A method to interpret fracture aperture of rock slope using adaptive shape and unmanned aerial vehicle multi-angle nap-of-the-object photogrammetry

The aperture of natural rock fractures significantly affects the deformation and strength properties of rock masses,as well as the hydrodynamic properties of fractured rock masses.The conventional measurement methods are inadequate for collecting data on high-steep rock slopes in complex mountainous regions.This study establishes a high-resolution three-dimensional model of a rock slope using unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)multi-angle nap-of-the-object photogrammetry to obtain edge feature points of fractures.Fracture opening morphology is characterized using coordinate projection and transformation.Fracture central axis is determined using vertical measuring lines,allowing for the interpretation of aperture of adaptive fracture shape.The feasibility and reliability of the new method are verified at a construction site of a railway in southeast Tibet,China.The study shows that the fracture aperture has a significant interval effect and size effect.The optimal sampling length for fractures is approximately 0.5e1 m,and the optimal aperture interpretation results can be achieved when the measuring line spacing is 1%of the sampling length.Tensile fractures in the study area generally have larger apertures than shear fractures,and their tendency to increase with slope height is also greater than that of shear fractures.The aperture of tensile fractures is generally positively correlated with their trace length,while the correlation between the aperture of shear fractures and their trace length appears to be weak.Fractures of different orientations exhibit certain differences in their distribution of aperture,but generally follow the forms of normal,log-normal,and gamma distributions.This study provides essential data support for rock and slope stability evaluation,which is of significant practical importance.

Coupled DEM-FDM analyses of the effects of falling rock’s shape and impact angle on response of granular cushion and rock shed

Rock shed is an effective protection measure against rockfall.To investigate the influences of falling rock’s shape and impact angle on the impact effect of the cushioned rock shed,a modeling approach for a rock shed with a cushion layer using PFC-FLAC.The granular cushion is modeled as an aggregate of discrete non-cohesion particles,while the concrete plate and the beam are modeled as zones.The falling rock with different sphericities and impact angles is modeled as a rigid assembly.The numerical model is validated by comparing the simulation results with experimental and numerical results from previous literature.This model is applied to analyze the effects of rock shape and impact angle on the dynamic interaction effects between falling rock and cushioned rock shed,including the impact force,transmitted bottom force,penetration depth,and plate deflection.The numerical results show that the variation in the falling rock’s shape has different effects on the falling rock with different impact angles.These findings could support rock shed design by revealing the limitations of the assumptions in the past research,which may result in unsafe rock sheds for some rockfall cases.

Experimental investigation into the salinity effect on the physicomechanical properties of carbonate saline soil

For engineering structures with saline soil as a filling material,such as channel slope,road subgrade,etc.,the rich soluble salt in the soil is an important potential factor affecting their safety performance.This study examines the Atterberg limits,shear strength,and compressibility of carbonate saline soil samples with different NaHCO3 contents in Northeast China.The mechanism underlying the influence of salt content on soil macroscopic properties was investigated based on a volumetric flask test,a mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)test,and a scanning electron microscopic(SEM)test.The results demonstrated that when NaHCO3 contents were lower than the threshold value of 1.5%,the bound water film adsorbed on the surface of clay particles thickened continuously,and correspondingly,the Atterberg limits and plasticity index increased rapidly as the increase of sodium ion content.Meanwhile,the bonding force between particles was weakened,the dispersion of large aggregates was enhanced,and the soil structure became looser.Macroscopically,the compressibility increased and the shear strength(mainly cohesion)decreased by 28.64%.However,when the NaHCO3 content exceeded the threshold value of 1.5%,the salt gradually approached solubility and filled the pores between particles in the form of crystals,resulting in a decrease in soil porosity.The cementation effect generated by salt crystals increased the bonding force between soil particles,leading to a decrease in plasticity index and an improvement in soil mechanical properties.Moreover,this work provides valuable suggestions and theoretical guidance for the scientific utilization of carbonate saline soil in backfill engineering projects.

Delineating homogeneous domains of fractured rocks using topological manifolds and deep learning

Determining homogeneous domains statistically is helpful for engineering geological modeling and rock mass stability evaluation.In this text,a technique that can integrate lithology,geotechnical and structural information is proposed to delineate homogeneous domains.This technique is then applied to a high and steep slope along a road.First,geological and geotechnical domains were described based on lithology,faults,and shear zones.Next,topological manifolds were used to eliminate the incompatibility between orientations and other parameters(i.e.trace length and roughness)so that the data concerning various properties of each discontinuity can be matched and characterized in the same Euclidean space.Thus,the influence of implicit combined effect in between parameter sequences on the homogeneous domains could be considered.Deep learning technique was employed to quantify abstract features of the characterization images of discontinuity properties,and to assess the similarity of rock mass structures.The results show that the technique can effectively distinguish structural variations and outperform conventional methods.It can handle multisource engineering geological information and multiple discontinuity parameters.This technique can also minimize the interference of human factors and delineate homogeneous domains based on orientations or multi-parameter with arbitrary distributions to satisfy different engineering requirements.

Seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas under long-period earthquakes

At present,there is not much research on mid-story isolated structures in mountainous areas.In this study,a model of a mid-story isolated structure considering soil-structure interaction(SSI)in mountainous areas is established along with a model that does not consider SSI.Eight long-period earthquake waves and two ordinary earthquake waves are selected as inputs for the dynamic time history analysis of the structure.The results show that the seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas can be amplified when compared with a structure that does not consider SSI.The structure response under long-period earthquakes is larger than that of ordinary earthquakes.The structure response under far-field harmonic-like earthquakes is larger than that of near-fault pulse-type earthquakes.The structure response under near-fault pulse-type earthquakes is larger than that of far-field non-harmonic earthquakes.When subjected to long-period earthquakes,the displacement of the isolated bearings exceeded the limit value,which led to instability and overturning of the structure.The structure with dampers in the isolated story could adequately control the nonlinear response of the structure,effectively reduce the displacement of the isolated bearings,and provide a convenient,efficient and economic method not only for new construction but also to retrofit existing structures.

Application of transient Rayleigh wave in detection of tunnel lining void area

Transient Rayleigh wave detection is a high-precision nondestructive detection method.At present,it has been widely used in shallow exploration,but rarely used in tunnel lining quality detection.Through the tunnel lining physical model experiment,the layout defects of the double-layer reinforcement lining area were detected and the Rayleigh wave velocity profile and dispersion curve were analyzed after data process-ing,which finally verified the feasibility and accuracy of Rayleigh wave method in detecting the tunnel lining void area.The results show that the method is not affected by the reinforcement inside the lining,the shallow detection is less disturbed and the accuracy is higher,and the data will fluctuate slightly with the deepening of the detection depth.At the same time,this method responds quite accurately to the thickness of the concrete,allowing for the assessment of the tunnel lining’s lack of compactness.This method has high efficiency,good reliability,and simple data processing,and is suitable for nondestructive detection of internal defects of tun-nel lining structure.

Environmental effect and treatment of urban construction in geotechnical engineering

The interact of construction and circumstance becomes more and more obviously,and research on it is essentially urgent.The way to solve it,first it relies on quantifiable evaluation to the effects done by different construction techniques,then,choose related techniques which cause less damage according to the endurance of circumstance.

Engineering Geological Zoning of Soft-Soil Foundation Based on Combination Weighting and Extension Methods

Different criteria and factors are used in different methods of soft soil foundation settlement calculation and engineering geological zoning.The methods used are not universally suitable for complex geological environments.The post-construction settlement of soft soil foundations are especially large and difficult to calculate.In addition,there are many deficiencies in the current methods used for engineering geological zoning.Focusing on the need of establishing engineering geological zoning for areas with soft soil foundations in the Tianjin Marine Economic Area,combination weighting and extension methods were introduced.An evaluation model for the settlement of soft soil foundations was established using multiple factors and large amounts of data.This evaluation model is accurate and objective for delineating engineering geological zoning.These methods eliminate deficiencies by considering both objective and subjective factors,and help obtain an objective and accurate result.

Engineering geological characteristics of slide zone soil and stability for one landslide in Tibet

On the basis of geological investigating work and experimental studies on slide zone soil of one landslide in Tibet,the authors analyzed granulometric composition,clay mineral composition and physical and mechanical properties for the soil in the slide zone.The soil samples are gravel containing fine particle.Particles larger than 2 mm occupy the main proportion with the content 51.5%--68.5%.The relative content of clay minerals is low.The clay minerals are illite smectite mixed layer and kaolinite,and their relative contents are 6%--13% and 4%-11%,respectively.The main mineral ingredient is quartz and the relative content is over 30%.Therefore,the soil’s hydrophily is poor.The cohesion and internal friction angle are high,causing preferable physical-mechanical features of slide zone soil.On the basis of the obtained data,the landslide stability is evaluated by means of limit equilibrium method.The safety factors are 3.191 and 1.92 respectively under both natural and normal water level conditions.The study results show that the landslide is stable.It can provide the appropriate basis and reference for landslide stability evaluation and landslide control in Tibet.

Engineering geological conditions and features of geologic hazards in Wudongde reservoir of Jinshajiang River valley

There is a great difference between the distribution and evolvement characteristics of slope geological hazard in the same geographical location and climatic conditions,taking the similar structural-genetic connection in Wudongde reservoir area of Jinshajiang River valley for example. In all engineering geological conditions,the chronologic age and attitude of strata,and the lithologic association factors control the distributions and evolvement characteristics of slope geological hazard in the studied area. The study shows that the slopes in geological evolution are in different stages. The conclusion helps to understand the types and the intensity of geological disasters.

Comparative analysis on soil engineering classifications of China and America

Based on China National Standard of Soil Engineering Classification (GB/T 50145-2007) and the Unified Soil Classification System of American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM D-2478), two kinds of soil laboratory engineering classification methods were discussed and analyzed from the aspects of the definition in particle fraction, classification of soil type and evaluation standard for soil gradation. There is a same limit of fine grains fraction in the two standards, and there are three main types of soil in GB/T 50145-2007 and two in ASTM D-2487. Different evaluation standards of gradation are put forward for gravels and sands in ASTM D-2487. Same criteria of A line, B line and controlling value of plastic index are in the plasticity chart of both standards.

Application of FLAC3D in supporting engineering of deep foundation ditch

Based on the design principles of economic rationality and safety,multiple-pivot pile anchorage approach was used as the supporting engineering of a tall building with a deep foundation ditch.The designs,such as anchor arm,single pile and the whole,were set up in accordance with the calculations of the internal force from the equivalent beam and Yamagata Kunio methods.Moreover,the rationality of the design was estimated using the stability checks.FLAC3D was used for calculating the accuracy of the design.Using FLAC3D to simulating ditch cutting and supporting processes can obtain the equivalent results as the theory analysis in the displacement of ditch surrounding wall,the stress field and stress distribution.

Repacking practice for G-3 engineering driller power unit with drive shaft of dual channel reverse circulation

In order to satisfy operating requirements for constant core drilling technology in reverse circulation with hollow-through DTH,the power unit of G-3 engineering driller was ameliorated. The new one with dual channel drive shaft, achieved the perfect assemble with transmission structure of the original power unit. It could interconvert according to need by using two sets of drive shafts with direct and reverse circulation. The repacked G-3 engineering driller carried on experiment in the field test in Luanchuan molybdenum mine of Henan, whose effect was very good.

Performance of large-diameter pneumatic down-the-hole (DTH) hammers: A focus on influences of the hammer structure

Pneumatic down-the-hole (DTH) hammer has been extensively used in air drillings through hard and ultra-hard geological formations. Numerical modeling can offer close observation on the working behaviors by visualizing internal pressure status as well as provide reliable performance predictions for large-diameter DTH hammers to which conventional empirical and experimental approaches cannot be applied. In this study, CFD simulations coupled with dynamic meshing are utilized to simulate the air flow and piston movement inside the large-diameter DTH hammers. The numerical modeling scheme is verified against a theoretical model published in literature. Effects of structural parameters on hammer performance, including piston mass, piston upper-end diameter, piston groove diameter, and lengths of intake and exhaust stroke in both front and rear chambers, are analyzed in detail by virtue of sets of numerical simulations. The simulations suggest that changing the intake stroke of front chamber has a negligible influence on hammer performance while increasing the piston groove would lower all the four indicators of hammer performance, including impact energy, impact frequency, maximum stroke, and air consumption rate. Changing the other structural parameters demonstrates mixed effects on the performance indicators. Based on the numerical simulations, a large GQ-400 DTH hammer has been designed for reduced air consumption rate and tested in a field drilling practice. The air drilling test with the designed hammer provided a penetration rate 1.7 times faster than that of conventional mud drilling.

Multi-dimensional size effects and representative elements for nonpersistent fractured rock masses: A perspective of geometric parameter distribution

This study takes a fractured rock mass in the Datengxia Hydropower Station,China as an example to analyze the size effects and determine the representative elementary sizes.A novel method considering geometric parameter distributions is proposed in this work.The proposed method can quickly and simply determine the size effects and representative elementary sizes.Specifically,geometric parameter distributions,including fracture frequency,size and orientation,are generated on the basis of the Bernoulli trial and Monte Carlo simulation.The distributions are assessed using the coefficient of variation(CV),and the acceptable variations for CV(5%,10%and 20%)are used to determine representative elementary sizes.Generally,the representative element of rock masses is the representative elementary volume(REV).The present study extends the representative element to other dimensions,i.e.representative elementary length(REL)and representative elementary area(REA)for one and two dimensions,respectively.REL and REA are useful in studying the size effects of one-(1D)and twodimensional(2D)characteristics of rock masses.The relationships among multi-dimensional representative elementary sizes are established.The representative elementary sizes reduce with the increase in the dimensions,and REA and REV can be deduced by REL.Therefore,the proposed method can quickly and simply determine REL and further estimate REA and REV,which considerably improves the efficiency of rock mass analysis.

Mechanism and reservoir simulation study of the autothermic pyrolysis in-situ conversion process for oil shale recovery

The autothermic pyrolysis in-situ conversion process (ATS) consumes latent heat of residual organic matter after kerogen pyrolysis by oxidation reaction, and it has the advantages of low development cost and exploitation of deep oil shale resources. However, the heating mechanism and the characteristic of different reaction zones are still unclear. In this study, an ATS numerical simulation model was proposed for the development of oil shale, which considers the pyrolysis of kerogen, high-temperature oxidation, and low-temperature oxidation. Based on the above model, the mechanism of the ATS was analyzed and the effects of preheating temperature, O_(2) content, and injection rate on recovery factor and energy efficiency were studied. The results showed that the ATS in the formation can be divided into five characteristic zones by evolution of the oil and O_(2) distribution, and the solid organic matter, including residue zone, autothermic zone, pyrolysis zone, preheating zone, and original zone. Energy efficiency was much higher for the ATS than for the high-temperature nitrogen injection in-situ conversion process (HNICP). There is a threshold value of the preheating temperature, the oil content, and the injection rate during the ATS, which is 400 °C, 0.18, and 1100 m3/day, respectively, in this study.

Tooth arrangement design of retractable DTH hammer bit used for drilling while casing

Down-the-hole(DTH)hammer with casing while drilling(CWD)is a technology that has been proven to be able to alleviate many of the problems faced by complex formations.However,the drill bit is suffered from rapid wear,low drilling efficiency,and high energy consumption due to the unreasonable tooth arrangement and impact energy selection in drilling process,which affect the application effect of this technology.ABAQUS software was used for numerical simulation of rock breaking behavior under impact load with the single,three,and five teeth arrangement drill bit respectively,to improve the application effect and solve the aforementioned technical problems.Based on the calculated parameters of tooth arrangement,we designed a novel drill bit for hard rocks and provided a theoretical basis for the tooth arrangement of largediameter drill bits.

Reliability analysis of retractable drill bit with air reverse circulation used for drilling while casing

Casing-while-drilling(CWD)with down the hole(DTH)hammer drilling technology has been widely used in unconsolidated formations,due to its advantages in protecting the borehole wall,excellent rock cuttings capacity,and fast penetration rate in hard rock.As an important component of the CWD system,the structure of the retractable drill bit needs not only to ensure to form stronger reverse circulation,but also to be expandable or retractable as needed,otherwise the drill bit cannot be lift and put down smoothly in the casing,and may lead to drilling accidents.This paper developed a new type of reverse circulation DTH hammer drill bit used for CWD drilling technology.The retractable performance of this type of drill bit is studied using ADAMS software.The results show that it is smoothly expandable and retractable as designed under the conditions of the weight of the bit(WOB)of 0.5–2.0 t and the rotation speed of 30–60 r/min.To investigate the reverse circulation effect of the drill bit,Fluent software was used to simulate the flow characteristic inside it.The simulation results indicated that it can form strong reverse circulation,and the entrainment ratio h can reach 9.5%.

Discussion of reasonable drilling parameters in impregnated diamond bit drilling

The impregnated diamond(ID)bit drilling is one of the main rotary drilling methods in hard rock drilling and it is widely used in mineral exploration,oil and gas exploration,mining,and construction industries.In this study,the quadratic polynomial model in ID bit drilling process was proposed as a function of controllable mechanical operating parameters,such as weight on bit(WOB)and revolutions per minute(RPM).Also,artificial neural networks(ANN)model for predicting the rate of penetration(ROP)was developed using datasets acquired during the drilling operation.The relationships among mechanical operating parameters(WOB and RPM)and ROP in ID bit drilling were analyzed using estimated quadratic polynomial model and trained ANN model.The results show that ROP has an exponential relationship with WOB,whereas ROP has linear relationship with RPM.Finally,the optimal regime of mechanical drilling parameters to achieve high ROP was confirmed using proposed model in combination with rock breaking principal.

Optimization design of conical reaction teeth of shear wave vibroseis vibration plate

The vibrator plate is the link between the vibroseis vehicle and the earth,as well as the core com-ponent of the vibrator vehicle.In this paper,the coupling effect between the vibrator plate and the earth is an-alyzed from two aspects of reaction tooth arrangement and reaction tooth conical angle,and three groups of experimental models are optimized and designed.The model construction and numerical analysis of the shear wave vibroseis vibrator plate are carried out with ANSYS software.The motion law between the vibration plate and the earth at work was studied,the strain energy of the three experimental models in operation,the maximum displacement of particle at the same position and other reference indices were compared and ana-lyzed,with 28 conical reaction teeth were arranged on both sides.The coupling effect between the vibration plate and the earth was best when the tooth angle was 60°.Compared with the toothless vibration plate,the energy efficiency is improved by about 20%,and the coupling effect between the vibrator plate and the earth is effectively enhanced.It is found that the coupling effect is enhanced through increasing the number of reac-tion teeth of the vibration plate by increasing the coupling area between the vibration plate and the earth.