Exploring the undrained cyclic behavior of methane-hydrate-bearing sediments using CFD–DEM

Based on the mechanical experimental results of methane hydrate (MH), a bond contact model considering the rate-dependency of MH is proposed. A CFD–DEM scheme considering fluid compressibility is used to simulate a series of undrained cyclic shear tests of numerical methane-hydrate-bearing sediment (MHBS) samples. The dynamic behavior, including stress–strain relationship, dynamic shear modulus, and damping ratio, is investigated. In addition, the force chains, contact fabric and averaged pure rotation rate (APR) are examined to investigate the relationships between micromechanical variables and macromechanical responses in the DEM MH samples. The effects of temperature, confining pressure and MH saturation are also analyzed. Due to the micro-structural strengthening by the MH bonds, no obvious change in microscopic quantities is observed, and the samples remain at the elastic stage under the applied low-shear stress level. When confining pressure and MH saturation increase, the dynamic elastic modulus increases, while the damping ratio decreases. An increasing temperature (leading to weakening of MH bonds) can lower the dynamic elastic modulus, but has almost no impact on the damping ratio. On the contrary, an increasing cyclic shear stress level lowers the damping ratio, but has almost no effect on the dynamic elastic modulus.     

沉积物中甲烷水合物饱和度测定及其力学特性研究

在自主研制的实验装置上合成甲烷水合物,采用时域反射技术(TDR)实时监测甲烷水合物生成过程中饱和度的变化,并与系统的压力降法计算的饱和度进行了对比。结果表明TDR法简单易行,结果可靠。对含甲烷水合物沉积物进行了一系列不排水三轴压缩实验,结果表明,含甲烷水合物沉积物的抗剪强度随着有效围压的增加和水合物饱和度的增加而增大;粘聚力随着甲烷水合物饱和度的增加而明显增加,但内摩擦角变化并不显著。在此基础上,提出了抗剪强度与有效围压和水合物饱和度的关系模型。     

非饱和固化淤泥的力学及体变特性试验研究

由于降雨、水位升降等自然因素,固化淤泥作为填土材料使用时,其饱和度(基质吸力)常处于变动状态,使固化淤泥力学及体变特性发生改变,对土工构筑物的安全带来潜在隐患.鉴于此,本文通过对不同基质吸力、净围压下的三轴固结排水剪切试验,探讨了基质吸力和净围压对非饱和固化淤泥力学及体变特性的影响.结果表明:随着净围压增大,基质吸力的...     

循环剪切荷载作用下软土的力学性状研究

利用从现场取得的原状土样,通过室内动三轴试验对循环荷载作用下的变形、孔压和强度特性进行研究。试验研究主要考虑了周围固结压力、循环剪切应力比、荷载频率和循环次数等因素的影响。研究表明,在循环荷载作用下,孔隙水压力和轴向应变均是一个波动上升的过程。当循环应力比增大时,动孔隙水压力变化幅值显著增加,而残余孔压也较大。同时,孔隙水压力值也随着周围压力的增大而明显增大。当作用荷载频率比较大时,需要更多的循环次数才能达到小频率作用荷载能达到的孔隙水压力值。但是,随着循环荷载作用次数的增加,频率对孔隙水压力的影响有减小的趋势。     

DEM investigation of strain behaviour and force chain evolution of gravel–sand mixtures subjected to cyclic loading

The strain characteristic and load transmission of mixed granular matter are different from those of homogeneous granular matter. Cyclic loading renders the mechanical behaviours of mixed granular matter more complex. To investigate the dynamic responses of gravel–sand mixtures, the discrete element method (DEM) was used to simulate the cyclic loading of gravel–sand mixtures with low fines contents. Macroscopically, the evolution of the axial strain and volumetric strain was investigated. Mesoscopically, the coordination number and contact force anisotropy were studied, and the evolution of strong and weak contacts was explored from two dimensions of loading time and local space. The simulation results show that increasing fines content can accelerate the development of the axial strain and volumetric strain but has little effect on the evolution of contact forces. Strong contacts tend to develop along the loading boundary, presenting the spatial difference. Weak contacts are firstly controlled by confining pressure and then controlled by axial stress, while strong contacts are mainly controlled by axial stress throughout the whole cyclic loading. Once compression failure occurs, the release of axial stress causes the reduction of strong contact proportion in all local regions. These findings are helpful to understand the dynamic responses of gravel–sand mixtures, especially in deformation behaviours and the Spatio-temporal evolution of contact forces.     

卸荷条件下粉质粘土变形性状研究

通过室内应力控制的三轴试验研究卸荷条件下土体的应力-应变关系和孔隙水压力变化特征,得到变形模量的确定方法。研究表明:在初始偏压应力固结条件下,无论是轴向压力保持不变而侧向压力不断卸荷,还是轴向压力和侧向压力同时卸荷,其应力-应变关系均表现为较好的双曲线函数关系。而且,侧向固结压力愈大,强度值愈大。在卸荷过程中,随剪切应力的增大和剪切应变的发展,土样呈现剪胀趋势并在后期产生较大的负孔隙水压力。不排水条件下由于负孔隙水压力的存在,土样的表观强度略有增大。     

含水率和围压对安家岭泥岩峰后力学特性影响的试验研究

为分析含水率和围压对泥岩峰后力学特性的影响,从山西安家岭矿取泥岩,制成不同含水率的5组试样,在YAW2000电液伺服试验机上开展了三轴试验,获得了不同含水率泥岩试样三轴全程应力应变曲线,使用激光共聚焦显微镜观测了泥岩增水过程中微观结构变化。利用试验结果,分析了围压和含水率对泥岩峰值强度、残余强度、弹性模量、破坏应变和脆性模量的影响规律和泥岩增水过程中微观结构的变化规律。引入脆性模量系数和强度退化指数来描述围压对泥岩峰后强度退化过程和残余强度的影响,与FLAC中的SS模型结合,建立了考虑围压影响的泥岩应变软化力学模型,模拟了围压对泥岩应变软化行为的影响。研究结果表明:(1)随着围压增加,泥岩的峰值强度、偏应力峰值、破坏应变和残余强度都增长,峰后强度降低速率趋缓,强度退化指数和脆性模量系数可以较好地描述围压对泥岩残余强度和峰后强度退化过程的影响。(2)泥岩增水过程中,岩样内微裂隙及尺寸增长,泥岩的力学性质劣化。随着含水率增加,泥岩的弹性模量、峰值强度和残余强度降低,破坏应变增长。含水率与泥岩的弹性模量、峰值强度和破坏应变之间近似服从线性关系。(3)本文基于脆性模量系数的岩石应变软化模型能较好地描述三轴压缩泥岩的全程变形行为。     

含瓦斯煤单轴压缩的尺度效应实验研究

含瓦斯煤与其它岩石类材料一样,在力学特性等方面具有尺度效应。利用特制的饱和加压装置和电子万能试验机,对不同尺度、不同饱和瓦斯压力下的煤样进行了单轴压缩试验,探讨了煤样变形破坏及强度特性的变化规律。分析表明,煤样抗压强度、弹性模量随瓦斯压力的增大而减小,抗压强度随高径比的增加明显减小,弹性模量随高径比的增加略有提高。利用Weibull模型和线弹性强化理论对含瓦斯煤产生尺度效应的原因进行了合理地解释,为含瓦斯煤样尺度效应在强度表征等方面的深入研究提供了新的实验和理论依据。     

Experimental investigation on strength and failure behavior of pre-cracked marble under conventional triaxial compression

Fractures in natural rocks have an important effect on the strength and failure behavior of rock mass, which are often evaluated in rock engineering practice. The theoretical evaluation of mechanical behavior of fractured rock mass has no satisfactory answer due to the role of confining pressure and crack geometry. Therefore, in this paper, conventional triaxial compression experiments were carried out to study the strength and failure behavior of marble samples with two pre-existing closed cracks in non-overlapping geometry. Based on the experimental results of a number of triaxial compression tests, the effect of crack coalescence on the axial supporting capacity and deformation property were investigated with different confining pressures. The results show that intact samples and flawed samples (marble with pre-existing cracks) have different deformation properties after peak stress, which change from brittleness to plasticity and ductility with the increase of confining pressure. The peak strength and failure mode are found depending not only on the geometry of flaw, but also on the confining pressure. The strength of flawed samples shows distinct non-linear behavior, which is in a better agreement with non-linear Hoek–Brown criterion than linear Mohr–Coulomb criterion. For a kind of rock that has been evaluated as a Hoek–Brown material, a new evaluation criterion is put forward by adopting optimal approximation polynomial theory, which can be used to confirm more precisely the strength parameters (cohesion and internal friction angle) of flawed samples. For intact samples, the marble leads to typical shear failure mode with a single fracture surface under different confining pressures, while for flawed samples, under uniaxial compression and a lower confining pressure (σ₃ = 10 MPa), tests for coarse and medium marble (the coarse and medium refer to the grain size) exhibit three basic failure modes, i.e., tensile mode, shear mode, and mixed mode (tensile and shear). Shear mode is associated with lower strength behavior. However, under higher confining pressures (σ₃ = 30 MPa), for coarse marble, the axial supporting capacity is not related to the geometry of flaw. The friction among crystal grains determines the strength behavior of coarse marble. For medium marble, the failure mode and deformation behavior are dependent on the crack coalescence in the sample. The present research provides increased understanding of the fundamental nature of rock failure under conventional triaxial compression.     

Deformation and Permeability Evolution of Petroleum Cement Paste Subjected to Chemical Degradation Under Temperature

The variation of permeability of typical petroleum cement paste is investigated as functions of mechanical loading and chemical degradation under the temperature of 90°C. In sound material, the permeability classically increases with deviatoric stress due to microcracks and volumetric dilatancy but decreases with confining pressure. Chemical leaching leads to significant increase of porosity of cement paste. However, the permeability of degraded material is lower than that of sound material during triaxial compression tests; this is due to compaction of pores under confining pressure. Further, the permeability variation in degraded cement is much more sensitive to confining pressure than that of sound material. During triaxial creep test, the permeability of degraded material decreases with time while that of sound material increases; this shows that the chemically leached material has a higher potential of volumetric compaction which is a key mechanism of plastic deformation. Coupled chemical degradation and triaxial compression tests are also performed. Under low confining pressure (3 MPa), the permeability increases with propagation of leaching front, and there is formation of preferential flow paths in the axial direction. However, with high confining pressure (10 MPa), there is no increase of permeability during chemical leaching and creation of successive degraded layers in the flow direction.     

Loading rate and confining pressure effect on dilatancy,acoustic emission,and failure characteristics of fissured rock with two pre-existing flaws

Investigating the dilatancy, acoustic emission and failure characteristics of fissured rock are significant to ensure their geotechnical stability. In this paper, the uniaxial and triaxial compression experiments with AE monitoring under different loading rates were carried out on fissured rock specimens with the same geometrical distribution of two pre-existing flaws. The dilatancy and AE activity of these specimens were discussed, and the effects of the confining pressure and loading rate on the mechanical parameters and failure characteristics were analyzed. The results show that the exponential strength criterion is more suitable than the Mohr–Coulomb strength criterion to characterize the strength characteristics of fissured rock. The crack evolution and failure characteristics of fissured rock specimens are more complicated than those of intact rock specimens. The failure characteristics of the fissured rock follow the tensile shear coalescence model, crack branching occurs with increasing the loading rate, and the multi-section coalescence model is verified with increasing the confining pressure. The phenomena of stress drop and yield platform usually occur after the dilatancy onset, the specimen does not fail instantaneously, and the propagation and coalescence of cracks cause a sharp increase in the AE signals, circumferential strain, and volumetric strain.     

Mechanical behaviour of the upper layers of a sandy loam soil under shear loading

The mechanical behaviour of the upper layers of a sandy loam soil was studied under standard triaxial compression and direct shear box tests. Variations of soil material properties were investigated at four different initial dry bulk densities of 1410, 1520, 1610 and 1670 kg/m³. Soil deformation and volume change under the triaxial compression loading were also studied at these bulk densities. Results from the two tests showed increases in the soil mechanical properties with the initial dry bulk density. The internal friction angle values measured with the triaxial compression apparatus exceeded those measured with the direct shear box. In contrast, the soil cohesion values measured with the direct shear box exceeded those measured with the triaxial compression apparatus. Under the triaxial compression test, the loose soil samples underwent contraction and volume reduction, whereas the dense samples swelled and failure cracks appeared clearly at various planes. The soil contraction for the former case characterizes the occurrence of soil compaction, whereas the cracks propagation and volume increase in the latter case characterizes the breaking up and loosening of soil during tillage operations. For the loose and moderately compacted states, the engineering Poisson's ratio increased with the axial strain until loading was completed. It also increased at the compacted and very compacted states until reaching given loading stages, after which its value started to decrease. This shifting in the engineering Poisson's ratio during loading may provide another identification of the moment of soil failure occurrence, in addition to that of the maximum shear stress.     

云母石英片岩的三轴蠕变试验研究

在三轴蠕变试验的基础上,通过对径向蠕变和轴向蠕变的比较研究,得出云母石英片岩的蠕变变形和长期强度特点:径向蠕变变形比轴向蠕变变形敏感,以径向蠕变长期强度作为长期强度更合理;围压越大,对径向变形的约束能力越强,径向蠕变长期强度和轴向蠕变长期强度均增加,径向蠕变长期强度与轴向蠕变长期强度的比值减小。同时指出进行径向蠕变研究的意义。     

Experimental study on mechanical properties of methane-hydrate-bearing sediments

Mechanical properties of methane hydrate-bearing-sediments (MHBS) are basic parameters for safety analysis of hydrate exploration and exploitation. Young’s modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle of hydrate-bearing sediments synthesized in laboratory, are investigated using tri-axial tests. Stress-strain curves and strength parameters are obtained and discussed for different compositions and different hydrate saturation, followed by empirical expressions related to the cohesion, internal friction angle, and modulus of MHBS. Almost all tested MHBS samples exhibit plastic failure. With the increase of total saturation of ice and methane hydrate (MH), the specimens’ internal friction angle decreases while the cohesion increases.     

A micro–macro method for predicting the shear strength of brittle rock under compressive loading

Microcracks have great significance for shear strength of brittle rock in compression. A major challenge of this area is to establish the correlation of microcracks and macroscopic shear strength. A new micro–macro method is presented to predict the shear strength of brittle rock in compression. This method incorporates the microcrack model suggested by Ashby, Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion and a crack-strain relation. This crack–strain relation is presented to link the crack growth and axial strain by combining the micro and macro definitions from rock damage. The shear strength and stress–strain relationship of Jinping marble are theoretically investigated in detail. The rationality of this suggested method is verified by using the experimental results founded on Jinping marble. Effects of the initial microcrack size, friction coefficient and confining pressure on internal friction angle, cohesion, and shear strength are also discussed.     

基于双剪统一强度理论的复式钢管混凝土轴压承载力计算

考虑内、外钢管对混凝土的双重约束作用, 分析复式钢管混凝土的轴压应力状态, 采用双剪统一强度理论分析混凝土和钢管各自的极限轴压强度, 得出复式钢管混凝土轴压承载力公式; 通过推导钢管在极限状态的强度折减系数及钢管与混凝土之间的紧箍力值, 计算出的轴压承载力与试验数据进行对比, 吻合较好, 验证了双剪统一强度理论在复式钢管混凝土轴压承载力计算中的适用性; 并给出了内圆钢管的径厚比和直径与轴压承载力提高系数的关系, 为复式钢管混凝土的优化设计提供理论依据.     

基于离散元模型的土石混合体直剪试验分析

土石混合体是由高强度块石和低强度土体组成的一类特殊工程地质材料,其力学性质可通过直剪试验进行确定。本文针对土石混合体的细观材料特性,分别采用球形颗粒单元和非规则组合颗粒单元模拟土体和块石材料,对其在不同含石量和颗粒粘结强度下的直剪试验过程进行离散元分析。计算结果表明,土石混合体的抗剪强度随着含石量和粘结强度的增加而增加;通过不同法向应力下直剪试验的离散元分析,确定了不同含石量下土石混合体材料的内摩擦角和粘聚力。本文研究结果有助于进一步揭示土石混合体的抗剪强度特性。     

Numerical simulation of rock fragmentation during cutting by conical picks under confining pressure

In this article, the effect of confining pressure on rock fragmentation process during cutting was investigated by numerical simulation with a discrete element method (DEM). Four kinds of sandstones with different physical properties were simulated in the rock cutting models under different confining pressures. The rock fragmentation process, the cutting force, and the specific energy under different confining pressures were analyzed. With the increase in confining pressure and rock strength, the vertical propagation of cracks was restrained. Rock samples were compacted and strengthened by confining pressure resulting in the increase of the cutting force. The specific energy of rock cutting linearly increased with the increase of the confining pressure ratio.     

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF WATER-COOLED GRANITE UNDER HIGH TEMPERATURE1)

通过对高温加热-遇水快速冷却后的花岗岩试样进行单轴和三轴实验,研究了800°C内高温花岗岩遇水快速冷却后的力学性质随温度和围压的变化规律。实验结果表明：(1)400°C为高温加热-遇水快速冷却对花岗岩力学性质影响的阈值;(2)同一温度条件下,峰值偏应力、峰值应变随围压的增大而增大;弹性模量随围压的增大先增大后减小;(3)单轴实验中,温度低于400°C时,岩样表现为复合破坏,随着温度的升高破坏形式转变为拉破坏;三轴实验中,岩样整体上表现为剪切破坏。     

Mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments during hydrate dissociation

The changes in the mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments(GHBS) induced by gas hydrate(GH) dissociation are essential to the evaluation of GH exploration and stratum instabilities. Previous studies present substantial mechanical data and constitutive models for GHBS at a given GH saturation under the non-dissociated condition. In this paper, GHBS was formed by the gas saturated method, GH was dissociated by depressurization until the GH saturation reached different dissociation degrees. The stress–strain curves were measured using triaxial tests at a same pore gas pressure and different confining pressures. The results show that the shear strength decreases progressively by 30%–90% of the initial value with GH dissociation, and the modulus decreases by 50% –75%. Simplified relationships for the modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle with GH dissociated saturation were presented.