scholarly journals Shear Response of Wet Weak Carbonate Rock/Grout Interfaces Under Cyclic Loading

Author(s):  
Eleni Stavropoulou ◽  
Christophe Dano ◽  
Marc Boulon

AbstractThe development and construction of offshore wind farms requires the correct estimation of the friction that can be mobilised at the rock/grout interface. In conventional studies, the shear behaviour of a joint is usually investigated with laboratory tests under constant normal load/stress (CNL), however, in engineering practice, direct shear testing under constant normal stiffness (CNS) has been proved to be more realistic in the assessment of the development of the side shear resistance in rock grouted pile design. In this work, an extensive experimental campaign on the shear response of a weak carbonate rock (limestone) interface with grout is presented, in the frame of offshore wind turbines. First, basic mechanical testing is performed on the two interface materials in order to evaluate their mechanical properties. The output of these tests reveals not only the contrasting properties of the two interacting materials, but also the decreased response of the limestone in the presence of water. A series of monotonic shear tests (both under CNL and CNS conditions) on wet rough limestone/grout interfaces reveal the high impact of adhesion between the two materials to the mechanical response. Based on the monotonic results, a number of CNS shear tests under cyclic loading takes place, where different failure modes are observed dilatant and contractant response. The variability of the failure mode is strongly related not only to the adhesion created with the cast grout, but also to the limestone’s micro-structural heterogeneity that manifests already after consolidation. The post-shear morphological state of the interface is analysed, while the variability of the failure surface and the presence of water gouge creation do not allow a clear correlation of the morphologfy to the mechanical response. Overall, the response of this type of weak rock interface where the properties of the grout are significantly higher, is governed by the behaviour of the rock.

2019 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 13006
Author(s):  
Eleni Stavropoulou ◽  
Christophe Dano ◽  
Marc Boulon

Since a few years, in France, the development and construction of offshore wind farms in different sites of the country is investigated. The wind turbines will be installed in soft carbonate rock formations (calcarenite, limestone), the mechanical properties of which can vary in a significant way according to the location of the site. Once installed, the bored piles will be sealed with grout in the hosting rock. It is well known that the mechanical behaviour of piles is mainly governed by the behaviour of the interface at the contact between the structure and the hosting rock. The study of the mechanical behaviour of these interfaces, being the weakest points in terms of mechanical resistance, is of great importance for the improvement of the design methods of such infrastructures. The shear response of the rock/grout interface is studied with laboratory experiments in the 3SR lab (Grenoble). The interface's mechanical properties are characterised by a series of shear tests under Constant Normal Stiffness (CNS), these conditions being the most representative of the in-situ conditions. Interface samples of a roughness representative of the in-situ drilling traces, are tested under different levels of applied normal stiffness. The shear response is studied for both monotonic and cyclic shear paths, while all tests are performed under wet conditions. The failure mechanisms are explored, taking into account the contrasting mechanical properties of the two materials composing the interface, as well as, the evolution of the geometrical profile of the interface. The correlation between roughness and the mechanical response of the interface is investigated and the importance of an existing roughness is discussed.


2022 ◽  
pp. 136943322110523
Author(s):  
Sarwar Hasan Mohmmad ◽  
Mehmet Eren Gülşan ◽  
Abdulkadir Çevik

This study examines the punching shear and deflection performance of 16 Geopolymer concrete (GC) two-way slabs subjected to monotonic and cyclic loading by considering the reinforcement material, percentage of reinforcement, type of concrete and the concrete grade. The tested specimens indicated that the crack patterns at the failure and failure modes were almost similar regardless of the type of reinforcement or their ratio. Moreover, the slabs reinforced by fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars exhibited a lower punching capacity than those strengthened by steel bars, even for similar reinforcement ratios. In addition, the results showed that upon increasing the concrete strength and reinforcement ratio, a higher punching shear capacity and lower deflections were obtained under cyclic and monotonic loading. In addition, the punching shear performance of GC slabs was found to be better than that of ordinary concrete (OC), even though both were reinforced by the basalt FRP (BFRP) bar. However, the ultimate load capacity of the slabs was reduced as a result of cyclic loading according to the capacity of the same specimen, resulting from static loading. However, the reduction is very low for slabs reinforced with FRP slabs. Further, the slabs reinforced by FRP had a better fatigue performance compared with slabs reinforced by steel bars with respect to cyclic loading. The results of the tests were also used to evaluate the accuracy of the available punching shear capacity equations.


2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 566-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dharma Wijewickreme ◽  
Ali Khalili ◽  
G. Ward Wilson

Mixing of waste rock and tailings as a homogeneous mixture (referred to as “paste rock”) has been suggested as a favourable approach to overcome deficiencies associated with traditional methods of mine waste disposal. In consideration of the current limited understanding of the fundamental mechanical response of paste rock, a laboratory research program was undertaken to investigate the monotonic and cyclic shear response of paste rock. This paper presents the findings from undrained cyclic triaxial shear testing conducted on saturated paste rock specimens reconstituted such that the tailings would “just fill” the void spaces between the coarse particles of the skeleton. During undrained cyclic loading, paste rock typically exhibited a cumulative decrease in effective stress along with a progressive degradation of shear stiffness. The material generally displayed a higher tendency for strain development under cyclic loading when compared with rock-only and tailings-only specimens subjected to similar consolidation and cyclic loading conditions. However, no strain-softening or loss of shear strength was observed, suggesting that the material is unlikely to experience flow failure under undrained cyclic loading. The cyclic shear resistance was relatively insensitive to the initial effective confining pressure ([Formula: see text]) for the tested stress levels of [Formula: see text] < 400 kPa.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Luciano Ombres ◽  
Salvatore Verre

In the paper, the bond between a composite strengthening system consisting of steel textiles embedded into an inorganic matrix (steel reinforced grout, SRG) and the concrete substrate, is investigated. An experimental investigation was carried out on medium density SRG specimens; direct shear tests were conducted on 20 specimens to analyze the effect of the bond length, and the age of the composite strip on the SRG-to-concrete bond behavior. In particular, the tests were conducted considering five bond length (100, 200, 250, 330, and 450 mm), and the composite strip’s age 14th, 21st, and 28th day after the bonding. Test results in the form of peak load, failure modes and, bond-slip diagrams were presented and discussed. A finite element model developed through commercial software to replicate the behavior of SRG strips, is also proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed numerical model was validated by the comparison between its predictions and experimental results.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 103079
Author(s):  
Hongwang Ma ◽  
Zhiyue Lu ◽  
Yutao Li ◽  
Chen Chen ◽  
Jun Yang

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
D. Reid ◽  
R. Fanni ◽  
A. Fourie

The cross-anisotropic nature of soil strength has been studied and documented for decades, including the increased propensity for cross-anisotropy in layered materials. However, current engineering practice for tailings storage facilities (TSFs) does not appear to generally include cross-anisotropy considerations in the development of shear strengths. This being despite the very common layering profile seen in subaerially-deposited tailings. To provide additional data to highlight the strength cross-anisotropy of tailings, high quality block samples from three TSFs were obtained and trimmed to enable Hollow Cylinder Torsional Shear tests to be sheared at principal stress angles of 0 and 45 degrees during undrained shearing. Consolidation procedures were carried out such that the drained rotation of principal stress angle that would precede potential undrained shear events for below-slope tailings was reasonably simulated. The results indicated the significant effects of cross-anisotropy on the undrained strength, instability stress ratio, contractive tendency and brittleness of each of the three tailings types. The magnitude of cross-anisotropy effects seen was generally consistent with previous published data on sands.


Author(s):  
Michael Devin ◽  
Bryony DuPont ◽  
Spencer Hallowell ◽  
Sanjay Arwade

Abstract Commercial floating offshore wind projects are expected to emerge in the United States by the end of this decade. Currently, however, high costs for the technology limit its commercial viability, and a lack of data regarding system reliability heightens project risk. This work presents an optimization algorithm to examine the trade-offs between cost and reliability for a floating offshore wind array that uses shared anchoring. Combining a multivariable genetic algorithm with elements of Bayesian optimization, the optimization algorithm selectively increases anchor strengths to minimize the added costs of failure for a large floating wind farm in the Gulf of Maine under survival load conditions. The algorithm uses an evaluation function that computes the probability of mooring system failure, then calculates the expected maintenance costs of a failure via a Monte Carlo method. A cost sensitivity analysis is also performed to compare results for a range of maintenance cost profiles. The results indicate that virtually all of the farm's anchors are strengthened in the minimum cost solution. Anchor strength is in- creased between 5-35% depending on farm location, with anchor strength nearest the export cable being increased the most. The optimal solutions maintain a failure probability of 1.25%, demonstrating the trade-off point between cost and reliability. System reliability was found to be particularly sensitive to changes in turbine costs and downtime, suggest- ing further research into floating offshore wind turbine failure modes in extreme loading conditions could be particularly impactful in reducing project uncertainty.


1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Quin ◽  
G. E. O. Widera

Of the quantitative approaches applied to inservice inspection, failure modes, effects,criticality analysis (FMECA) methodology is recommended. FMECA can provide a straightforward illustration of how risk can be used to prioritize components for inspection (ASME, 1991). But, at present, it has two limitations. One is that it cannot be used in the situation where components have multiple failure modes. The other is that it cannot be used in the situation where the uncertainties in the data of components have nonuniform distributions. In engineering practice, these two situations exist in many cases. In this paper, two methods based on fuzzy set theory are presented to treat these problems. The methods proposed here can be considered as a supplement to FMECA, thus extending its range of applicability.


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