Digital monitoring of rotary-percussive drilling with down-the-hole hammer for profiling weathered granitic ground

Rock and geotechnical engineering investigations involve drilling holes in ground with or without retrieving soil and rock samples to construct the subsurface ground profile.On the basis of an actual soil nailing drilling for a slope stability project in Hong Kong,this paper further develops the drilling process monitoring(DPM)method for digitally profiling the subsurface geomaterials of weathered granitic rocks using a compressed airflow driven percussive-rotary drilling machine with down-the-hole(DTH)hammer.Seven transducers are installed on the drilling machine and record the chuck displacement,DTH rotational speed,and five pressures from five compressed airflows in real-time series.The mechanism and operations of the drilling machine are elaborated in detail,which is essential for understanding and evaluating the drilling data.A MATLAB program is developed to automatically filter the recorded drilling data in time series and classify them into different drilling processes in sub-time series.These processes include penetration,push-in with or without rod,pull-back with or without rod,rod-tightening and rod-untightening.The drilling data are further reconstructed to plot the curve of drill-bit depth versus the net drilling time along each of the six drillholes.Each curve is found to contain multiple linear segments with a constant penetration rate,which implies a zone of homogenous geomaterial with different weathering grades.The effect from fluctuation of the applied pressures is evaluated quantitatively.Detailed analyses are presented for accurately assess and verify the underground profiling and strength in weathered granitic rock,which provided the basis of using DPM method to confidently assess drilling measurements to interpret the subsurface profile in real time.

Estimating the properties of weathered bedrock and pile-rock interaction from the geological strength index

The effect of variable rock mass properties on pile-rock interaction poses a great challenge to the design of stabilizing piles and numerical analysis of pile-rock interaction. The paper presents a novel method to estimate the properties of weathered bedrock, which can be applied to routine design of landslide-stabilizing piles for collivial landslides. The Ercengyan landslide located in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China, is the area of interest for this study. A geological investigation and triaxial tests were conducted to estimate the basic parameters, including Geological Strength Index(GSI), uniaxial compressive strength σ_(ci) and Hoek-Brown constant m_i of intact bedrock in the study area. Hoek-Brown criterion was used to estimate mechanical properties of the weathered rock, including elastic modulus E_m, cohesion c, friction angle Φ, and normal ultimate lateral resistance p_(max). A parametric study was performed to evaluate the effect of parameterizations of GSI, σ_(ci) and m_i on the bedrock properties and p-y curves. The estimated rock mass properties were used with PLAXIS 2D software to simulate pile-rock interaction. Effect of GSI on stress at the pile-rock interface and in the rock, pile bending moment, pile shear force, and p-y curve were analysed.

Compacting Deformation Engineering Characteristics of Weathered Soft Rock Mixture in Subgrade

The engineering characteristics of weathered soft rock are important contents of soft rock mechanics. They also play a significant role in compacting deformation, which has been known to exert a significant amount of influence on the stability of highway filling subgrade engineering. In an effort to investigate this aspect of the problem, compacting tests and unconfined compressive strength tests have been carried out on weathered argillaceous slate and pelitic siltstone rocks, which are broken and graded before the test. The testing results indicate that the relationships of both between stress and strain and between axial strain and tangent modulus are exponential relationships; the size of the grain plays some influence on the deformation modulus, whereas the water content impacts the compressive strength greatly, which shows quadratic function; the unconfined compressive strength is linear with the dry density of loose soft rock mixtures. Therefore, the water content must be controlled in both the design and the construction of subgrade engineering of soft rock filling, and at the same time some effective measures should be taken to reach the requirement of compaction.

Characteristics and identification of weathering crust of Pennsylvanian volcanic rocks in Shixi area,Junggar Basin

Based on drill core and thin section observation,major geochemical element analysis and con-ventional well log analysis,this study summarizes the characteristics and thickness of weathering crust of Pennsylvanian volcanic rocks(Carboniferous)in Shixi area,Junggar Basin.The weathering crust is identified and divided into three types according to the petrological characteristics and well log interpretations in Shixi area,and the isopach of weathering crust is mapped.The results show that:(1)With the increase of depth,the weathering weakens,and the rocks become less fractured with decreased porosity;(2)the weathering crust of the Upper Carboniferous volcanic rocks can be divided into strongly weathered and mildly weathered layers in Shixi area;(3)the weathering crust is relatively thicker in Dinan uplift and Shixi uplift.This study provides research basis for further evaluation of Upper Carboniferous volcanic reservoir,and will benefit for well location deployment and potential oilfield development in the Shixi area.

DEM investigation of weathered rocks using a novel bond contact model

The distinct element method（DEM） incorporated with a novel bond contact model was applied in this paper to shed light on the microscopic physical origin of macroscopic behaviors of weathered rock, and to achieve the changing laws of microscopic parameters from observed decaying properties of rocks during weathering. The changing laws of macroscopic mechanical properties of typical rocks were summarized based on the existing research achievements. Parametric simulations were then conducted to analyze the relationships between macroscopic and microscopic parameters, and to derive the changing laws of microscopic parameters for the DEM model. Equipped with the microscopic weathering laws, a series of DEM simulations of basic laboratory tests on weathered rock samples was performed in comparison with analytical solutions. The results reveal that the relationships between macroscopic and microscopic parameters of rocks against the weathering period can be successfully attained by parametric simulations. In addition, weathering has a significant impact on both stressestrain relationship and failure pattern of rocks.

Updating of the hierarchical rock mass rating(HRMR) system and a new subsystem developed for weathered granite formations

The RMR system is still very much applied in rock mechanics engineering context. It is based on the evaluation of six weights to obtain a final rating. To obtain the final rating a considerable amount of information is needed concerning the rock mass which can be difficult to obtain in some projects or project stages at least with accuracy. In 2007 an alternative classification scheme based on the RMR, the Hierarchical Rock Mass Rating(HRMR) was presented. The main feature of this system was the adaptation to the level of knowledge existent about the rock mass to obtain the classification of the rock mass since it followed a decision tree approach. However, the HRMR was only valid for hard rock granites with low fracturing degrees. In this work, the database was enlarged with approximately 40% more cases considering other types of granite rock masses including weathered granites and based on this increased database the system was updated. Granite formations existent in the north of Portugal including Porto city are predominantly granites. Some years ago a light rail infrastructure was built in the city of Porto and surrounding municipalities which involved considerable challenges due to the high heterogeneity levels of the granite formations and the difficulties involved in their geomechanical characterization. In this work it is intended to provide also a contribution to improve the characterization of these formations with special emphasis to the weathered horizons. A specific subsystem applicable to the weathered formations was developed. The results of the validation of these systems are presented and show acceptable performances in identifying the correct class using less information than with the RMR system.

Is the Cape Stone Forest in Shantou City formed by wave erosion? A comparison of the pedestal rocks on the coasts and the mountains of Queshi in eastern Guangdong, China

Cape Stone Forest is a group of granite rock pillars(pedestal rocks) towering over Shilin Lake, on the southern shore of Shantou Bay in eastern Guangdong, China. The rock pillars were previously identified as sea stacks because they have marine notch-like concave sidewalls at their base, and more importantly, the lake is immediately adjacent to the bay, which is exposed to the open sea. However, rock pillars similar in shape and size can also be found at the top of Queshi Mountain, which is only about 300 meters northwest of the lake and about 85 meters above sea level. Therefore, the marine origin of Cape Stone Forest is seriously questioned. In this study, 3D imagery and drone technology were used to collect data in the investigations without direct manual measurements in the water or on the mountain. It shows that the concave sidewalls of the rock pillars in the lake and on the mountains occur at different heights and are exposed to different directions, while a natural sea stack on Mayu Island at the mouth of Shantou Bay has a horizontal notch parallel to the sea level, although the granite rock of the sea stack is the same as that of the lake and the mountains. The eastern side of the island, where the sea stack is located, is exposed to the open sea but blocks large waves for the rock pillars in the lake. Therefore, the origin of Cape Stone Forest cannot be explained by wave-based mechanisms. The only satisfactory explanation that takes into account all the field evidence is that the narrow rock pillars of the lake and mountain were formed by chemical weathering that penetrated closely the spaced joints of the granite rock, and the notch-like concave sidewalls were formed by more effective chemical weathering at the base of the pillars.

Dynamic response and failure process of horizontal-layered fractured structure rock slope under strong earthquake

Rock slope with horizontal-layered fractured structure(HLFS)has high stability in its natural state.However,a strong earthquake can induce rock fissure expansion,ultimately leading to slope failure.In this study,the dynamic response,failure mode,and spectral characteristics of rock slope with HLFS under strong earthquake conditions were investigated based on the large-scale shaking table model test.On this basis,multiple sets of numerical calculation models were further established by UDEC discrete element program.Five influencing factors were considered in the parametric study of numerical simulations,including slope height,slope angle,bedding-plane spacing and secondary joint spacing as well as bedrock dip angle.The results showed that the failure process of rock slope with HLFS under earthquake action is mainly divided into four phases,i.e.,the tensile crack of the slope shoulder joints and shear dislocation at the top bedding plane,the extension of vertical joint cracks and increase of shear displacement,the formation of step-through sliding surfaces and the instability,and finally collapse of fractured rock mass.The acceleration response of slopes exhibits elevation amplification effect and surface effect.Numerical simulations indicate that the seismic stability of slopes with HLFS exhibits a negative correlation with slope height and angle,but a positive correlation with bedding-plane spacing,joint spacing,and bedrock dip angle.The results of this study can provide a reference for seismic stability evaluation of weathered rock slopes.

Prediction of Young’s modulus of weathered igneous rocks using GRNN,RVM,and MPMR models with a new index

Young’s modulus(YM)of intact rock is an important parameter in the assessment of engineering behaviours of rock masses,and it cannot always be obtained in an economical and practical manner in laboratory experiments.The main purpose of this study is to examine the capability of the minimax probability machine regression(MPMR),relevance vector machine(RVM),and generalised regression neural network(GRNN)models for the prediction of YM.The other aim is to determine the usefulness of a new index,the n-durability index(ndrb),which is based on porosity and the slake durability index.According to the regression analysis performed in this study,the n-durability index as an explanatory parameter performs better than the P-wave velocity(Vp),porosity,and slake durability index in the models,considering the results herein as well as the existing literature.According to regression error characteristic curves,Taylor diagrams,and performance indices,the best prediction model is MPMR,while the worst is the GRNN model.Although GRNN is the worst of the soft computing models,its performance is slightly better than that of the multiple linear regression(MLR)model.According to the results of the study,the MPMR and RVM models with ndrb and Vp are successful tools that can predict the YM of igneous rock materials to different degrees.

The Fate of Chromium in Weathered Ultramafic Rocks and Their Derivitative Soils in Cuba: Clues from Spectroscopic Studies

In its cationic,trivalent form,Chromium(Cr)it is a micronutrient,and exhibits low environmental mobility.In hexavalent form,however,it is a human carcinogen and also highly mobile.Climate is a key environmental factor controlling weathering rates and stability of primary and secondary Cr-bearing minerals.Knowledge of Cr oxidation state and mineral residence is therefore essential to estimating the risk posed by Cr in serpentinites,chromite mine wastes,and soils developed on these parent materials.X-ray absorption spectroscopy(XAS)is currently the best available technique for determination of the relative abundance of Cr(III)and Cr(VI)in situ(that is,without digestion of solid phases).A brief review of relevant XAS studies of is presented below,focusing on studies in tropical climates1,as they will be most relevant to eastern Cuba’s extensively serpentinized ophiolite belt.Cr(III)-bearing spinels are usually the dominant and most refractory Cr host in ultramafic rocks.Previous XAS studies2 indicate that in tropical climates,Cr-spinels weather rapidly to form Cr(III)-bearing secondary Fe(III)(hydr)oxides(goethite,hematite).Manganese(Mn)is also enriched in ultramafic rocks2;as Mn(IV),it can also co-precipitate with Fe(III)(hydr)oxides,or form its own secondary(hydr)oxides.A previous study found up to 20%Cr(VI)in in a tropical,serpentine soil that contained substantial Mn,and a strong correlation between the*amounts of Cr(VI)and Mn(IV)in the soil profile2.Theresults of several XAS studies suggest that a close association of Mn(IV)and Cr(III)in secondary Fe(hydr)oxides is necessary for oxidation of Cr(III)to Cr(VI)via electron transfer reactions with Mn(IV);however,additional XAS studies have shown that organic matter3and Cr-bearing aluminosilicates4 may also be important sources of Cr(III)to the environment under specific conditions.The stability and fate of Cr has not been studied in detail for these two host phase types,to the best of our knowledge.Access to XAS facilities to perform Cr geochemical experiments is limited and will only become more so in the future.We are working to develop and apply(micro)Raman spectroscopy to evaluate Cr oxidation state and mineral residence(in crystalline and amorphous materials).In addition to standard Raman scattering,we are employing resonance Raman(785 nm laser)to enhance signal from Cr(VI)-bearing phases and laser-stimulated photoluminescence to identify Cr(III)associated with Al-rich alteration products

Model Test Study on Response of Weathered Rock Slope to Rainfall Infiltration under Different Conditions

Weathered rock(especially granite)slopes are prone to failure under the action of rainfall,making it necessary to study the response of weathered rock slope to rainfall infiltration for landslide prevention.In this study,a series of model tests of weathered rock slope under different conditions were conducted.The matric suction,volumetric water content,earth pressure and deformation of slope were monitored in real time during rainfall.The response of the slope to rainfall infiltration,failure process and failure mode of slope under different conditions were analyzed,and the early warning criterion for the failure of weathered rock slope caused by rainfall was studied.The results show that the slope deformation evolution process under rainfall condition was closely related to the dissipation of matric suction.When the distribution of the matrix suction(or water content)of slope met the condition that the resistance to sliding of the slip-mass was overcome,the displacement increased sharply and landslide occurred.Three factors including rainfall process,lithologic condition and excavation condition significantly affect the response of weathered rock slope to rainfall.It can be found from the test results under different conditions that compared with intermittent rainfall condition,the rainfall intensity and infiltration depth were smaller when the slope entering accelerated deformation stage under the condition of incremental rainfall.The accumulated rainfall when weathered clastic landslide occurring was greater than that of weathered granite,which results in greater disaster risk.The excavation angle and moisture distribution of a slope were the main factors affecting the stability of a slope.In addition,the evolution processes and critical displacement velocities of slopes were studied by combining the deformation curves and matrix suction curves,which can be used as reference for early warning of rainfall-induced weathered rock landslide.

Nutrient Release from Weathering of Purplish Rocks in the Sichuan Basin,China

Purplish soils having high fertility with mineral nutrients inherited from the parent rock are widely distributed in the hills along the Yangtze River,especially in the Sichuan Basin.Pot and field weathering experiments were conducted to mimic rock weathering and nutrient release processes in order to better understand soil fertility and nutrient compensation. Three types of purplish rock formations formed in the Jurassic period,Shaximiao(J_2s),Suining(J_3s),and Penglaizhen (J_3p),as well as one type formed in the Cretaceous period,the Chengqiangyan group(K_1c),were used in this study. Results showed that the soil formation rate was in the range from 11.2 to 19.6 mm every year,and rock weathering was in the order of J_3s>J_3p>J_2s>K_1c.Because more rock surface was exposed to sunlight and rainfall in field conditions,pot weathering was slower than field weathering.Nutrient release rates increased with rock weathering and was in the order similar to that of rock weathering:J_3p>J_3s>J_2s>K_1c.Potassium release was the most important in all rocks;after 2 years of weathering,19.4% to 46.9% of K was released from the initial parent rocks,which suggested that K release from weathering could meet most of the crop K requirement in purplish soils.Thus,rapid release of nutrients from weathering of purplish rocks was key to nutrient replenishment and fertility of purplish soils.

Characteristics and Genetic Analysis of the Deep-buried Weathered-crust Karst Hydrocarbon Reservoirs of the Lower Paleozoic Group in the Tarim Basin

The genetic analysis of the deep-buried reservoirs of the Lower Paleozoiccarbonate rocks in the Tarim basin is a difficult task involving many factors. Firstly, the objectof study is carbonate rocks, which have undergone a long term of modification. Secondly, the rocksare deeply buried with depths of 3800-7000 m in the Tarim basin. The primary reservoir propertiesformed in the deposition have been strongly modified during the deep burial process. Concurrently,the different burial depths in different areas result in diversities of burial temperature,pressure, underground water, hydrochemistry and various physicochemical changes, which further leadto differences in the diagenetic type, diagenetic property, diagenetic degree and their impacts onthe reservoir properties. The Lower Paleozoic Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate reservoirs in theTarim basin can be grouped into four types, i.e., paleo-weathered-crust reservoirs, reef reservoirs,buried karst reservoirs and dolomite reservoirs. This paper presents a detailed discussion on thevertical and horizontal distribution characteristics, morphological division, reservoir propertiesand the efficiency in accumulating hydrocarbons of the paleo-weathered-crust type. Furthermore, itsgenesis is also analyzed. We proposed that the composition of the carbonate rocks, the tectonicmovement with associated fractures and fissures, the paleomorphology and paleoclimate, the sea levelfluctuation, and the protection of the pores and fissures by the deep burial diagenesis and burialdissolution are the main factors controlling the formation of the paleo-weathered-crust reservoirs.We also consider that the petroleum exploration of the Lower Paleozoic carbonate rocks should befocused on the pale-weathered-crust reservoirs.

Heterogeneity of Parent Rocks and Its Constraints on Geochemical Criteria in Weathering Crusts of Carbonate Rocks

Owing to the low contents of their acid-insoluble components, carbonate rocks tend to decrease sharply in volume in association with the formation of weathering crust. The formation of a 1 m-thick weathering crust would usually consume more than ten meters to several tens of meters of thickness of parent rocks. The knowledge of how to identify the homogeneity of parent rocks is essential to understand the formation mechanism of weathering crust in karst regions, especially that of thick-layered red weathering crust. In this work the grain-size analyses have demonstrated that the three profiles studied are the residual weathering crust of carbonate rocks and further showed that there objectively exists the heterogeneity of parent rocks in the three studied weathering crusts. The heterogeneity of parent rocks can also be reflected m geochemical parameters of major elements, just as the characteristics of frequency plot of grain-size distribution. Conservative trace element ratios Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta are proven to be unsuitable for tracing the heterogeneity of parent rocks of weathering crust, but its geochemical mechanism is unclear. The authors strongly suggest in this paper that the identification of the homogeneity of parent rocks of weathering crust in karst regions is of prime necessity.

Fission Track Dating of Authigenic Quartz in Red Weathering Crusts of Carbonate Rocks in Guizhou Province

The Cenozoic evolution history of Guizhou Province, which is located on the southeastern flank of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is unclear because of the lack of sedimentation records. The red weathering crusts widespread on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau may bear critical information about their evolution history. This work firstly determined the ages of four red weathering crusts in eastern, central and northern Guizhou. The material used in fission track dating is well-crystallized quartz occurring in many in-situ weathering crusts of carbonate rocks. The results showed that the fission track ages of quartz vary over a wide range from 1 to 25 Ma in the four profiles, significantly younger than the ages of the Triassic and Cambrian parent rocks. In combination with the evolution history of the regional geology during the period from 25 to 1 Ma, the ages of quartz can exclude the possibility that the origin of quartz has nothing to do with primary clastic minerals in parent rocks, authigenesis during diagenesis and hydrothermal precipitation or roplacement by volcanic activities. It is deduced that the well-crystallized quartz was precipitated from Si-rich weathering fluids during the weathering process of carbonate rocks. The recorded ages of quartz from the four profiles are consistent with the episodes of the planation surfaces on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the forming stages of red soil in the tropics of South China, the tectonically stable periods in Guizhou, and the ages of weathering in other parts of the world during the Cenozoic era. That is to say, the ages of authigenic quartz dated by the fission track method are well feasible and credible.

Enrichment and Release of Rare Earth Elements during Weathering of Sedimentary Rocks in Wujiang Catchments

Thirteen weathering profiles of sedimentary rocks such as limestone, dolomitic limestone, dolomite, silicalite, black shale and purple sandrock from Wujiang catchments were selected for study on enrichment and release behavior of rare earth elements （REE） during weathering, and in its impact on plant growth and riverine REE distribution in the catchments with methods of hierachical cluster analysis and mass balance calculation in order to set a basis for riverine material source research and agricultural production. The results show that the enrichment degree of REE in calcareous soils from the Wujiang catchments is much higher than that of limestone, yellow soil, upper continental crust （UCC）,

Rock-weathering by lichens in Antarctic: patterns and mechanisms

Saxicolous species of lichens are able to induce and accelerate weathering of their rock substrate, and effects of lichens on substrate can be attributed to both physical and chemical causes. This paper is focused on biotic weathering actions of epilithic and endolithic species on the different rock types (sandstones and volcanogenic rocks) in Antarctica. The patterns, mechanisms, processes and neoformations of rock-weathering resulting from lichen colonization are expounded in detail. Furthermore, it is pointed out that, for a better understanding of the impacts of lichens on environments, the studies on the rate of biotic weathering and the comprehensive involvement of the lichen effects on weathering of natural rocks remain to be carried out in Antarctica.

Metasomatic Mechanism of Weathering-Pedogenesis of Carbonate Rocks: I. Mineralogical and Micro-Textural Evidence

On the basis of mineralogical, geochemical and micro\|textural studies of the typical sections of the red weathering crust of carbonate rocks in the subtropical karst areas of Guizhou Province and Guangxi Autonomous Region, we have found, either on a microscopic or on a macroscopical scale and in different positions of the sections, the most direct and most important mineralogical and micro\|textural evidence for the development of metasomatism in the process of weathering\|pedogenesis of numerous carbonate rocks. This paper also has expounded for the first time and systematically the mechanism of metasomatism involved in the process of weathering\|pedogenesis of carbonate rocks and proposed the sequence of mineral metasomatic evolution in the process of weathering\|pedogenesis of carbonate rocks.

Weathering-pedogenesis of Carbonate Rocks and Its Environmental Effects in Subtropical Region

We investigated the weathering-pedogenesis of carbonate rocks and its environmental effects in subtropical regions of China. The investigation demonstrated that the weathering- pedogenesis of carbonate rocks is the process of a joint action of corrosion and illuviation and metasomatism in subtropical region. It is characterized by multi-stage, multi-path and multi-style. With the persisting development of weathering-pedogenesis of carbonate rocks, metasomatic pedogenesis progressively became the main process of the weathering-pedogenesis and the dominant style of formation of minerals. And it proceeds through the whole process of evolution of the weathering-pedogenesis of carbonate rocks. The stage evolution of weathering-pedogenesis of carbonate rocks and the fractionation evolution of newly produced minerals are characterized by obvious vertically zoning structures and the rules of gradation of elements geochemical characteristics in the carbonate rocks weathering profiles. The geochemical process of weathering-pedogenesis of carbonate rocks can be divided into three geochemical evolution stages, i.e., the Ca, Mg-depletion and Si, Al-enrichment stage; the Fe, Mn enrichment stage and the Si-depletion and Al-enrichment stage in the subtropical regions. Consistent with the three geochemical evolution stages, the sequence of formation and evolution of minerals can be divided into the clay mineral stage; the Fe, Mn oxide and the gibbsite stage. The influence of weathering-pedogenesis of carbonate rocks on the chemical forms of heavy elements is mainly affected via newly produced components and minerals in the process of weathering-pedogenesis, e.g., iron oxide minerals and organic matters. The important mechanism for the mobilization, transport and pollution of F and As is affected the selective adsorption and desorption of F and As on the surface of iron oxide minerals in the subtropical karst zones, i.e., the selective adsorption and desorption on mineral surfaces of newly produced minerals in the process of weathering-pedogenesis control the geochemical behavior of elements on the Earth＇s surface and environmental quality in subtropical regions.