Triaxial Conditions Research Articles

An Experimental Investigation on the Foliation Strike-Angle Effect of Layered Hard Rock under Engineering Triaxial Stress Path.

Deep underground engineering encounters substantial layered hard rock formations, and the engineering triaxial stress path involves an increase in maximum principal stress, constant intermediate principal stress, and a decrease in minimum principal stress. However, previous research has focused on rock layer angles under conventional triaxial stress conditions, disregarding the influence of foliation strike angles in engineering triaxial stress scenarios. This study experimentally investigates the effects of foliation strike angles on layered hard rock under an engineering triaxial stress path. To account for the brittleness of layered hard rock, we propose a specific small sample-processing method tailored to the foliation strike angle. True triaxial loading tests are conducted on steep, thin slate samples with two different loading orientations, accompanied by acoustic emission monitoring. Results indicate that the strength under a traditional true triaxial compression condition is similar for specimens with 90° and 0° strike angles. Stress-strain curves show that larger deformations occur perpendicular to bedding planes, while surface fractures propagate exclusively along the bedding planes. Mechanical responses differ significantly between specimens subjected to the engineering triaxial stress path at 0° and 90° strike angles compared to conventional true triaxial loading tests, with a lower bearing capacity and differentiated intermediate and minimum principal strains in the 0° case. Conversely, the 90° case exhibits a higher bearing capacity, consistent deformation, and more acoustic emission events. Numerical simulations comparing plastic zone sizes during actual underground excavation support these conclusions. These findings highlight the effects of foliation strike angles, favoring the 90° strike-angle configuration for excavation activities and providing enhanced stability in the surrounding rock mass.

Critical State Characterization of New Zealand East Coast Sand for Numerical Modeling

This paper outlines the findings of a laboratory-based and numerical study to investigate the undrained flow failure behavior of East Coast Sand (ECS). ECS is a commonly encountered coastal deposit from the upper North Island of New Zealand. The study focused on establishing the undrained strength characteristics of ECS under static, triaxial compressive loading conditions, and at confining pressures in the range of typical engineering interest and for a range of soil densities considered in loosely deposited sands. The research objectives of establishing the basic soil properties and the intrinsic advanced geomechanical properties specific to ECS from Auckland were achieved through laboratory experiments and matching numerical simulations with an advanced critical-state compatible soil constitutive model (Norsand). The current work examined five different aspects of the ECS undrained behavior under static loads. It was shown that loosely deposited ECS within mean effective stresses ranging between 50 and 200 kPa was highly susceptible to expensive flow failures of structures built on or with them. The obtained approximate peak undrained shear strengths before failure and critical states were 29 kPa, 84 kPa, 130 kPa, and 200 kPa for test confining stresses of 50 kPa, 100 kPa, 200 kPa, and 300 kPa, respectively. Similarly, the corresponding excess pore water pressures were 48 kPa, 98 kPa, 200 kPa, and 240 kPa, respectively. The above results proved that the soil’s effective and confining stress are key determinants of the soil’s undrained shear strength characteristics which was consistent with the existing literature.

Failure behaviour and damage evolution of multi-recycled aggregate concrete under triaxial compression

In this paper, the stress–strain behaviour, mechanical properties, characteristic stress, and damage evolution of multi-recycled aggregate concrete (Multi-RAC up to 3 recycling cycles) under triaxial compression were investigated, considering the effects of confining pressure and number of recycling cycles. Furthermore, a parametric sensitivity evaluation of key parameters using grey correlation theory to analyse the peak stress, peak strain, and elastic modulus of Multi-RAC. The results indicate that both peak stress and peak strain increase with rising lateral confining pressure. While the peak stress of Multi-RAC is lower than that of natural aggregate concrete (NAC), the deformation capacity of Multi-RAC is greater. The deformation and failure of Multi-RAC under triaxial loading can be categorized into five stages. Notably, crack initiation stress (σci) and crack expansion stress (σcd) demonstrate nonlinear growth as lateral confining pressure increases. In particular, the second generation of Multi-RAC (RACII) exhibits superior performance in resisting crack initiation and expansion, while the third generation of Multi-RAC (RACIII) performs relatively less favourably. The energy evolution characteristics and division of failure stages of Multi-RAC are effectively characterized by the evolution of elastic strain energy (Ue) and dissipation energy (Ud). The degree of progressive damage aligns with the increase in dissipation energy. Among the five key parameters, the number of recycling cycles shows the most significant grey correlation effect on the peak stress, peak strain, and elastic modulus of Multi-RAC. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanical properties and failure behaviours of Multi-RAC under the complex triaxial loading conditions, thus promoting the application of Multi-RAC as a structural concrete.

Cyclic Behaviors of Anisotropically Consolidated Gravelly Soils under Triaxial Condition: Effects of Sand Gradation Part of the Soil

Abstract Previous studies have extensively examined the effects of silt contents and gradations on the cyclic behavior of sand and silt mixtures. However, comparable data on the mixture of sand and gravel are limited because of the experimental challenges of getting reliable testing results from gravel-size particles. Furthermore, in several case histories in which liquefaction occurred, the liquefied soils had experienced initial static shear stress because of the sloping ground conditions or the presence of structures and buildings on the site. The effects of initial static shear stress on the cyclic behavior of clean sands have been widely studied, and some recommendations have been suggested for practical engineers. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of the sand gradation part on the cyclic behavior of two gravelly soils, both with 60 % gravel and 40 % sand but different gradations (well-graded vs. uniformly graded). A total of 26 cyclic triaxial tests were carried out on moist-tamped reconstituted specimens of the tested gravelly soils. The specimens were anisotropically consolidated to assess the effects of initial static shear stress combined with sand gradation on cyclic behaviors of the tested gravelly soils. Results of the tests indicated that the gravelly soil with uniform sands had a greater resistance against liquefaction than the one with well-graded sands. The lower cyclic resistance of the gravelly soil with well-graded sands can be attributed to its lower permeability associated with wider gradation and finer particles of the sand part, leading to higher excess pore pressure buildup during cyclic loading. Moreover, a similar increase in the level of initial static shear stress resulted in an increase in the liquefaction resistance of the gravelly soils, whereas the soil with uniform sands experienced a higher increase than the soil with well-graded sands.

Macro-micro Performances of Granular Materials Considering the Influences of Density and Stress Path under True Triaxial Conditions: A DEM Investigation

The mechanical behaviors of granular materials are dominated by internal structure, which are related to fabric evolution during loading. This study investigated the fabric evolution of granular materials with different densities and stress paths under true triaxial conditions. A series of discrete element numerical simulations with different intermediate principal stress coefficient b were carried out along the constant mean stress p and the constant minor principal stress σ3 stress paths for both loose and dense specimens. The results indicated that the constant-p stress path produced a faster increase in stress ratio than the constant-σ3 stress path at the same b. The effects of specimen density on the peak friction angle are greater than that of stress path. The microscopic analyses revealed that the constant-p stress path facilitates a much more preferential distribution of normal contact force network along the major principal direction. The discrepancies in the peak stress ratio under two stress paths were thus interpreted. The dense specimen will rapidly form a higher anisotropic distribution of the normal contact force network upon shearing, and its anisotropic intensity was almost twice that of the loose specimen at the peak stress state. In addition, a unique relationship between the strong deviatoric fabric ratio and stress ratio was presented. The ratio of the two was approximately 1.0 regardless of stress path, density and b value. Finally, an underlying relationship between the stress components and the whole fabric components at the critical state was confirmed by introducing a new stress tensor. The three principal components (F1, F2 and F3) of the whole fabric tensor can be quantitatively represented with the imposed three principal stress components (σ1, σ2 and σ3) by employing a relationship of F1:F2:F3 = σ10.27:σ20.27:σ30.27. It provides a more comprehensive perspective to analyze the macro-micro performances of granular materials at the critical state.

A creep model for ultra-deep salt rock considering thermal-mechanical damage under triaxial stress conditions

To investigate the specific creep behavior of ultra-deep buried salt during oil and gas exploitation, a set of triaxial creep experiments was conducted at elevated temperatures with constant axial pressure and unloading confining pressure conditions. Experimental results show that the salt sample deforms more significantly with the increase of applied temperature and deviatoric loading. The accelerated creep phase is not occurring until the applied temperature reaches 130 °C, and higher temperature is beneficial to the occurrence of accelerated creep. To describe the specific creep behavior, a novel three-dimensional (3D) creep constitutive model is developed that incorporates the thermal and mechanical variables into mechanical elements. Subsequently, the standard particle swarm optimization (SPSO) method is adopted to fit the experimental data, and the sensibility of key model parameters is analyzed to further illustrate the model function. As a result, the model can accurately predict the creep behavior of salt under the coupled thermo-mechanical effect in deep-buried condition. Based on the research results, the creep mechanical behavior of wellbore shrinkage is predicted in deep drilling projects crossing salt layer, which has practical implications for deep rock mechanics problems.

Investigation of Damage and Creep for Bedding's Carbonaceous Slate with Chemical Erosion Effect.

Tunnel projects in the southwestern mountainous area of China are in full swing. According to the tunnel burial depth, structural characteristics, and chemical erosion environments of the Lixiang railway tunnel, carbonaceous slate specimens obtained in the field were taken to experimentally investigate the physical, mechanical, and creep characteristics of the bedding's slate specimens after chemical erosion. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicate that chemical erosion leads to internal damage in the carbonaceous slate specimens, and the internal damages are increasing with the increase of erosion days. Moreover, the specimens' ultrasonic test (UT) results prove that specimens with smaller bedding angles suffer a more serious erosion and induce more internal cracks. Under conventional triaxial compression conditions with 40 MPa of confining pressures, the conventional triaxial compressive strength (σs) decreases with the decrease of the bedding angle and the increase of erosion days, and the failure modes of the specimens are mainly controlled by oblique shear fractures and accompanied by the occurrence of slip dislocation fractures between the bedding inclination. Under creep conditions with 40 MPa of confining pressures, the final deformations of specimens are increasing with the increase of erosion days, which means the longer the erosion days, the greater the deformations. The failure modes of the specimens under creep conditions are controlled by shear fractures, and for the specimen with a 60° bedding angle and long-term erosion, there are block separations and many cavities along the shear planes. Therefore, more attention should be paid to prevent serious failure of the surrounding rock if the surrounding rock has a bedding angle of 60° or suffers long-term erosion.

Cracking property and brittleness evaluation of granite under high-temperature true triaxial compression in geothermal systems

Cracking property and brittleness are critically important to the drillability of injection and production wells of enhanced geothermal systems. This paper is devoted to evaluating the cracking property and brittleness of the Gonghe granite under high-temperature true triaxial compression conditions through a series of laboratory tests. Thermal–mechanical coupled true triaxial compression tests were conducted on Gonghe granite samples under four representative temperatures (20 °C, 120 °C, 180 °C, and 240 °C) and three different minimum (5, 10, and 30 MPa) and intermediate (40, 60, and 75 MPa) principal stresses that correspond to the in-situ conditions of Gonghe geothermal reservoir. The strength, deformation, and cracking characteristics of the Gonghe granite are quantitatively evaluated from macro- to micro-scales based on the experimental results. Meanwhile, a novel brittleness index evaluation method considering both energy and failure surface roughness is proposed to accurately assess the brittleness strength of the Gonghe granite. We found that the strength of Gonghe granite is reduced by more than 20% when the temperature increases from room temperature to 240 °C. Higher temperature contributes to a smoother fracture surface and reduced brittleness of the Gonghe granite under thermal–mechanical coupled true triaxial compression. Our findings provide new insights for brittleness evaluation of the Gonghe granite formation and assist in efficient wells drilling design of enhanced geothermal systems.

Experimental Study on Permeability and Deformation Characteristics of Bedding Shale under Triaxial Shear-Seepage Coupling

The bedding structure of shale is generated during the deposition and formation, which results in shales with prominent anisotropic characteristics. It depends on stability, control of oil and gas storage, and deep exploitation. In addition, the mechanical and permeability parts of bedding shale are very complex when it is under deep underground space with coupled high stress and high seepage. In this study, the black bedding shale was used as the research object, and a series of triaxial shear-seepage coupling tests were carried out. Firstly, the triaxial shear stress-shear strain curves and permeability-shear stress curves of different bedding shales under other triaxial shear-seepage coupling conditions were obtained. Secondly, the failure characteristics and shear deformation characteristics of shale under the shear-seepage coupling effect were explored. The shear stress threshold and permeability evolution law at each stage of shear failure were discussed. Thirdly, the shear strength, failure mode, and mechanism parameters of the black bedding shale under different normal stress and seepage pressure were studied. Fourthly, the linear M-C criterion, Ramamurthy criterion, and Hoek-Brown criterion characterize the variation of damage strength of shale with bedding orientation under triaxial shear-seepage coupling. Those results provide an experimental basis for exploring the anisotropic mechanical characteristics and failure mechanism of bedding shale under shear-seepage coupling.

Theoretical and experimental investigation of a shear failure model for anisotropic rocks using direct shear test

This study proposes a theoretical model for predicting the shear strength of anisotropic rocks in which failure is dependent on the inclination of the inherent structural weak planes. For this purpose, triaxial and direct shear tests were conducted on dried and saturated shale samples. Samples were cored at different orientations (β) to the inherent structural weak planes, i.e., bedding planes. To verify the anisotropic behavior of the samples, triaxial tests were performed on samples with various inclinations of the bedding planes. The experimental results demonstrated a U-shape relationship between the compressive strengths and the inclination of the bedding planes, which is in accordance with Jaeger's model of the plane of weakness (JPW). Accordingly, apparent strength and elastic properties, such as Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, cohesion, and internal friction angle were all observed to be dependent on β, which verified the mechanical anisotropy of the shale samples. Many of the existing failure criteria consider the impact of bedding inclination on failure strength based on uniaxial and triaxial conditions. However, it is also important that the failure modes of anisotropic rocks are evaluated during shearing. For this purpose, a theoretical model was derived to relate shear strength to β following the Coulomb-Navier criterion. The relationship between shear strength and β was plotted and illustrated in an Inverted-U shape. Direct shear tests were conducted to validate the proposed criterion. Plotted experimental data confirmed the shape of the geometry determined by theoretical analysis. From the results, the maximum shear strength occurred when β was between 30° and 60° in direct shear tests. To obtain a more comprehensive understanding, changes in the shear stress-displacement curve and dependence of the friction angle, to the bedding plane orientation, β, were evaluated and indicated shear anisotropy behavior.

Influence of Spherical Caverns on the Failure Characteristics of Neighboring Tunnels under True Triaxial Conditions: Insights from an Experimental Test and Discrete Element Simulation

Caverns are generally formed by a combination of regional geological action and groundwater, and their improper treatment will inevitably lead to dangerous conditions in underground works. To detect the specific failure mechanism of tunnel-surrounding rock induced by invisible caverns, a true triaxial compression test is conducted, accompanied by acoustic emission technology and an internal borehole camera, for monitoring the acoustic response and visible secondary cracks, and a corresponding DEM simulation is carried out to reveal the meso-mechanism. The results indicate the following: (1) The invisible cavern demonstrates a negative influence on the stability of the tunnel and leads to a 25.82% reduction in the peak z-axis load of the specimens. (2) The acoustic emission results show that the relatively severe dominant failures mainly occur near the peak stress in all types of specimens, and the speed and intensity of the cavern-existing specimen is significantly greater than that of the cavern-free specimen. (3) The cavity-free tunnel shows mirror-symmetric splitting failure on the left and right sidewalls, while the secondary cracks appear earlier and show asymmetrical distribution in the cavern-existing specimen, and the volume of broken rock blocks near the free surface is larger. (4) The cavern directly changes the failure process of the tunnel-surrounding rock (intermediate rock failure occurs earlier than splitting failure), the distribution of principal stress, and the corresponding mechanism of secondary failures. (5) Application of the displacement and velocity trend fields helped to reveal accurate failure procedures in the true triaxial test.

Liquefaction Behavior of a Well-Graded Gravelly Soil under Initial Static Shear Stress in Cyclic Triaxial and Simple Shear Conditions

Among other reasons, studies of the liquefaction potential of gravelly soils are limited because of the difficulties involved in preparing uniform specimens, without particle segregation, especially for a well-graded gravelly soil in a dry state for simple shear testing. Errors and difficulties are also involved in compensating for membrane penetration to a gravelly soil specimen in triaxial testing to get reliable data. Thus, innovative approaches for preparing triaxial and simple shear specimens for gravelly soils are introduced and implemented in this study to overcome experimental problems in acquiring accurate test results. In addition to the aim of obtaining reliable testing data on the liquefaction of gravelly soils under initial static shear stress for simulating sloping ground conditions, a study of the effect of various stress paths on the liquefaction resistance of gravelly soils was another goal of this research. In this regard, two sets of cyclic tests using medium-size triaxial and simple shear devices are conducted on a unique soil to compare the liquefaction potential of the tested gravelly soil using these two devices. Results of simple shear tests indicate that as the value of initial static shear stress increases, the cyclic resistance of the tested gravelly soil decreases. However, the results of the triaxial tests show that the variation of cyclic resistance for the tested soil depends on the initial static shear stress level and associated stress reversal conditions. Furthermore, the observed value of the pore water pressure ratio at failure using the strain-based liquefaction criteria for the tested gravelly soil was about 0.85, regardless of the type of testing. In addition, the relationship between the liquefaction resistance of gravelly soils using cyclic triaxial and simple shear devices was obtained.

Temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of hydraulic crack propagation under true triaxial loading using the direct current method

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) has been widely used in coal and rock dynamic disasters prevention and control and coalbed methane production in underground coal mines. However, how to effectively and accurately monitor and evaluate the hydraulic crack propagation process and impact range has not been resolved. We developed a novel experimental system for HF-direct current (DC) monitoring under true triaxial loading conditions. With the use of this system, we conducted HF-DC monitoring experiments under true triaxial loading conditions. The response characteristics of the emission current, apparent resistivity, and apparent resistivity difference contour map throughout the entire experimental process were studied. The results showed that the DC monitoring data contain a wealth of effective information on hydraulic cracks propagation. The emission current and apparent resistivity reflected the overall electrical conductivity of the rock. The contour map of the apparent resistivity difference between two measuring lines could accurately characterize the propagation process and spatial distribution of hydraulic cracks. The evolution process of the difference contour map showed that hydraulic cracks were more likely to spread into areas with low homogeneity. The change range and degree of the apparent resistivity were mainly affected by the spatial distribution, water-bearing state of the hydraulic cracks and wet area surrounding the hydraulic cracks. As the hydraulic crack network expanded, a highly conductive channels were formed inside the rock, which could affect the rock conductive properties and patterns. By comprehensively considering the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of the apparent resistivity difference contour map and the regional apparent resistivity change curve, the dynamic expansion and spatial shape of hydraulic cracks in the rock could be accurately characterized via the DC monitoring method.

Influence of intermediate principal stress ratio on strength and deformation characteristics of frozen sandy soil under different moisture contents

Frozen ground often contain non-uniform moisture content and are under true triaxial stress state and their practical engineering application are still explored. The present study is carried out to investigate the strength and deformation characteristics of frozen soil with different moisture contents under true triaxial stress state conditions. A series of true triaxial tests were conducted on frozen soil specimens having constant minimum principal stress (σ3) and constant intermediate principal stress ratio (b). The experimental test results showed that the stress-strain curves represent the strain-hardening characteristics under different test conditions. The intermediate principal stress ratio (b) has a dual effect of strengthening and weakening on the strength of frozen sandy soil. When 0 ≤ b ≤ 0.5, the strengthening effect was found to be dominant in the frozen soil specimen, whereas, the weakening effect was dominant when 0.5 < b ≤ 1. The strength of frozen soil under true triaxial stress state is 8.18% to 36.33% higher under different water content conditions, compared to that under generalized triaxial compression stress state. The difference in deformation between the direction of the intermediate principal stress and the minimum principal stress increased with the increment in the intermediate principal stress ratio value. The volumetric strain in the soil sample initially exhibited the characteristics of shear contraction and then shear dilation.

Creep–fatigue mechanical characteristics of salt rocks under triaxial loading: An experimental study

Salt rock is a sedimentary rock that is widely distributed in the crust. Since salt rock has a low permeability, rheological behavior, and self-healing characteristics, it has been extensively exploited for subsurface energy storage and waste disposal. The construction of compressed air energy storage (CAES) facilities using salt caverns for solution mining is a practical solution to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals worldwide. The stability of the salt cavern surrounding rock is critical to the function of a CAES plant. Considering the triaxial stress condition of the rock surrounding such underground salt caverns, a number of triaxial creep–fatigue mechanics tests were performed on salt rock using an MTS815 mechanical testing device. The creep–fatigue damage to the salt rock was examined under various confining pressures and stress levels. The main research results and conclusions are as follows. First, the triaxial creep–fatigue stress–strain curves show a similar tendency to classical triaxial fatigue results: the strength and ultimate deformation of salt rocks increase as the confining pressure increases. Second, in contrast to typical fatigue test results, the residual strain before the high-stress plateaus is larger than that after the plateaus during a creep–fatigue test. However, as the confining pressure increases, this disparity decreases. Third, fatigue loading increases creep deformation, and this effect weakens when the confining pressure increases. Fourth, the residual strain differential before and after the high-stress plateau increases together with the stress level, and the contribution of creep strain increases correspondingly. Last, as the confining pressure increases, the salt rock behavior transitions from a brittle response to a fully ductile response. A high confining pressure prevents relative sliding between the salt rock particles. Thus, the effect of confining pressure on the creep–fatigue mechanical behavior of the salt rock reaches a threshold.

Analysis of Electrical Resistivity Characteristics and Damage Evolution of Soil-Rock Mixture under Triaxial Shear.

Construction of engineering structures in geomaterials with soil-rock mixture (S-RM) is often a challenging task for engineers. When analyzing the stability of the engineering structures, the mechanical properties of S-RM often receive the most attention. To study the mechanical damage evolution characteristics of S-RM under triaxial loading conditions, a modified triaxial apparatus was used to conduct shear test on S-RM, and the change of electrical resistivity was measured simultaneously. The stress-strain-electrical resistivity curve and stress-strain characteristics under different confining pressures were obtained and analyzed. Based on the electrical resistivity, a mechanical damage model was established and verified to analyze the damage evolution regularities of S-RM during shearing. The results show that the electrical resistivity of S-RM decreases with increasing axial strain and that the differences in decrease rates correspond to the different deformation stages of the samples. With the increase in loading confining pressure, the stress-strain curve characteristics change from a slight strain softening to a strong strain hardening. Additionally, an increase in rock content and confining pressure can enhance the bearing capacity of S-RM. Moreover, the derived damage evolution model based on electrical resistivity can accurately characterize the mechanical behavior of S-RM under triaxial shear. Based on the damage variable D, it is found that the damage evolution process of S-RM can be divided into a non-damage stage, a rapid damage stage and a stable damage stage. Furthermore, the structure enhancement factor, which is a model modification parameter for the effect of rock content difference, can accurately predict the stress-strain curves of S-RMs with different rock contents. This study sets the stage for an electrical-resistivity-based monitoring method for studying the evolution of internal damage in S-RM.

A nonlinear constitutive model for whole stress–strain behaviors of compressed rocks incorporating crack closure effect

AbstractThis paper is devoted to establishing a nonlinear constitutive model incorporating crack closure effect for capturing the whole process of rock deformation and failure behavior under compression. The model formulated in the framework of irreversible thermodynamics is based on the additive decomposition of the total strain into crack closure strain, elastic, and plastic parts. New specific criteria are proposed for the description of crack closure strain and plastic strain evolution. Notably, analytical solutions of the model under conventional triaxial compression loading conditions are derived. For application, a robust semi‐implicit return mapping (SRM) algorithm with a crack closure strain correction and a plastic strain correction is developed. The analytical solutions, herein, are subtly used to calibrate model parameters and as reference results for assessing the accuracy and robustness of the SRM algorithm. Validation of the model conducted by comparing with experimental data from the literature shows that the model can properly describe the nonlinear mechanical behaviors of rocks, including crack closure effect, strain hardening/softening, peak and residual strength, as well as volumetric compaction/dilation transition. In addition, a nonlocal formulation is introduced as an extension of the model to remedy the mesh dependency problem.

Strain rockburst evolution process under true triaxial condition with single face unloading due to tunnel excavation

Based on the technology of polycrystalline modelling (generating Voronoi polycrystal) and three-dimensional discrete element theory, a three-dimensional polycrystalline discrete element nonlinear dynamic and static coupled numerical analysis method was proposed. This method can accurately simulate the initiation and evolution entire process of strain rockburst. The three-dimensional Voronoi polycrystalline discrete element model considering the mineral composition was established. The rockburst simulation of heterogeneous granite under true triaxial single face unloading was carried out. The rockburst ejection failure characteristics, strength and deformation characteristics, acoustic emission characteristics of rock samples were analyzed, as well as the characteristics of rock fragments and the evolution law of kinetic energy. The inoculation and evolution entire process of strain rockburst during true triaxial single face unloading was studied. The research results show that the failure process of rockburst ejection can be divided into four stages, including: grains ejection, rock spalling into plates, rock shearing into fragments, and rock fragments ejection. The failure modes of rockburst are pluralistic, that is, rockburst pits caused by tension-shear failure and split cracks due to tensile failure near the unloading face, and shear cracks caused by shear failure away from the unloading face. The kinetic energy is released abruptly in the post-peak stage, and the kinetic energy suddenly increases from zero to a high value when elastic energy drops sharply. The dissipation energy of rockburst fragments mainly includes shear dissipation energy and tension dissipation energy; among them, the shear dissipation energy accounts for 99.66 %. The primary conditions for rockburst ejection failure are accumulating enough elastic strain energy and reaching a large loading rate in the tangential direction.

Effects of curing on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of cement-bentonite mixtures for cut-off walls

Cement-bentonite cut-off walls are commonly employed in geoenvironmental applications to limit ground water flow and pollutant transport. The wide diffusion of this artificial material in the current practice is not only due to its low permeability, but also to its simplicity of use. In this paper, experimental evidences about the role of curing on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of cement-bentonite mixtures are presented. Different curing times and curing conditions (representative for either water saturated or hydrocarbon polluted soils) have been considered, and their effects on both hydraulic conductivity and mechanical response in oedometer and triaxial conditions have been assessed. A unified hydro-mechanical framework, accounting for the changes of material fabric occurring with curing time and environment, is formulated. The hydraulic conductivity is very well predicted by a Kozeny-Carman like equation, whereas the mechanical behaviour is finely reproduced via an enhanced elastic–plastic constitutive model.

Experimental studies of instability process and energy evolution of tunnels under true triaxial stresses: The role of pre-existed flaws

In the natural geological environment, there are many joints, faults and cavities. These natural defects will have an impact on the stability of tunnels. This paper investigates different conditions of surrounding rock: intact surrounding rock, surrounding rock with open-flaw and surrounding rock with filled-flaw under the true triaxial test. The effect of different surrounding rock conditions on the internal failure characteristics of tunnel under true triaxial conditions is explored. According to the characteristics of energy evolution and chaos theory, the failure characteristics inside the tunnel is divided into stages. The results show that: 1) The failure characteristics in the tunnel are different for different surrounding rock conditions. The failure characteristics do not represent the stability of the surrounding rock of the tunnel; 2) The trend of energy dissipation is different under different surrounding rock conditions. The elastic stage of the surrounding rock is shortened and the dissipation energy shows an earlier upward trend as its integrity declines. 3) When analysing the tunnel, chaos theory can give early warnings about the instability of the surrounding rock, but it can not give early warning of particle spray and spalling inside the tunnel.