The Effect of Contact Generation on the Elastic Properties of a Granular Medium

1990 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony L. Endres

Previous models for the elastic properties of a granular medium have assumed that all grain contacts are established in its undeformed configuration. Experimental data for the change in elastic properties as a function of confining pressure cannot be explained by these models. Contact creation is cited as one possible cause for this discrepancy. In this paper a model for a granular material is derived that allows for the creation of grain contacts during hydrostatic compression. This formulation allows for the use of general contact microphysics and a general statistical distribution of gap widths at the near-contact points. Numerical results show that for very small values of the average near-contact gaps (approximately 1/1000 of a sphere radius), there can be significant effects occurring in the range of confining pressures between 106 to 107 Pa. The results of this contact generating model are consistent with published experimental measurements.

Geophysics ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Yu ◽  
Keeva Vozoff ◽  
David W. Durney

Laboratory measurements are described on Permian coals from Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia related to the dependence of ultrasonic P‐ and S‐wave velocities, attenuation, anisotropy and the dynamic elastic moduli on confining pressure, water saturation, and pore pressure. Five independent stiffness constants are used to represent the elastic anisotropy of the specimens as a function of confining pressure and water saturation. The anisotropy is believed to be controlled mainly by the internal structure of the coals, while the pressure dependence of the constants is controlled mainly by randomly oriented cracks. P‐ and S‐wave dispersions were measured on water‐saturated specimens as confining pressures increased from 2 MPa to 40 MPa. The samples represented cores taken both parallel and perpendicular to bedding planes. Velocities along bedding planes are marginally higher than those across bedding planes. This anisotropy is insensitive to confining pressure. Attenuation was also measured, both normal and parallel to bedding planes, on dry and water‐saturated specimens from 2 MPa to 40 MPa confining pressures. The experimental results show that dynamic elastic properties are potential indicators of the states of stress and saturation in coal seams, and provide necessary information for computer modeling and interpreting seismic surveys carried out to assist mine development.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Paglialunga ◽  
François X. Passelègue ◽  
Mateo Acosta ◽  
Marie Violay

<p>Recent seismological observations highlighted that earthquakes are associated to drops in elastic properties around the fault zone (Brenguier et al., 2008). This drop is often attributed to co-seismic damage produced at the rupture tip, and can mostly be observed at shallow depths. However, it is known that in the upper crust, faults are surrounded by a zone of damage (Caine, Evans, & Forster, 1996). Because of this, the origin of the velocity change associated to earthquakes, as well as its recovery in the months following the rupture remains highly debated.</p><p>We conducted stick-slip experiments to explore the evolution of elastic waves velocities during the entire seismic cycle. The tests were run on saw-cut La Peyratte granite samples presenting different initial degrees of damage, obtained through thermal treatment. Three types of samples were studied: not thermally treated, thermally treated at 650 °C and thermally treated at 950 °C. Seismic events were induced in a triaxial configuration apparatus at different confining pressures ranging from 15 MPa to 120 MPa. Active acoustic measurements were carried through the whole duration of the tests and P-wave velocities were measured.</p><p> </p><p>The evolution of P-wave velocity follows the evolution of the shear stress acting on the fault, showing velocity drops during dynamic slip events. The evolution of the P-wave velocity drops with increasing confining pressure shows two different trends; the largest drops can be observed for low confining pressure (15 MPa) and decrease for intermediate confining pressures (up to 45 MPa), while for confining pressures of 60 MPa to 120 MPa, drops in velocity slightly increase with confining pressure.</p><p>Our results highlight that at low confining pressures (15-45 MPa), the change in elastic velocity is controlled by the sample bulk properites (damage of the medium surrounding the fault), while for higher confining pressures (60-120 MPa), it might be the result of co-seismic damage.</p><p>These preliminary results bring a different interpretation to the seismic velocity drops observed in nature, attributed to co-seismic damage. In our experiments co-seismic damage is not observed, except for high confining pressures (laboratory equivalent for large depths), while the change in P-wave velocity seems to be highly related to combined stress conditions and initial damage around the fault for low confining pressures (laboratory equivalent for shallow depths).</p>


Geophysics ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. E227-E234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anyela Morcote ◽  
Gary Mavko ◽  
Manika Prasad

Laboratory ultrasonic velocity measurements of different types of coal demonstrate that their dynamic elastic properties depend on coal rank and applied effective pressure. In spite of the growing interest in coal beds as targets for methane production, the high abundance in sedimentary sequences and the strong influence that they have on seismic response, little data are available on the acoustic properties of coal. Velocities were measured in core plugs parallel and perpendicular to lamination surfaces as a function of confining pressure up to [Formula: see text] in loading and unloading cycles. P- and S-wave velocities and dry bulk and dry shear moduli increase as coal rank increases. Thus, bituminous coal and cannel show lower velocities and moduli than higher ranked coals such as semianthracite and anthracite. The [Formula: see text] relationship for dry samples is linear and covers a relatively wide range of effective pressures and coal ranks. However, there is a pressure dependence on the elastic properties of coal for confining pressures below [Formula: see text]. This pressure sensitivity is related to the presence of microcracks. Finally, the data show that coal has an intrinsic anisotropy at confining pressures above [Formula: see text], the closing pressure for most of the microcracks. This intrinsic anisotropy at high pressures might be due to fine lamination and preferred orientation of the macerals.


Author(s):  
F Li ◽  
V M Puri

A medium pressure (<21 MPa) flexible boundary cubical triaxial tester was designed to measure the true three-dimensional response of powders. In this study, compression behaviour and strength of a microcrystalline cellulose powder (Avicel® PH102), a spray-dried alumina powder (A16SG), and a fluid-bed-granulated silicon nitride based powder (KY3500) were measured. To characterize the mechanical behaviour, three types of triaxial stress paths, that is, the hydrostatic triaxial compression (HTC), the conventional triaxial compression (CTC), and the constant mean pressure triaxial compression (CMPTC) tests were performed. The HTC test measured the volumetric response of the test powders under isostatic pressure from 0 to 13.79MPa, during which the three powders underwent a maximum volumetric strain of 40.8 per cent for Avicel® PH102, 30.5 per cent for A16SG, and 33.0 per cent for KY3500. The bulk modulus values increased 6.4-fold from 57 to 367MPa for Avicel® PH102, 3.7-fold from 174 to 637 MPa for A16SG, and 8.1-fold from 74 to 597MPa for KY3500, when the isotropic stress increased from 0.69 to 13.79 MPa. The CTC and CMPTC tests measured the shear response of the three powders. From 0.035 to 3.45MPa confining pressure, the shear modulus increased 28.7-fold from 1.6 to 45.9MPa for Avicel® PH102, 35-fold from 1.7 to 60.5MPa for A16SG, and 28.5-fold from 1.5 to 42.8MPa for KY3500. In addition, the failure stresses of the three powders increased from 0.129 to 4.41 MPa for Avicel® PH102, 0.082 to 3.62 MPa for A16SG, and 0.090 to 4.66MPa for KY3500, respectively, when consolidation pressure increased from 0.035 to 3.45MPa. In addition, the shear modulus and failure stress values determined from the CTC test at 2.07, 2.76, and 3.45MPa confining pressures are consistently greater than those from the CMPTC test at the same constant mean pressures. This observation demonstrates the influence of stress paths on material properties. The CTT is a useful tool for characterizing the three-dimensional response of powders and powder mixtures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Cai ◽  
Tongqing Wu ◽  
Jian Lu ◽  
Yue Wu ◽  
Nianchun Xu

The fracture of sandstone is closely related to the condition of internal microcracks and the fabric of micrograin. The macroscopic mechanical property depends on its microscopic structures. However, it is difficult to obtain the law of the microcrack growth under loading by experiments. A series of microscopic sandstone models were established with particle flow code 3D (PFC3D) and based on the triaxial experiment results on sandstones. The experimental and numerical simulations of natural and saturated sandstones under different confining pressures were implemented. We analyzed the evolution of rock deformation and the rock fracture development from a microscopic view. Results show that although the sandstones are under different confining pressures, the law of microcrack growth is the same. That is, the number of the microcracks increases slowly in the initial stage and then increases exponentially. The number of shear cracks is more than the tensile cracks, and the proportion of the shear cracks increases with the increase of confining pressure. The cracking strength of natural and saturated sandstones is 26% and 27% of the peak strength, respectively. Under low confining pressure, the total number of cracks in the saturated sample is 20% more than that of the natural sample and the strongly scattered chain is barely seen. With the increase of the confining pressure, the effect of water on the total number of cracks is reduced and the distribution of the strong chain is even more uniform. In other words, it is the confining pressure that mainly affects the distribution of the force chain, irrespective of the state of the rock, natural or saturated. The research results reveal that the control mechanism of shear crack friction under the different stress states of a rock slope in the reservoir area provides a basis for evaluating the stability of rock mass and predicting the occurrence of geological disasters.


2000 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Hesham El Naggar ◽  
Jin Qi Wei

Tapered piles have a substantial advantage with regard to their load-carrying capacity in the downward frictional mode. The uplift performance of tapered piles, however, has not been fully understood. This paper describes the results of an experimental investigation into the characteristics of the uplift performance of tapered piles. Three instrumented steel piles with different degrees of taper were installed in cohesionless soil and subjected to compressive and tensile load tests. The soil was contained in a steel soil chamber and pressurized using an air bladder to facilitate modelling the confining pressures pertinent to larger embedment depths. The results of this study indicated that the pile axial uplift capacity increased with an increase in the confining pressure for all piles examined in this study. The ratios of uplift to compressive load for tapered piles were less than those for straight piles of the same length and average embedded diameter. The uplift capacity of tapered piles was found to be comparable to that of straight-sided wall piles at higher confining pressure values, suggesting that the performance of actual tapered piles (with greater length) would be comparable to that of straight-sided wall piles. Also, the results indicated that residual stresses developed during the compressive loading phase and their effect were more significant on the initial uplift capacity of piles, and this effect was more pronounced for tapered piles in medium-dense sand.Key words: tapered piles, uplift, axial response, load transfer, experimental modelling.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linna Sun ◽  
Liming Zhang ◽  
Yu Cong ◽  
Yaduo Song ◽  
Keqiang He

AbstractFailure tests on marble during unloading confining-pressure under constant axial stress and simulations with the particle flow code were performed. The influence mechanism of the unloading rate of the confining pressure, initial unloading stress, and confining pressure on the failure characteristics of, and crack propagation in, marble was studied. By using the trial-and-error method, the conversion relationship between the unloading rates of confining pressures in laboratory tests and numerical simulations was ascertained. Micro-cracks formed in the unloading process of confining pressure are dominated by tension cracks, accompanied by shear cracks. The propagation of shear cracks lags that of tension cracks. As the confining pressure is increased, more cracks occur upon failure of the samples. The proportion of shear cracks increases while that of tension cracks decreases. The failure mode of samples undergoes a transition from shear-dominated failure to conjugated shear failure.


2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-118
Author(s):  
Roman Schuster ◽  
Gerlinde Habler ◽  
Erhard Schafler ◽  
Rainer Abart

AbstractPolycrystalline calcite was deformed to high strain at room-temperature and confining pressures of 1–4 GPa using high-pressure torsion. The high confining pressure suppresses brittle failure and allows for shear strains >100. The post-deformation microstructures show inter- and intragranular cataclastic deformation and a high density of mechanical e$$ \left\{01\overline{1}8\right\} $$011¯8 twins and deformation lamellae in highly strained porphyroclasts. The morphologies of the twins resemble twin morphologies that are typically associated with substantially higher deformation temperatures. Porphyroclasts oriented unfavorably for twinning frequently exhibit two types of deformation lamellae with characteristic crystallographic orientation relationships associated with calcite twins. The misorientation of the first deformation lamella type with respect to the host corresponds to the combination of one r$$ \left\{10\overline{1}4\right\} $$101¯4 twin operation and one specific f$$ \left\{01\overline{1}2\right\} $$011¯2 or e$$ \left\{01\overline{1}8\right\} $$011¯8 twin operation. Boundary sections of this lamella type often split into two separated segments, where one segment corresponds to an incoherent r$$ \left\{10\overline{1}4\right\} $$101¯4 twin boundary and the other to an f$$ \left\{01\overline{1}2\right\} $$011¯2 or e$$ \left\{01\overline{1}8\right\} $$011¯8 twin boundary. The misorientation of the second type of deformation lamellae corresponds to the combination of specific r$$ \left\{10\overline{1}4\right\} $$101¯4 and f$$ \left\{01\overline{1}2\right\} $$011¯2 twin operations. The boundary segments of this lamella type may also split into the constituent twin boundaries. Our results show that brittle failure can effectively be suppressed during room-temperature deformation of calcite to high strains if confining pressures in the GPa range are applied. At these conditions, the combination of successive twin operations produces hitherto unknown deformation lamellae.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Hua Xu ◽  
Guang-Liang Feng ◽  
Qian-Cheng Sun ◽  
Guo-Dong Zhang ◽  
Yu-Ming He

The drying-wetting cycles caused by operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir have considerable effect on the deterioration of reservoir bank rock mass, and the degradation of reservoir rock mass by the drying-wetting cycle is becoming obvious and serious along with the periodic operation. At present, the strength of the rock prediction research mainly focuses on the uniaxial strength, and few studies consider the drying-wetting effect and confining pressure. Therefore, in this paper, typical sandstone from a reservoir bank in the Three Gorges Reservoir area is taken as the research object, while the drying-wetting cycle test, wave velocity test and strength test are carried out for the research on the strength prediction of sandstone under the action of the drying-wetting cycle. The results show that the ultrasonic wave velocity Vp of the sandstone has an exponential function relation with the drying-wetting cycle number n, and the initial stage of drying-wetting cycles has the most significant influence on the wave velocity. Under different confining pressures, the compressive strength of sandstone decreases linearly with the increase of the drying-wetting cycle numbers, and the plastic deformation increases gradually. The damage variable of the sandstone has a power function relation with the increase of drying-wetting cycle numbers. A traditional strength prediction model based on P-wave velocity was established combined with the damage theory and Lemaitre strain equivalence hypothesis; in view of the defects of the traditional strength prediction model, a modified model considering both the drying-wetting cycle number and confining pressures was proposed, where the calculated results of the modified model are closer to the test strength value, and the prediction error is obviously decreased. This indicated that the modified model considering the drying-wetting cycle number and confining pressure is reasonable and feasible.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Huiqiang Duan ◽  
Depeng Ma

The damage and failure state of the loaded coal and rock masses is indirectly reflected by its acoustic emission (AE) characteristics. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the AE evolution of loaded coal and rock masses for the evaluation of damage degree and prediction of collapse. The paper mainly represents a numerical simulation investigation of the AE characteristics of coal specimen subjected to cyclic loading under three confining pressures, loading-unloading rates, and valley stresses. From the numerical simulation tests, the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) The final cycle number of coal specimen subjected to cyclic loading is significantly influenced by the confining pressure, followed the valley stress. With the increase in confining pressure or valley stress, the cycle number tends to increase. However, the loading-unloading rate has a little influence on it. (2) The AE counts of coal specimen subjected to cyclic loading are greatly influenced by the confining pressure and the valley stress. With the increase in the confining pressure, the cumulative AE counts at the 1st cycle tend to increase but decrease at a cycle before failure; with the decrease in the valley stress, the cumulative AE counts per cycle increase in the relatively quiet phase. However, the loading-unloading rate has a little influence on it. (3) The failure mode of coal specimen subjected to cyclic loading is significantly influenced by the confining pressure. Under the uniaxial stress state, there is an inclined main fractured plane in the coal specimen, under the confining pressures of 5 and 10 MPa, the coal specimen represents dispersion failure. The loading-unloading rate and valley stress have little influence on it. (4) The AE ratio is proposed, and its evolution can better reflect the different stages of coal specimen failure under cyclic loading. (5) The influence of confining pressure on the broken degree of coal specimen subjected to cyclic loading is analyzed, and the higher the confining pressure, the more broken the failed coal specimen.


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