameter of elastic bars and same ratio of length to diameter.The test results show that the larger the elastic bar's diameter is,the less the loading rate is needed to cause specimen failure,they show good power relationship,and that under the same strain rate loading,specimens are broken more seriously with larger diameter SHPB setup than with smaller one.

Failure Process and Energy Transmission for Single-Layer Reticulated Domes Under Impact Loads

No failure, moderate failure, severe failure, and slight failure are the four failure modes generalized observed in the dynamic response of the single-layer reticulated dome under vertical impact load on apex. TE (the time that the end of impact force) and TF (the time that members are broken) are two key times in the failure process. Characteristics of dynamic responses at the two key times are shown in order to make the failure mechanism clear. Then three steps of energy transfer are summarized, i.e. energy applying, energy loss and energy transfer, energy consump-tion. Based on the three steps, energy transfer process for the failure reticulated dome under once impact is introduced. Energy transmissibility and local loss ratio are put forward firstly to obtain EL F(the energy left in the main reticulated dome) from the initial kinetic energy of impactor. More-over, the distribution of failure modes is decided by EL F which leads to the maximum dynamic re-sponse of the reticulated dome, but not by the initial impact kinetic energy of impactor.

Numerical investigation on the fatigue failure characteristics of waterbearing sandstone under cyclic loading

The strength of sandstone decreases significantly with higher water content attributing to softening effects.This scenario can pose a severe threat to the stability of reservoirs of pumped storage power stations developed from abandoned mines,especially when subjected to the cyclic loading condition caused by the repeated drainage and storage of water(fatigue damage).Based on this,it is essential to focus on the fatigue failure characteristics.In this study,the mineral composition of the used sandstone of Ruineng coal mine in Shanxi Province,China,was first tested to elucidate the rock softening mechanism after absorbing water.Next,a numerical model for replicating the mechanical behavior of water-bearing sandstone was established using twodimensional particle flow code(PFC2D)with a novel contact model.Then,16 uniaxial cyclic loading simulations with distinct loading parameters related to reservoir conditions(loading frequency,amplitude level,and maximum stress level)and different water contents were conducted.The numerical results show that all these three loading parameters affect the failure characteristics of sandstone,including irreversible strain,damage evolution,strain behavior,and fatigue life.The influence degree of these three parameters on failure behavior increases in the order of maximum stress level,loading frequency,and amplitude level.However,for the samples with different water contents,their failure characteristics are similar under the same loading conditions.Furthermore,the failure mode is almost unaffected by the loading parameters,while the water content plays a significant role and causing the transformation from the tensile splitting with low water content to the shear failure with higher water content.

Testing Studies on Rock Failure Modes of Statically Loads Under Dynamic Loading

By means of the improved split Hopkionson pressure bar(SHPB) with axial pre-pressure and confined pressure, two series of experiments on sandstone are carried out to research the failure mode of rock during the course of exploitation of resources in deep. One is under the conditions that the con-fining pressure is fixed and the axial pressure is changeable. The other is under the conditions that the confining pressure becomes and the axial pressure is fixed. It is found that samples break up evenly after impacting when axial static pressures are low, there is great disparity in size of fragments when axial static pressures are high, and the main bodies of samples after the tests under the combination of dy-namic and static loads frequently show the type of V or X. The samples are more close-grained at the elastic stage and impacts make many cracks be generated and developed, as makes samples more crackable. At the initial phase of damage stage, the static pressures make some cracks in the samples which are undeveloped and the impacts′ role is similar to that at the elastic stage. At the metaphase or anaphase of damage stage, these cracks in the samples develop adequately and the impacts mainly accelerate samples′ failure. The main bodies of samples show the type of V or X after impacting due to the confining pressures′ restraining samples′ lateral formation at the elastic stage or the initial phase of damage stage, the main bodies of samples have almost formed at the stage loading static pressures and the results after impacting usually are similar to those under the axial pressures tests.

Prediction and Verifcation of Forming Limit Diagrams Based on a Modifed Shear Failure Criterion

The forming limit diagram plays an important role in predicting the forming limit of sheet metals.Previous studies have shown that,the method to construct the forming limit diagram based on instability theory of the original shear failure criterion is efective and simple.The original shear instability criterion can accurately predict the left area of the forming limit diagram but not the right area.In this study,in order to improve the accuracy of the original shear failure criterion,a modifed shear failure criterion was proposed based on in-depth analysis of the original shear failure criterion.The detailed improvement strategies of the shear failure criterion and the complete calculation process are given.Based on the modifed shear failure criterion and diferent constitutive equations,the theoretical forming limit of TRIP780 steel and 5754O aluminum alloy sheet metals are calculated.By comparing the theoretical and experimental results,it is shown that proposed modifed shear failure criterion can predict the right area of forming limit more reasonably than the original shear failure criterion.The efect of the pre-strain and constitutive equation on the forming limits are also analyzed in depth.The modifed shear failure criterion proposed in this study provides an alternative and reliable method to predict forming limit of sheet metals.