Laboratory Testing and Consitiutive Modeling of Coal Including Anisotropy

Abstract

AbstractIn this study, the stress-deformation response of coal in the laboratory under threedimensional (3-D) loading conditions similar to those existing in an actual coal mine is investigated, and a constitutive model, including the effects of anisotropy, is developed. The coal samples were obtained from a mine in LeFlore County, Oklahoma, at a depth of approximately 25–30 ft below the ground surface. A High Capacity Cubical Device with servo-controlled independent loading along three axes of a cubical specimen and a computerized data acquisition and monitoring system were used to conduct the tests. A total of 21 tests under 4 different confining pressures and 5 different stress paths were conducted. The influence of the degree of anisotropy was investigated by comparing the transversely isotropic and isotropic idealizations for different stress paths (Triaxial Compression, Triaxial Extension and Simple Shear) at different confining pressures (1,600, 3,200 and 5,600 psi). The experimental results demonstrated that the coal exhibits inherent anisotropy and that it can be treated approximately as a transversely isotropic material. Also, the Young's moduli were found to be dependent on the confining pressure. The experimental data were used to evaluate the material constants associated with the elasto-plastic constitutive model developed in the study.