Rock Crack Research Articles

Geophysics-Inspired Nonlinear Stress-Strain Law for Biological Tissues and Its Applications in Compression Optical Coherence Elastography.

We propose a nonlinear stress-strain law to describe nonlinear elastic properties of biological tissues using an analogy with the derivation of nonlinear constitutive laws for cracked rocks. The derivation of such a constitutive equation has been stimulated by the recently developed experimental technique-quasistatic Compression Optical Coherence Elastography (C-OCE). C-OCE enables obtaining nonlinear stress-strain dependences relating the applied uniaxial compressive stress and the axial component of the resultant strain in the tissue. To adequately describe nonlinear stress-strain dependences obtained with C-OCE for various tissues, the central idea is that, by analogy with geophysics, nonlinear elastic response of tissues is mostly determined by the histologically confirmed presence of interstitial gaps/pores resembling cracks in rocks. For the latter, the nonlinear elastic response is mostly determined by elastic properties of narrow cracks that are highly compliant and can easily be closed by applied compressing stress. The smaller the aspect ratio of such a gap/crack, the smaller the stress required to close it. Upon reaching sufficiently high compressive stress, almost all such gaps become closed, so that with further increase in the compressive stress, the elastic response of the tissue becomes nearly linear and is determined by the Young's modulus of the host tissue. The form of such a nonlinear dependence is determined by the distribution of the cracks/gaps over closing pressures; for describing this process, an analogy with geophysics is also used. After presenting the derivation of the proposed nonlinear law, we demonstrate that it enables surprisingly good fitting of experimental stress-strain curves obtained with C-OCE for a broad range of various tissues. Unlike empirical fitting, each of the fitting parameters in the proposed law has a clear physical meaning. The linear and nonlinear elastic parameters extracted using this law have already demonstrated high diagnostic value, e.g., for differentiating various types of cancerous and noncancerous tissues.

Investigation of the Influence of Cutter Geometry on the Cutting Forces in Soft–Hard Composite Ground by Tunnel Boring Machine Cutters

Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) are integral to modern underground engineering construction, offering enhanced safety and efficiency. However, TBMs often face challenges in complex geological conditions, such as composite strata, resulting in reduced advancement speed and increased cutter wear. This study investigates the rock-breaking characteristics of TBM disc cutters in composite strata through numerical simulations using the Particle Flow Code (PFC) 5.0 software. Focusing on the Jinan Metro Line 6, the research analyzes cutter forces, rock crack propagation, and the impact of cutter edge shapes on rock-breaking efficiency. The discrete element method (DEM) is employed to simulate microscopic behaviors of rocks, providing insights into crack formation, expansion, and failure. This study’s findings reveal that cutter design and operational parameters can significantly influence cutter lifespan and efficiency. By modifying cutter spacing and penetration depth, enhancing rock-breaking efficiency, and grouting softer layers, TBMs can maintain effective excavation in composite strata. The study establishes a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between TBM cutters and complex geological conditions, offering actionable strategies to enhance TBM performance and mitigate cutter damage.

Cracking evolution and failure mechanism of brittle rocks containing pre-existing flaws under compression-dominating stresses: Insight from numerical approach

Comprehending the cracking evolution and failure mechanism of flawed rocks under compression-dominating stresses is essential to evaluating the stability of rock engineering. In this work, a newly developed geometry-constraint-based non-ordinary state-based peridynamic (GC-NOSBPD) theory that can eliminate the numerical oscillation is applied to predict the development of new cracks of flawed rocks under compression-dominating stresses. The failure of bonds between particles is judged by the bond-associated stress-based fracture criteria. The cracking evolution trajectories of semi-disc and disc specimens containing flaws are traced. The effects of flaw inclination angle on the cracking trajectories are analyzed. The cracking evolution paths of rock-like specimens with two flaws under uniaxial and biaxial compression are molded. The effects of confining stress on the growth of new cracks are investigated. The confining stress restrains the propagation of tensile cracks, but it is easy to promote the growth of shear cracks. The concentration and transfer effects of stress can plainly revel the failure mechanism of flawed rocks. The present numerical method is reasonable to predict the tensile and shear failure modes of flawed specimens under compression-dominating stresses.

Excavation-induced cracking of clastic rock: A true triaxial instantaneous unloading study with varied levels of initial damage

The cracking and squeezing problem in deep engineering significantly constrains project construction. To reveal the cracking mechanism of rock under instantaneous unloading, a self-designed rigid true triaxial experimental apparatus, equipped with groundbreaking electromagnetic unloading and high-speed camera functions, was utilized to conduct instantaneous unloading tests on clastic rock with varied levels of initial damage. The results indicate that samples undergo severe and irreversible lateral dilation during instantaneous unloading, with dilational strain rapidly increasing at higher initial damage levels. Instantaneous unloading induces the generation of numerous tensile microcracks, which propagate and coalesce rapidly. The crack propagation speed, as well as the length and width of the cracks at failure, increase with the rise of the initial damage level. The samples eventually exhibit two distinct macroscopic fracture zones: a tensile fracture zone and a tensile-shear mixed fracture zone. Analysis of acoustic emission hits and energy indicates that higher initial damage levels correspond to greater unloading damage, with a higher overall proportion of tensile cracks throughout the experiment. Under the induction of blasting excavation, radial stress is rapidly unloaded, and dense tensile cracks emerge in the immediate surrounding rock, leading to cracking and squeezing towards the free face. Importantly, higher initial damage levels intensify the squeezing effect. The self-developed equipment serves as a crucial technical tool for researching excavation unloading, and the insights derived from this study provide valuable guidance for understanding cracking mechanisms and informing the construction of deep engineering projects.

A Typical of Tsunami Generation Caused by Volcano Flank Collapse in Banda Neira, Maluku, Indonesia

Abstract The history eruption of the Banda volcanoes was recorded in 1632, 1816, and 1988 and was preceded by significant earthquakes. In the eruption in 2017, there were 28 volcanic earthquakes, indicating a rock cracking process due to the movement of magma in the form of gas, liquid, and rock solids. We suspect that when the earthquake occurs, the rock-cracking process upon the eruption will potentially trigger the volcano flank to collapse into the sea and generate a tsunami in the Banda Naira and surrounding area. We contribute to modeling the travel time and tsunami inundation resulting from the flank collapse of Banda Volcano. BATNAS bathymetry data is used to run tsunami simulations. We use aerial photography from field survey data to interpret Banda Volcano failure parameters, including diameter, direction of sliding of the collapse, and slope of the collapse of the side of the Banda Volcano. Based on the tsunami simulation, the volcano flank collapse source on Banda Volcano produced a maximum tsunami in Banda Naira as high as 6.2 meters, and the tsunami will arrive around 6 – 8 minutes. While in AI Island, tsunami inundation reached 55.87 m and arrived in 4 minutes. Meanwhile, the maximum elevation of Banda Naira Island is 3.5 meters, with a population of 21,000 people in March 2024. Tsunami inundation has the potential to submerge entire residential areas in Banda Neira.

Compression-induced failure characteristics of brittle flawed rocks: Mechanical confinement-dependency

The flaw tips in brittle rocks are often the sources of crack initiation and growth due to the stress concentration, which commonly governs the rock strength. However, a unified framework identifying the compression-induced crack types, ultimate failure patterns and the cracking levels of brittle flawed rocks under different mechanical confinements is not yet available. This study conducts the laboratory compression experiments with the AE monitoring to explore the failure characteristics of flawed limestone and its confinement-dependency. Four new crack types including loop crack, secondary transverse crack, near-field transverse crack and far-field transverse crack are found experimentally, and then a modified crack type classification strategy is proposed. Four failure patterns including the σ1-axisymmetric flaw-disturbed spalling for uniaxial compression, the σ3-transverse-symmetric flaw-disturbed spalling for biaxial compression, the σ1 −axisymmetric flaw-disturbed shearing for conventional triaxial compression, and the mixed σ3-transverse-symmetric flaw-disturbed shearing and σ2-transverse-symmetric flaw-disturbed spalling for true triaxial compression, are documented for the first time. Moreover, an acousto-mechanics-based classification methodology of rock cracking levels is established, as well as an AF (average frequency)-RA (rising angle)-based Kernel density estimation method for interpreting the rock cracking nature and the strength mechanism. This paper gets insights into the mechanical confinement-dependency of the rock failure characteristics incorporating the pre-existing flaws and help interpret the field observations.

Smart prediction of rock crack opening displacement from noisy data recorded by distributed fiber optic sensing

The commonly used method for estimating crack opening displacement (COD) is based on analytical models derived from strain transferring. However, when large background noise exists in distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) data, estimating COD through an analytical model is very difficult even if the DFOS data have been denoised. To address this challenge, this study proposes a machine learning (ML)-based methodology to complete rock’s COD estimation from establishment of a dataset with one-to-one correspondence between strain sequence and COD to the optimization of ML models. The Bayesian optimization is used via the Hyperopt Python library to determine the appropriate hyper-parameters of four ML models. To ensure that the best hyper-parameters will not be missing, the configuration space in Hyperopt is specified by probability distribution. The four models are trained using DFOS data with minimal noise while being examined on datasets with different noise levels to test their anti-noise robustness. The proposed models are compared each other in terms of goodness of fit and mean squared error. The results show that the Bayesian optimization-based random forest is promising to estimate the COD of rock using noisy DFOS data.

Simulation Study on Rock Crack Expansion in CO2 Directional Fracturing

In underground construction projects, traversing hard rock layers demands concentrated CO2 fracturing energy and precise directional crack expansion. Due to the discontinuity of the rock mass at the tip of prefabricated directional fractures in CO2 fracturing, traditional simulations assuming continuous media are limited. It is challenging to set boundary conditions for high strain rate and large deformation processes. The dynamic expansion mechanism of the 3D fracture network in CO2 directional fracturing is not yet fully understood. By treating CO2 fracturing stress waves as hemispherical resonance waves and using a particle expansion loading method along with dynamic boundary condition processing, a 3D numerical model of CO2 fracturing is constructed. This model analyzes the dynamic propagation mechanism of 3D spatial fractures network in CO2 directional fracturing rock materials. The results show that in undirected fracturing, the fracture network relies on the weak structures near the rock borehole, whereas in directional fracturing, the crack propagation is guided, extending the fracture’s range. Additionally, the tip of the directional crack is vital for the re-expansion of the rock mass by high-pressure CO2 gas, leading to the formation of a symmetrical, umbrella-shaped structure with evenly developed fractures. The findings also demonstrate that the discrete element method (DEM) effectively reproduces the dynamic fracture network expansion at each stage of fracturing, providing a basis for studying the CO2 directional rock cracking mechanism.

A novel phosphogypsum based self-produced gas expansion slurry for preventing coal spontaneous combustion

In order to solve the coal spontaneous combustion disaster in the upper layer goaf during the slicing mining process, a slurry that can expand by self-produced gas was developed using phosphogypsum and sodium bicarbonate as raw materials. The effect of different factors on the performance of phosphogypsum based self-produced gas expansion slurry (PSES) was analyzed. The optimal ratio and conditions of PSES were determined through orthogonal experiments. The thermal insulation performance and cooling and fire extinguishing performance of PSES were studied. Finally, it was applied in Luwa coal mine in Shandong province. The research results indicated that the optimal experimental conditions and ratios for PSES were phosphogypsum content of 56 wt%, sodium bicarbonate content of 21 wt%, water temperature of 25 ℃, and mixing time of 65 s. Under these conditions, the expansion performance of the slurry was good, and the setting time and compressive strength can meet the requirements for sealing the coal and rock cracks in the goaf. Under the same heat source, the thicker the slurry, the better its thermal insulation effect. Under the same thickness, the higher the heat source temperature, the shorter the effective insulation time(EIT). After the slurry was injected into the cracks of the broken coal, it wrapped around the broken coal from bottom to top. The temperatures of A-layer, B-layer, and C-layer of the coal pile decreased in sequence. After half an hour of grouting, the temperatures at all points dropped below 50 ℃ without any reignition phenomenon. After injecting PSES into the coal spontaneous combustion dangerous area in the upper layer goaf, the concentrations of CO and O2 in the monitoring borehole decreased to a safe range, and the generated CO2 concentration finally stabilized at around 4.6 %. It showed that PSES can seal the coal and rock cracks in the goaf, suppress the coal spontaneous combustion, and guarantee the lower layer working face can be mined.

The influence of temperatures on the mechanical properties and fracture behavior of rocks under mixed mode I/II loading

A comprehensive understanding of the fracture behavior of pre-heated rocks under to mixed mode I/II loading is crucial for deep underground engineering. The effect of high temperature on the fracture process zone (FPZ) and fracture toughness of rocks was experimentally investigated using semi-circular bend (SCB) samples. Surface displacement and associated strain field under loading were captured using digital image correlation. The results showed that the mechanical properties of SCB samples gradually decreased with increasing temperature. Rocks exposed at temperature exceeding 600 °C demonstrated a significant reduction in peak load, generalized stiffness, fracture toughness, and absorbed energy. Moreover, the load–displacement curves and macroscopic fracture characteristics of pre-heated SCB samples revealed a transition from brittleness to ductility with increasing temperature under mixed mode I/II loading. Both the length and width, as well as the crack tip opening displacement of the FPZ, increased with rising temperature. At lower temperatures (25 ∼ 400 °C), the ratio of FPZ length to width typically ranged between 2 and 3. While, at elevated temperature (600 ∼ 1000 °C), this ratio expanded to between 3 and 4. The initiation of thermally induced cracks in rocks will accelerate damage evolution under mixed mode I/II loading, as indicated by the development of the maximum principal strain with displacement. Scanning electron microscopy and polarization microscopy images of the microscopic fracture morphology in pre-heated rocks illustrated isolated and dispersed microcracks appeared at lower temperatures, whereas at elevated temperatures, intricate microcrack networks and broken grains were observed.

Linear fractal evolution characteristics of rock crack distributions during loading process

To investigate the fractal characteristics of rock crack distributions during the loading process, discrete element method was used to make rock samples with joints and record the crack propagation. The Box-counting method was used to quantitatively analyze the fractal dimension of the crack distribution at each moment, and the relationship between the crack fractal dimension and strain ratio was established based on fractal theory. The results indicated that the relationship between the fractal dimension of the crack distribution and strain ratio showed a strong linear characteristic. By transforming this linear relationship into a linear function, the slope of the function was found to be linked to the failure patterns of the sample, and a refinement coefficient (damage-fracture reduction factor) was identified from the slope as an effective basis for determining the degree of sample damage and fracture. The damage-fracture reduction factor can be categorized: 0.25–0.5 (spilt and fracture), 0.5–0.9 (synergy between fracture and damage), 0.9–1 (microcrack asymptotic damage). Owing to the linear fractal characteristics, an expression for the damage variables influenced by failure patterns can be established from the geometric aspect. In addition, the linear fractal characteristics of the cracks were verified in other acoustic emission and crack extension experiments.

Crack coalescence prediction and load-bearing mechanism of defective specimen based on computer vision recognition model

The coalescence of cracks in rock, triggered by external stress or geological activities, plays a pivotal role in determining the mechanical properties and stability of rock structures. Consequently, the prediction method of crack coalescence become critical tools in ensuring the safety and stability of geotechnical engineering facilities. In this paper, based on the strain field data obtained by digital image correlation (DIC), a set of programs was developed to automatically identify the values and percentage changes of different strain intervals in the strain field of the specimen. Then, a computer vision recognition (CVR) model is established to study the process and prediction of crack coalescence in sandstone specimens with open flaws. This method overcomes the limitations, subjectivity and unpredictability of the traditional method of identifying cracks through artificial vision. The results show that the increase of the flaw width causes the displacement trend to be squeezed and deflected along the width direction, thereby changing the angle of crack initiation and exhibiting different forms of crack coalescence. The increase in the inclination angle of the flaw leads to an increase in the effective compressive area (ECA) of sandstone, and the magnitude of ECA is positively correlated with the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of the sandstone. Additionally, the CVR model identifies two types of numerical fluctuation signals before crack coalescence, namely the plastic characteristic signal (PCS) in the early stage of the experiment and the early-warning signal (EWS) near the period of crack coalescence, where EWS can be used as a predictive signal for crack coalescence. The research results provide a new algorithm technical support for the process analysis and prediction of crack coalescence, and provide a basis for early warning of rock mass engineering disasters.

Influence of confining pressure on rock fracture propagation under particle impact

Revealing the influence of confining pressure on the propagation and formation mechanism of rock cracks under particle impact is significant to deep rock excavation. In this study, the three-dimensional fracture reconstruction of the rock after particle impact was carried out by CT scanning, and the stress and crack field evolution of the rock under particle impact were analyzed by PFC2D discrete element numerical simulation. The results demonstrate that after particles impact, a fracture zone and intergranular main crack propagation zone are formed in the rock. The shear stress and tensile stress caused by compressive stress are the main reasons for the formation of the fracture zone, while the formation of the intergranular main crack propagation zone is mainly due to tangential derived tensile stress. The confining pressure induces prestress between rock particles such that the derived tensile stress needs to overcome the initial compressive stress between the particles to form tensile fractures. And the increase in the confining pressure leads to increases in the proportion of shear cracks and friction effects between rock particles, resulting in an increase in energy consumption for the same number of cracks. From a macroscopic perspective, the confining pressure can effectively inhibit the generation of cracks.

Experimental Investigation on the Damage Evolution of Thermally Treated Granodiorite Subjected to Rapid Cooling with Liquid Nitrogen

In many thermal geotechnical applications, liquid nitrogen (LN2) utilization leads to damage and cracks in the host rock. This phenomenon and associated microcracking are a hot topic that must be thoroughly researched. A series of physical and mechanical experiments were conducted on Egyptian granodiorite samples to investigate the effects of liquid nitrogen cooling on the preheated rock. Before quenching in LN2, the granodiorite was gradually heated to 600 °C for two hours. Microscopical evolution was linked to macroscopic properties like porosity, mass, volume, density, P-wave velocity, uniaxial compressive strength, and elastic modulus. According to the experiment results, the thermal damage, crack density, porosity, and density reduction ratio increased gradually to 300 °C before severely degrading beyond this temperature. The uniaxial compressive strength declined marginally to 200 °C, then increased to 300 °C before monotonically decreasing as the temperature rose. On the other hand, at 200 °C, the elastic modulus and P-wave velocity started to decline significantly. Thus, 200 and 300 °C were noted in this study as two mutation temperatures in the evolution of granodiorite mechanical and physical properties, after which all parameters deteriorated. Moreover, LN2 cooling causes more remarkable physical and mechanical modifications at the same target temperature than air cooling. Through a deeper comprehension of how rocks behave in high-temperature conditions, this research seeks to avoid and limit future geological risks while promoting sustainability and understanding the processes underlying rock failure.

Research on crack distribution characteristics and control technology of surrounding rock in soft rock roadway under different lateral pressure coefficients

AbstractTo solve the problem of controlling large deformation of surrounding rock in deep soft rock roadway, the distribution characteristics and deformation mechanism of surrounding rock cracks in soft rock roadway under different lateral pressure coefficients are studied using numerical simulation, theoretical analysis, and field measurement. The results show that under different lateral pressure coefficients, the range of surrounding rock cracks shows three forms: round, oval, and butterfly. No matter what lateral pressure coefficient the roadway is in, the surrounding rock cracks always appear in the plastic zone, and there is a high correlation between the surrounding rock crack range and the plastic zone. The stress characteristics of the surrounding rock in the plastic zone include two main aspects. One is that the direction of the principal stress of the surrounding rock is deflected, which is manifested as an annular distribution of the direction of the maximum principal stress around the roadway. The direction of the minimum principal stress in the upper part of the roadway points to the center of the roadway, and the direction of the minimum principal stress in the lower part of the roadway deviates from the center of the roadway. Second, the ratio of the maximum to minimum principal stress in the surrounding rock is large. Under this stress characteristic, the surrounding rock in the plastic zone has strong shear dilation. The shear dilation makes the crack of the surrounding rock open so that the surrounding rock is squeezed into the roadway space, and then the roadway produces large deformation. Due to the large range of cracks in the butterfly‐shaped plastic zone, the shear dilation deformation produced by the butterfly‐shaped plastic zone is far more than that of the round/oval plastic zone. According to the crack range of roadway surrounding rock under different lateral pressure coefficients, the corresponding support scheme is put forward. Field experiments show that the support scheme can effectively control the deformation of surrounding rock and meet the requirements of roadway use.

Correction to: An Innovative Mechanism of Directional Rock Cracking Mechanics and Mine Pressure Control Method for Energy-Gathering Blasting

Correction to: An Innovative Mechanism of Directional Rock Cracking Mechanics and Mine Pressure Control Method for Energy-Gathering Blasting

Identification of Multi-Parameter Fluid in Igneous Rock Reservoir Logging—A Case Study of PL9-1 in Bohai Oilfield

Since the “13th Five-Year Plan”, the exploration of large-scale structural oil and gas reservoirs in the Bohai oilfield has become more complex, and the exploration of igneous oil and gas reservoirs has become the focus of current attention. At present, igneous rock reservoir fluid identification methods are mainly based on the evaluation method of logging single parameter construction, which is primarily a qualitative identification due to lithology, physical property, and engineering factors. Accurate acquisition of interference logging data, and multi-parameter coupling and recording coupling methods are few, lacking systematic and comprehensive evaluation and analysis of logging data. Since conventional logging data in the study area have difficulty accurately and quickly identifying reservoir fluid properties, a systematic analysis was conducted of three factors: lithology, physical properties, and engineering, as well as a variety of logging parameters (gas measurement, three-dimensional quantitative fluorescence, geochemical, FLAIR, etc.) that can reflect fluid properties were integrated. Based on parameter sensitivity analysis, the quantitative characterization index FI of multi-parameter coupling fluid identification was established using the data from testing, sampling, and laboratory testing to develop the identification standard. The sensitivity analysis and optimization of characteristic parameters were carried out by integrating the data reflecting fluid properties such as gas surveys, geochemical data, and related logging data. Combined with gas logging-derived parameters and improved engineering parameters (the value of alkanes released by rock cracking per unit volume Cadjust, C1 abnormal multiple values, three-dimensional quantitative fluorescence correlation factor N), the fluid properties were identified, evaluation factors were constructed based on factor analysis, and fluid identification interactive charts were established. By analyzing test wells in the PL9-1 well area, the results of comparison test data are more reliable. Compared with conventional methods, this method reduces the dependence of a single parameter by synthesizing multiple parameters and reduces the influence of lithology, physical properties, and engineering parameters on fluid identification. It is more reasonable and practical. It can accurately and quickly identify the fluid properties of igneous rock reservoirs in the study area. It has a guiding significance for improving the accurate evaluation of logging data and increasing exploration benefits.

Magmatic (Cr-Ni-PGE) and secondary/hydrothermal (emerald-peridot-rodingite-nephrite jade) mineralization associated with mafic-ultramafic rock complexes of Pakistan

Mafic magmatism has repeatedly taken place in Pakistan throughout its geologic history from the earliest Proterozoic to Recent. Much of it, however, does not have associated metallic mineralization. This paper concerns mineralization associated with mafic-ultramafic plutonic rock occurrences in the western- and northern suture zones of Pakistan, which demarcate the collision boundary between the northwestern Indian plate and Eurasian blocks. We discuss the petrology of the ophiolites and basaltic magma-related chromite deposits, showings of PGE and Ni minerals, and secondary mineral deposits (emerald and peridot gems, rodingite, and nephrite jade) associated with mafic-ultramafic complexes of the two suture zones. Chromite with high Cr#s (68 to 85) occurs in fair quantity and is mostly considered to be genetically related to basaltic magma of subduction-related environments. PGE and nickeliferous minerals are insignificant in quantity; PGE's are formed by a higher degree of partial melting and melt-rock reaction, whereas Ni-sulphides are the product of serpentinization of the ultramafic rocks. Emerald occurs in several localities in the ISZ, whereas the peridot has so far been reported from only one locality. Emerald is associated with Mg-carbonate ± quartz ± fuchsite ± talc ± serpentine, and peridot (Fo 89-92 ) is associated with chrysotile ± magnesite ± talc ± magnetite ± ludwigite. Both are formed via hydrothermal alteration of ultramafic rocks through the introduction of hydrous fluids incorporating CO 2 , Be, B, K, Al, and possibly Na. In view of the undeformed nature of the emerald and peridot and the 23 Ma age of emerald formation, the mineralization appears to post-date deformation and may be of Late Oligocene-Early Miocene age. The metasomatising fluids were either derived from the subducting Indian plate crust underneath the Kohistan arc or were related to 23-26 Ma silicic magmatism in this area of the NW Indian plate. The nephrite jade in the ophiolite mélange is hosted in serpentinites and has disseminated grains of chrome spinel with elevated Fe/(Mg + Fe) ratios (0.10–0.18), implying low-grade metamorphism of ultramafic rocks (protolith of serpentinite) with loss of Al and introduction of SiO 2 during accompanying metasomatism. The rodingite in Dargai ophiolite could have formed by the action of seawater channeled through fractures and cracks in rocks. However, their mineral assemblages indicate that they formed as a result of the influx of Ca, Al, and Na-bearing hydrothermal fluids related to the intrusion of gabbros/sheeted dykes in the serpentinized ultramafic rocks, resulting in Ca-metasomatism.

Experimental and Meshless Numerical Simulations on the Crack Propagation of Semi-Circular Bending Specimens Containing X-Shaped Fissures Under Three-Point Bending.

Cracks in rock and concrete have a great adverse effect on the stability of engineering structures; however, there are few studies on X-shaped fissures which widely exist in rock and concrete structures. Based on this background, three-point bending fracture tests of SCB specimens containing X-shaped fissures are carried out. The momentum equations in the SPH method are improved, and the crack propagations of SCB specimens under three-point bending are simulated. The results show that cracks grow simply along the vertical direction in the sample with no X-shaped fissures, and the existence of an X-shaped fissure changes the crack growth path and final failure modes of the SCB samples. The crack propagation simulation results are consistent with the experimental results, which verifies the rationality of the improved SPH method. The load-displacement curves mainly present three typical stages: the initial compaction stage, linear elastic deformation stage, and failure stage. The peak load decreases first then increases with an increase in eccentricity. With an increase in X-shaped fissure length and decrease in X-shaped fissure angle, the peak load decreases. The damage counts remain at 0 at the initial loading stage, corresponding to the initial compaction stage and the linear elastic deformation stage, and increase sharply at the later loading stage, corresponding to the failure stage, which is consistent with the experimental results. The influence mechanisms of X-shaped fissures on the crack propagation paths are discussed; the existence of different X-shaped fissure morphologies aggravate the tensile stress concentration at specific positions, leading to different crack propagation modes in the experiments. The research results can provide a certain reference for understanding the failure mechanisms of engineering structures containing X-shaped fissures and promote the applications of the SPH method into the simulations of cross-fissure crack propagations.

A coupled thermo-mechanical model for investigating cracking and failure of composite interbedded rock

Composite interbedded rock is a special geological phenomenon that occurs when layers of rock (beds) of a given lithology lie between or alternate with other layers of a different lithology. The thermal and mechanical properties of the composite interbedded rocks exhibit strong anisotropy. Studying the thermomechanical coupling properties of natural composite interbedded rocks using existing experimental techniques is challenging. A coupled thermo-mechanical composite interbedded rock model was developed based on Fourier's heat-conduction law and Newton's second law. The thermodynamic responses and biaxial mechanical properties of composite interbedded rocks with different interlayer angles under the coupling of initial stress and thermal loading were studied for the first time. The results indicate that the thermal stresses within the granite interlayers are higher than those within the sandstone interlayers. Throughout the thermal loading process, thermal cracking occurred primarily within the (stiffer) granite interlayers. The number of thermal cracks generated during the cooling process far exceeds that during heating; at 400 °C, the number of thermal cracks during cooling is more than 35 times that during heating. When the interlayer dip angle approaches 90° and is aligned with the major principal stress direction, the phenomenon of the “double peaks” and layered failure becomes more pronounced. Within the range of variables considered, the relative impact of the three variables on peak stress in composite interbedded rock is as follows, from greatest to least: interlayer angle, thermal shock temperature, and model size. The results and developed modeling methods will contribute to the management and optimization of future engineering geology projects.