Unconfined compressive strength and failure behaviour of completely weathered granite from a fault zone

Understanding the strength characteristics and deformation behaviour of the tunnel surrounding rock in a fault zone is significant for tunnel stability evaluation.In this study,a series of unconfined compression tests were conducted to investigate the mechanical characteristics and failure behaviour of completely weathered granite(CWG)from a fault zone,considering with height-diameter(h/d)ratio,dry densities(ρd)and moisture contents(ω).Based on the experimental results,a regression mathematical model of unconfined compressive strength(UCS)for CWG was developed using the Multiple Nonlinear Regression method(MNLR).The research results indicated that the UCS of the specimen with a h/d ratio of 0.6 decreased with the increase ofω.When the h/d ratio increased to 1.0,the UCS increasedωwith up to 10.5%and then decreased.Increasingρd is conducive to the improvement of the UCS at anyω.The deformation and rupture process as well as final failure modes of the specimen are controlled by h/d ratio,ρd andω,and the h/d ratio is the dominant factor affecting the final failure mode,followed byωandρd.The specimens with different h/d ratio exhibited completely different fracture mode,i.e.,typical splitting failure(h/d=0.6)and shear failure(h/d=1.0).By comparing the experimental results,this regression model for predicting UCS is accurate and reliable,and the h/d ratio is the dominant factor affecting the UCS of CWG,followed byρd and thenω.These findings provide important references for maintenance of the tunnel crossing other fault fractured zones,especially at low confining pressure or unconfined condition.

Improving the Unconfined Compressive Strength of Red Clay by Combining Biopolymers with Fibers

To explore an environmentally friendly improvement measure for red clay,the function and mechanism of xanthan gum biopolymer and polypropylene fibers on the strength properties of red clay were investigated by unconfined compressive strength and scanning electron microscopy tests.The test results demonstrated that the contents and curing ages of xanthan gum had significant influences on the unconfined compressive strength of red clay.Compared with untreated soil,1.5%xanthan gum content was the optimal ratio in which the strength increment was between 41.52 kPa and 64.73 kPa.On the other hand,the strength of xanthan gum-treated red clay increased,whereas the ductility decreased with the increase in curing ages,indicating that the xanthan gum-treated red clay started to gradually consolidate after 3 days of curing and stiffness significantly improved between 7 and 28 days of curing.The results also showed that the synergistic consolidation effects of the xanthan gum–polypropylene fibers could not only effectively enhance the strength of red clay but also reduce the brittle failure phenomenon.The strengths of soil treated with 2.0%xanthan gum-polypropylene fibers were 1.9–2.41 and 1.12–1.47 times than that of red clay and 1.5%xanthan gum-treated clay,respectively.The results of study provide the related methods and experiences for the field of ecological soil treatment.

The Influence of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on Unconfined Compressive Strength of Lignin Fiber-Reinforced Loess

In the seasonal permafrost region with loess distribution,the influence of freeze-thaw cycles on the engineering performance of reinforced loess must be paid attention to.Many studies have shown that the use of fiber materials can improve the engineering performance of soil and its ability to resist freeze-thaw cycles.At the same time,as eco-environmental protection has become the focus,which has been paid more and more attention to,it has become a trend to find new environmentally friendly improved materials that can replace traditional chemical additives.The purpose of this paper uses new environmental-friendly improved materials to reinforce the engineering performance of loess,improve the ability of loess to resist freeze-thaw cycles,and reduce the negative impact on the ecological environment.To reinforce the engineering performance of loess and improve its ability to resist freeze-thaw cycles,lignin fiber is used as a reinforcing material.Through a series of laboratory tests,the unconfined compressive strength(UCS)of lignin fiber-reinforced loess under different freeze-thaw cycles was studied.The effects of lignin fiber content and freeze-thaw cycles on the strength and deformation modulus of loess were analyzed.Combined with the microstructure features,the change mechanism of lignin fiber-reinforced loess strength under freeze-thaw cycles was discussed.The results show that lignin fiber can improve the UCS of loess under freeze-thaw cycles,but the strengthening effect no longer increases with the increase of fiber content.When the fiber content is less than 1%,the UCS growth rate of loess is the fastest under freeze-thaw cycles.And the UCS of loess with 1%fiber content is the most stable under freeze-thaw cycles.The freeze-thaw cycles increase the deformation modulus of loess with 1%fiber content,and its ability to resist deformation is obviously better than loess with 1.5%,2%and 3%fiber content.The fiber content over 1%will weaken the strengthening effect of lignin fiber-reinforced loess,and the optimum fiber content of lignin fiber-reinforced loess under freeze-thaw cycles is 1%.

Estimating Unconfined Compressive Strength of Sedimentary Rocks in United Arab Emirates from Point Load Strength Index

In this paper, three rock types including Sandstone, Mudstone, and Crystalline Gypsum were part of a laboratory study conducted to develop a dataset for predicting the unconfined compressive strength of UAE intact sedimentary rock specimens. Four hundred nineteen rock samples from various areas along the coastal region of the UAE were collected and tested for the development of this dataset and evaluation of models. From the statistical analysis of the data, regression equations were established among rock parameters and correlations were expressed and compared by the ones proposed in literature.

Analysis of influence factors of unconfined compressive strength for composite soil stabilizer-stabilized gravel soil

In order to investigate the effect o f some factors on the unconfined compressive strength(UCS)for composite soil stabilizer-stabilized gravel soil(CSSSGS),the orthogonal test is adopted to set up the experimental scheme.Three levels o f each factor armconsidered to obtain the change laws o f UCS,in which the binder dosages are8%,10%,and12%;the curing times ae7,14and21d;the gradation nae0.3,0.35and0.4;and the degrees of compaction are95%,97%,and99%.The range analysis clearly indicates that the influence degree o f the four factors on UCS is in such an order:dosage,age,gradation,and degree o f compaction.The variance analysis shows that only the composite soil stabilizer dosage can significantly affect UCS.In road construction,the examination o f composite soil stabilizer dosage and base-course maintenance should be given much more attention to obtain satisfactory base-course strength,compared w ith gradation floating and the change of degree o f compaction.

Effect of chloride salt concentration on unconfined compression strength of cement-treated Lianyungang soft marine clay

This study aims to quantify the influence of the amount of cement and chloride salt on the unconfined compression strength （UCS） of Lianyungang marine clay. The clays with various sodium chloride salt concentrations were prepared artificially and stabilized by ordinary Portland cement with various contents. A series of UCS tests of cement stabilized clay specimen after 28 d curing were carried out. The results indicate that the increase of salt concentration results in the decrease in the UCS of cement-treated soil. The negative effect of salt concentration on the strength of cement stabilized clay directly relates to the cement content and salt concentration. The porosity-salt concentration/cement content ratio is a fundamental parameter for assessing the UCS of cement-treated salt-rich clay. An empirical prediction model of UCS is also proposed to take into account the effect of salt concentration. The findings of this study can be referenced for the stabilization improvement of chloride slat- rich soft clay.

Effect of Sample Disturbance on Unconfined Compression Strength of Natural Marine Clays

Quantitatively correcting the unconfined compressive strength for sample disturbance is an important research project in the practice of ocean engineering and geotechnical engineering. In this study, the specimens of undisturbed natural marine clay obtained from the same depth at the same site were deliberately disturbed to different levels. Then, the specimens with different extents of sample disturbance were trimmed for both oedometer tests and unconfined compression tests. The degree of sample disturbance SD is obtained from the oedometer test data. The relationship between the unconfined compressive strength q u and SD is studied for investigating the effect of sample disturbance on q u. It is found that the value of q u decreases linearly with the increase in SD. Then, a simple method of correcting q u for sample disturbance is proposed. Its validity is also verified through analysis of the existing published data.

Evaluation of empirical estimation of uniaxial compressive strength of rock using measurements from index and physical tests

The uniaxial compressive strength(UCS) of rock is an important parameter required for design and analysis of rock structures,and rock mass classification.Uniaxial compression test is the direct method to obtain the UCS values.However,these tests are generally tedious,time-consuming,expensive,and sometimes impossible to perform due to difficult rock conditions.Therefore,several empirical equations have been developed to estimate the UCS from results of index and physical tests of rock.Nevertheless,numerous empirical models available in the literature often make it difficult for mining engineers to decide which empirical equation provides the most reliable estimate of UCS.This study evaluates estimation of UCS of rocks from several empirical equations.The study uses data of point load strength(Is(50)),Schmidt rebound hardness(SRH),block punch index(BPI),effective porosity(n) and density(ρ)as inputs to empirically estimate the UCS.The estimated UCS values from empirical equations are compared with experimentally obtained or measured UCS values,using statistical analyses.It shows that the reliability of UCS estimated from empirical equations depends on the quality of data used to develop the equations,type of input data used in the equations,and the quality of input data from index or physical tests.The results show that the point load strength(Is(50)) is the most reliable index for estimating UCS among the five types of tests evaluated.Because of type-specific nature of rock,restricting the use of empirical equations to the similar rock types for which they are developed is one of the measures to ensure satisfactory prediction performance of empirical equations.

Inconsistency of changes in uniaxial compressive strength and P-wave velocity of sandstone after temperature treatments

It is generally accepted that the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)and P-wave velocity of rocks tend to decrease simultaneously with increasing temperature.However,based on a great number of statistical data and systematic analysis of the microstructure variation of rocks with temperature rising and corresponding propagation mechanism of elastic wave,the results show that(1)There are three different trends for the changes of UCS and P-wave velocity of sandstone when heated from room temperature(20C or 25C)to 800C:(i)Both the UCS and P-wave velocity decrease simultaneously;(ii)The UCS increases initially and then decreases,while the P-wave velocity decreases continuously;and(iii)The UCS increases initially and then fluctuates,while the P-wave velocity continuously decreases.(2)The UCS changes at room temperaturee400C,400Ce600C,and 600Ce800C are mainly attributed to the discrepancy of microstructure characteristics and quartz content,the transformation plasticity of clay minerals,and the balance between the thermal cementation and thermal damage,respectively.(3)The inconsistency in the trends of UCS and P-wave velocity changes is caused by the change of quartz content,phase transition of water and certain minerals.

Artificial intelligence model for studying unconfined compressive performance of fiber-reinforced cemented paste backfill

To reduce the difficulty of obtaining the unconfined compressive strength(UCS) value of fiber-reinforced cemented paste backfill(CPB) and analyze the comprehensive impact of conventional and fiber variables on the compressive property, a new artificial intelligence model was proposed by combining a newly invented meta-heuristics algorithm(salp swarm algorithm, SSA) and extreme learning machine(ELM) technology. Aiming to test the reliability of that model, 720 UCS tests with different cement-to-tailing mass ratio, solid mass concentration, fiber content, fiber length, and curing time were carried out, and a strength evaluation database was collected. The obtained results show that the optimized SSA-ELM model can accurately predict the uniaxial compressive strength of the fiber-reinforced CPB, and the model performance of SSA-ELM model is better than ANN, SVR and ELM models. Variable sensitivity analysis indicates that fiber content and fiber length have a significant effect on the UCS of fiber-reinforced CPB.

Predicting uniaxial compressive strength of serpentinites through physical,dynamic and mechanical properties using neural networks

The uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)of intact rock is one of the most important parameters required and determined for rock mechanics studies in engineering projects.The limitations and difficulty of conducting tests on rocks,specifically on thinly bedded,highly fractured,highly porous and weak rocks,as well as the fact that these tests are destructive,expensive and time-consuming,lead to development of soft computing-based techniques.Application of artificial neural networks(ANNs)for predicting UCS has become an attractive alternative for geotechnical engineering scientists.In this study,an ANN was designed with the aim of indirectly predicting UCS through the serpentinization percentage,and physical,dynamic and mechanical characteristics of serpentinites.For this purpose,data obtained in earlier experimental work from central Greece were used.The ANN-based results were compared with the experimental ones and those obtained from previous analysis.The proposed ANN-based formula was found to be very efficient in predicting UCS values and the samples could be classified with simple physical,dynamic and mechanical tests,thus the expensive,difficult,time-consuming and destructive mechanical tests could be avoided.

Estimating uniaxial compressive strength of rocks using genetic expression programming

The aim of this paper is to estimate the uniaxial compressive strength（UCS） of rocks with different characteristics by using genetic expression programming（GEP）.For this purpose,five different types of rocks including basalt and ignimbrite（black,yellow,gray,brown） were prepared.Values of unit weight,water absorption by weight,effective porosity and UCS of rocks were determined experimentally.By using these experimental data,five different GEP models were developed for estimating the values of UCS for different rock types.Good agreement between experimental data and predicted results is obtained.

Estimate of Uniaxial Compressive Strength of Hydrothermally Altered Soft Rocks Based on Strength Index Tests

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationships between results of index tests and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) in hydrothermally altered soft rocks of the Upper Miocene, which are typical of the soft rock found in northeastern Hokkaido, Japan. Index tests were performed using point load testing machine and needle penetrometer with irregular lump specimens under forced-dry, forced-wet, and natural-moist states. The relationships between irregular lump point load strength (IPLS) index and UCS, and needle penetration (NP) index and UCS were “UCS = approximately 19 IPLS index” and “UCS = 0.848 (NP index)0.619”, respectively, in soft rocks with a UCS below 25 MPa. These relationships could be applied to on-site tests of rocks with natural moisture content. The UCS could be calculated from IPLS and NP tests on soft rocks only when UCS was below 25 MPa, using the equations obtained as a result of this study.

The compressive strength experimental study of cemented soil under H2SO4 corrosive in earlier period

In order to simulate and study the erosion effect process such as the changes of corrosive depth and unconfined compression strength of cemented soil sample in earlier period from 0 day to 60 days, a series of tests including unconfined compressive tests, measuring the blocks＇ sizes, and taking photos, are conducted on the cemented soil blocks which were cured in different concentrations of H2SO4 solutions. The results of tests show that the corrosive depth is increasing and the unconfined compression strength is decreasing with the increase of H2SO4 solution concentration at the same erosion time, and the corrosive degree is increasing with the corrosive time. In the earlier state, the corrosive effect is serious, but the effect becomes slow in the later state in the same concentrated H2SO4 solution. After take statistics the date, a coefficient a is put forward to predict the reduction of the compressive strength of cemented soil in various concentration of H2SO4 solution, which could be used in practical design.

Revisiting factors contributing to the strength of cemented backfill support system:A review

This paper provides a review of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)of cemented tailings backfill(CTB).The consideration is that once CTB is poured into underground stopes,its strength is heavily influenced by factors internal to the CTB as well as the surrounding mining environments.Peer-reviewed journal articles,books,and conference papers published between 2000 and 2022 were searched electronically from various databases and reviewed.Additional sources,such as doctoral theses,were obtained from academic repositories.An important finding from the review is that the addition of fibers was reported to improve the UCS of CTB in some studies while decrease in others.This discrepancy was accounted to the different properties of fibers used.Further research is therefore needed to determine the“preferred”fiber to be used in CTB.Diverging findings were also reported on the effects of stope size on the UCS of CTB.Furthermore,the use of fly ash as an alternative binder may be threatened in the future when reliance on the coal power declines.Therefore,an alternative cementitious by-product to be used together with furnace slag may be required in the future.Finally,while most studies on backfill focused on single-layered structures,layered backfill design models should also be investigated.

偏高岭土基地聚合物对水泥固化红黏土的改善机制

为了研究偏高岭土对水泥固化红黏土的改善效果,开展了三种组合(纯水泥、水泥+偏高岭土以及水泥+偏高岭土+水玻璃)的红黏土固化试验。基于固化剂化学组分和固化土的干密度、pH值以及物相成分等,研究了新型复合碱激发体系作用下偏高岭土对水泥固化红黏土的作用机理。研究表明:当水泥、偏高岭土和水玻璃掺入比分别为12%、5%和3%时,红黏土固化效果最佳,相比于纯水泥固化土其强度提高了2.82倍。在n(SiO_(2))/n(Al_(2)O_(3))从2.53增加至4.05过程中,固化土强度发展较快,随后逐渐趋于稳定。由于水泥水化生成的Ca^(2+)能够平衡固化体系中的部分负电荷,在n(Na_(2)O)/n(Al_(2)O_(3))较小的情况下固化土强度得到了显著提升。最后通过固化土微观形貌及主要物相组成发现,新型复合碱激发体系的试样中含有无定形地聚物凝胶且主要物相特征峰峰值有所降低,说明产生了更多的地聚合凝胶产物。

改良垃圾焚烧底渣固化疏浚淤泥性能试验研究

基于以废治废理念,提出了用改良垃圾焚烧底渣固化疏浚淤泥的新思路,并开展了室内试验研究,测定了固化淤泥试样的含水率、无侧限抗压强度及抗剪强度指标。试验结果表明:垃圾焚烧底渣磨细粉和未研磨的原渣按1∶1比例混合时,具有最优的固化性能;在最优混合比条件下,固化淤泥的无侧限抗压强度、黏聚力和内摩擦角均随龄期和改良垃圾焚烧底渣掺入比的增加而增大,含水率则相反;当改良垃圾焚烧底渣掺入比为35%时,固化淤泥28 d无侧限抗压强度达到了58.4 kPa,含水率由67.4%降至38.0%,采用改良垃圾焚烧底渣固化疏浚淤泥是可行的。

Influence of Salt-Lime Stabilization on Soil Strength for Construction on Soft Clay

Construction on soft soil is one of the most challenging situations faced by geotechnical engineers. The heterogeneous and complex nature of soil, especially those containing organic clay, often makes it impossible for the construction specification to be addressed properly. Generally, clay exhibits low strength, high compressibility, and strength reduction when subjected to mechanical disturbance. This means that construction on clay soil is vulnerable to bearing capacity failure induced by low inherent shear strength. All these properties can be improved by the effective stabilization of soil. This study analyzed the effectiveness of incorporating salt-lime mixtures at various dosages in improving the strength increment of the soil. The results indicate that among different combinations of salt and lime, the best performance in terms of strength increase was achieved by adding 10% NaCl with 3% lime in the soil. The outcome of this study focuses on enhancing the ultimate strength of soil and its implementation in the field of foundation engineering.

水泥-石灰-磷石膏固化赤泥的路用基层性能

基于磷石膏硫激发作用水泥-石灰固化赤泥,开展了固化赤泥无侧限抗压强度、抗劈裂、抗回弹力学性能和干湿、冻融耐久性能等路用性能的室内试验,探究了该固化赤泥应用道路基层的可行性。试验结果表明:采用固化剂配比m水泥∶m石灰∶m磷石膏=8∶2∶2的固化赤泥路用基层性能最佳,7 d无侧限抗压强度为4.18 MPa,满足基层强度要求;28 d劈裂强度和回弹模量分别为0.256、1020 MPa;五级干湿和冻融循环后,质量变化率<2%,强度损失指标BDR均在80%以上。压汞试验从微观揭示了磷石膏反应产生的钙矾石,通过填充孔隙(0.1~1μm),增强固化赤泥强度;过量钙矾石使得固化赤泥体积膨胀,产生微裂缝孔隙(1~10μm),强度性能劣化。综合固化赤泥性能试验结果,使用m赤泥∶m水泥∶m石灰∶m磷石膏=100∶8∶2∶2配合比制备的固化赤泥替代传统路面基层材料是可行的,拓宽了赤泥综合利用的途径。

土性对工程泥浆固化强度影响规律及微观机理

本文开展了一系列不同液限高分子吸水树脂固化工程泥浆无侧限抗压强度试验,探讨了泥浆土液限对固化效率的影响规律,对比研究了掺入高岭土对泥浆固化强度的改进程度,最后基于XRD和SEM试验揭示了液限和高岭土对固化泥浆强度影响的微观机理。结果表明:随着泥浆土液限的增大,固化泥浆土强度逐渐降低,固化效率随着泥浆土液限增大显著衰减,当液限增加10%,固化泥浆土强度qu平均减少48.2%。然而高岭土的掺入则显著提升了固化泥浆土的强度,并且强度增长率随着龄期逐渐增大,对于龄期为90天时,增加40%高岭土能够提升固化泥浆土强度qu 1.17倍。微观结构试验表明泥浆土液限变化对水化产物产量的影响较小,固化泥浆土强度随泥浆土液限减小主要是由于固化泥浆土孔隙随着泥浆土液限增大而增多,使得微观结构松散从而导致强度降低。高岭土的掺入则显著提升了固化泥浆土的水化产物产量,增强了固化泥浆土胶结强度,从而提升了固化泥浆土强度。因此,在实际工程中,一方面可以通过调配泥浆土液限来提高固化效率;另一方面可以通过掺入高岭土或者一些高岭土基废弃物(如高岭土尾矿)来提高固化强度,实现“以废制废”绿色环保的理念。