Experimental Investigation and Micromechanical Modeling of Elastoplastic Damage Behavior of Sandstone

The mechanical behavior of the sandstone at the dam site is important to the stability of the hydropower station to be built in Southwest China. A series of triaxial compression tests under different confining pressures were conducted in the laboratory. The critical stresses were determined and the relationship between the critical stress and confining pressure were analyzed. The Young’s modulus increases non-linearly with the confining pressure while the plastic strain increment Nϕ and the dilation angle ϕ showed a negative response. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests showed that the failure of the sandstone under compression is a coupled process of crack growth and frictional sliding. Based on the experimental results, a coupled elastoplastic damage model was proposed within the irreversible thermodynamic framework. The plastic deformation and damage evolution were described by using the micromechanical homogenization method. The plastic flow is inherently driven by the damage evolution. Furthermore, a numerical integration algorithm was developed to simulate the coupled elastoplastic damage behavior of sandstone. The main inelastic properties of the sandstone were well captured. The model will be implemented into the finite element method (FEM) to estimate the excavation damaged zones (EDZs) which can provide a reference for the design and construction of such a huge hydropower project.

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Damage Evolution of Coal with Inclusions Under Triaxial Compression

Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering ◽

10.1007/s00603-021-02436-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yufeng Zhao ◽

Heinz Konietzky ◽

Martin Herbst

Keyword(s):

Damage Evolution ◽

Laboratory Tests ◽

Numerical Models ◽

Triaxial Compression ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Confining Pressure ◽

Fracture Network ◽

Triaxial Tests ◽

Compression Tests ◽

Deformation State

AbstractAlong with the advance of the working face, coal experiences different loading stages. Laboratory tests and numerical simulations of fracture and damage evolution aim to better understand the structural stability of coal layers. Three-dimensional lab tests are performed and coal samples are reconstructed using X-ray computer tomography (CT) technique to get detailed information about damage and deformation state. Three-dimensional discrete element method (DEM)-based numerical models are generated. All models are calibrated against the results obtained from uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) tests and triaxial compression (TRX) tests performed in the laboratory. A new approach to simulate triaxial compression tests is established in this work with significant improved handling of the confinement to get realistic simulation results. Triaxial tests are simulated in 3D with the particle-based code PFC3D using a newly developed flexible wall (FW) approach. This new numerical simulation approach is validated by comparison with laboratory tests on coal samples. This approach involves an updating of the applied force on each wall element based on the flexible nature of a rubber sleeve. With the new FW approach, the influence of the composition (matrix and inclusions) of the samples on the peak strength is verified. Force chain development and crack distributions are also affected by the spatial distribution of inclusions inside the sample. Fractures propagate through the samples easily at low confining pressures. On the contrary, at high confining pressure, only a few main fractures are generated with orientation towards the side surfaces. The evolution of the internal fracture network is investigated. The development of microcracks is quantified by considering loading, confinement, and structural character of the rock samples. The majority of fractures are initiated at the boundary between matrix and inclusions, and propagate along their boundaries. The internal structure, especially the distribution of inclusions has significant influence on strength, deformation, and damage pattern.

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Brittleness Evaluation of Glutenite Based On Energy Balance and Damage Evolution

Energies ◽

10.3390/en12183421 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (18) ◽

pp. 3421

Author(s):

Lianchong Li ◽

Mingyang Zhai ◽

Liaoyuan Zhang ◽

Zilin Zhang ◽

Bo Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Balance ◽

Hydraulic Fracturing ◽

Damage Evolution ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Structural Parameters ◽

Triaxial Compression ◽

Confining Pressure ◽

Compression Tests ◽

Technological Parameters ◽

Form Complex

Tight glutenite reservoirs are typically characterized by highly variable lithology and permeability, low and complex porosity, and strong heterogeneity. Glutenite brittleness is an essential indicator for screening fracture targets, selecting technological parameters, and predicting the hydraulic fracturing effect of tight glutenite reservoir exploitation. Glutenite formations with high brittleness are more likely to be effectively fractured and form complex fractures. Accurate evaluation of glutenite brittleness facilitates the recovery of oil and gas in a tight glutenite reservoir. Accordingly, two brittleness indexes are proposed in this paper based on energy balance and damage evolution analysis of complete stress–strain curves to evaluate the brittleness of glutenite. Uniaxial and triaxial compression tests of glutenite specimens were carried out and the brittleness indexes were verified by comparison with other existing indexes. The relationships between the mechanical properties and brittleness of glutenite under confining pressure were analyzed based on experimental results and the effects of mechanical and structural parameters on glutenite brittleness are investigated with a numerical approach. The brittleness of glutenite increases with the increase of gravel size and/or volume content. During hydraulic fracturing design, attention should be paid to the brittleness of the matrix and the size and content of gravel. This paper provides a new perspective for glutenite brittleness evaluation from the perspectives of energy dissipation and damage evolution. Our results provide guidance for fracturing layer selection and may also facilitate field operations of tight glutenite fracturing.

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Mechanical Behavior of Coupled Elastoplastic Damage of Clastic Sandstone of Different Burial Depths

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13071640 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 1640

Author(s):

Yu Zhang ◽

Lu Wang ◽

Goangseup Zi ◽

Yan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Plastic Deformation ◽

Mechanical Behavior ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Triaxial Compression ◽

Mechanical Damage ◽

Confining Pressure ◽

Internal Variables ◽

Burial Depth ◽

Compression Tests ◽

Elastoplastic Damage

Clastic sandstone is widely distributed in oil and gas reservoirs; its internal structure has many micro-defects. Under different stress environments of burial depth, significant damage evolution and plastic deformation easily occur. A series of triaxial compression tests were performed to study the coupled elastoplastic damage mechanical behavior of clastic sandstone samples at different burial depths ranging from 581.28 m to 979.82 m. Results reveal that the stress-strain responses of clastic sandstone samples exhibit significant nonlinear and softening characteristics. The mechanical behavior is due to the coupling of plastic deformation and mechanical damage. Plastic and damage internal variables cause damage stiffness degradation and plastic flow. Considering the coupling of elastoplastic damage in the loading process, an elastoplastic damage coupling model is proposed to study the mechanical behavior of different burial depth clastic sandstones. The model can effectively describe the mechanical behavior of clastic sandstone, such as the volume compression and dilatancy transformation, plastic hardening and damage softening, which are in good agreement with the experimental results. Furthermore, the mechanical behavior of the clastic sandstone shows a dependency on the confining pressure and burial depth. The load-bearing capacity and the ability to resist deformation of the clastic sandstone are improved as the confining pressure and burial depth increase. Relevant results can provide reliable basis for the safe exploitation of oil and gas engineering.

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Fatigue Characteristics of Limestone under Triaxial Compression with Cyclic Loading

Advances in Civil Engineering ◽

10.1155/2018/8681529 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yongjie Yang ◽

Huiqiang Duan ◽

Luyi Xing ◽

Shan Ning ◽

Jiakun Lv

Keyword(s):

Cyclic Loading ◽

Damage Evolution ◽

Triaxial Compression ◽

Peak Stress ◽

Confining Pressure ◽

Primary Phase ◽

Fatigue Properties ◽

Dissipated Energy ◽

Loading Frequency ◽

Compression Tests

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the fatigue properties of limestone subjected to triaxial compression with axial cyclic loading. Tests were conducted on intact limestone samples with a loading frequency of 0.5 Hz and a confining pressure of 10 MPa. The test results show the following five points. (1) Under triaxial conditions, the axial and circumferential deformations at the failure point induced by cyclic loading are slightly larger than the corresponding deformations at the peak stress achieved by conventional compression tests. (2) The first level cyclic loading process has a strong influence on rock deformation in the primary phase during subsequent level cyclic loading. A smaller difference in stress amplitude between the two loading stress levels leads to less deformation during the latter. (3) Circumferential and volumetric changes are more sensitive to fatigue failure in terms of deformation and strain rate than axial changes. (4) The three phases of dissipated energy evolution are consistent with a sample’s deformation such that the energy dissipation characteristics reflect the fatigue damage evolution process. (5) A new damage formula is proposed that can concisely describe a rock’s zero-cycle damage and damage evolution.

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Study on mechanical properties and damage evolution of carbonaceous shale under triaxial compression with acoustic emission

International Journal of Damage Mechanics ◽

10.1177/1056789521991193 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 105678952199119

Author(s):

Kai Yang ◽

Qixiang Yan ◽

Chuan Zhang ◽

Wang Wu ◽

Fei Wan

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Acoustic Emission ◽

Water Content ◽

Damage Evolution ◽

Damage Assessment ◽

Triaxial Compression ◽

Confining Pressure ◽

Damage Variable ◽

Natural State ◽

Carbonaceous Shale

To explore the mechanical properties and damage evolution characteristics of carbonaceous shale with different confining pressures and water-bearing conditions, triaxial compression tests accompanied by simultaneous acoustic emission (AE) monitoring were conducted on carbonaceous shale rock specimens. The AE characteristics of carbonaceous shale were investigated, a damage assessment method based on Shannon entropy of AE was further proposed. The results suggest that the mechanical properties of carbonaceous shale intensify with increasing confining pressure and degrade with increasing water content. Moisture in rocks does not only weaken the cohesion but also reduce the internal friction angle of carbonaceous shale. It is observed that AE activities mainly occur in the post-peak stage and the strong AE activities of saturated carbonaceous shale specimens appear at a lower normalized stress level than that of natural-state specimens. The maximum AE counts and AE energy increase with water content while decrease with confining pressure. Both confining pressure and water content induce changes in the proportions of AE dominant frequency bands, but the changes caused by confining pressure are more significant than those caused by water content. The results also indicate that AE entropy can serve as an applicable index for rock damage assessment. The damage evolution process of carbonaceous shale can be divided into two main stages, including the stable damage development stage and the damage acceleration stage. The damage variable increases slowly accompanied by a few AE activities at the first stage, which is followed by a rapid growth along with intense acoustic emission activities at the damage acceleration stage. Moreover, there is a sharp rise in the damage evolution curve for the natural-state specimen at the damage acceleration stage, while the damage variable develops slowly for the saturated-state specimen.

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Damage evolution and recrystallization enhancement of frozen loess

International Journal of Damage Mechanics ◽

10.1177/1056789517731138 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (8) ◽

pp. 1131-1155 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Zhiwei Zhou ◽

Wei Ma ◽

Shujuan Zhang ◽

Cong Cai ◽

Yanhu Mu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Strain Rate ◽

Damage Evolution ◽

Deformation Process ◽

Triaxial Compression ◽

Confining Pressure ◽

Recrystallization Process ◽

Frozen Soils ◽

Time Deformation ◽

Pressure Melting

A series of multistage triaxial compression, creep, and stress relaxation tests were conducted on frozen loess at the temperature of −6℃ in order to study the damage evolution and recrystallization enhancement of mechanical properties during deformation process. The effect of strain rate, confining pressure, and hydrostatic stress history in the degradation laws of mechanical properties is investigated further. The strain rate has a significant influence on the stress–strain curve which dominates the evolution trend of mechanical properties. The mechanical behaviors (strength, stiffness, and viscosity) of frozen loess all exhibit evident response for the consolidation and pressure melting phenomenon caused by the confining pressure. The multistage loading tests under different hydrostatic stresses are capable of differentiating the development characteristics of mechanical properties during axial loading and hydrostatic compression process, respectively. The testing results indicated that the recrystallization of the ice particle in the frozen soils is an important microscopic factor for enhancement behaviors of mechanical parameters during the deformation process. This strengthening degree of mechanical properties is determined by temperature, duration time, deformation degree, and stress state during the recrystallization process. The phase transformation led by pressure melting and ice recrystallization is a nonnegligible changing pattern of frozen soils microstructure, which has apparent role in the damage evolution of mechanical properties.

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A Strain Rate-Dependent Damage Evolution Model for Concrete Based on Experimental Results

Advances in Civil Engineering ◽

10.1155/2021/6643263 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Bin Xu ◽

Xiaoyan Lei ◽

P. Wang ◽

Hui Song

Keyword(s):

Strain Rate ◽

Uniaxial Compression ◽

Damage Evolution ◽

Damage Model ◽

Evolution Model ◽

Experimental Results ◽

Strain Rates ◽

Compression Tests ◽

Stress Strain ◽

Actual Damage

There are various definitions of damage variables from the existing damage models. The calculated damage value by the current methods still could not well correspond to the actual damage value. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a damage evolution model corresponding to the actual damage evolution. In this paper, a strain rate-sensitive isotropic damage model for plain concrete is proposed to describe its nonlinear behavior. Cyclic uniaxial compression tests were conducted on concrete samples at three strain rates of 10−3s−1, 10−4s−1, and 10−5s−1, respectively, and ultrasonic wave measurements were made at specified strain values during the loading progress. A damage variable was defined using the secant and initial moduli, and concrete damage evolution was then studied using the experimental results of the cyclic uniaxial compression tests conducted at the different strain rates. A viscoelastic stress-strain relationship, which considered the proposed damage evolution model, was presented according to the principles of irreversible thermodynamics. The model results agreed well with the experiment and indicated that the proposed damage evolution model can accurately characterize the development of macroscopic mechanical weakening of concrete. A damage-coupled viscoelastic constitutive relationship of concrete was recommended. It was concluded that the model could not only characterize the stress-strain response of materials under one-dimensional compressive load but also truly reflect the degradation law of the macromechanical properties of materials. The proposed damage model will advance the understanding of the failure process of concrete materials.

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Triaxial Testing of Geosynthetics Reinforced Tailings with Different Reinforced Layers

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13081943 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 1943

Author(s):

Fu Yi ◽

Changbo Du

Keyword(s):

Triaxial Compression ◽

Friction Angle ◽

Confining Pressure ◽

Test Results ◽

Compression Tests ◽

Strength Index ◽

Stress Strain ◽

High Confining Pressure ◽

Zhang Model ◽

Triaxial Compression Tests

To evaluate the shear properties of geotextile-reinforced tailings, triaxial compression tests were performed on geogrids and geotextiles with zero, one, two, and four reinforced layers. The stress–strain characteristics and reinforcement effects of the reinforced tailings with different layers were analyzed. According to the test results, the geogrid stress–strain curves show hardening characteristics, whereas the geotextile stress–strain curves have strain-softening properties. With more reinforced layers, the hardening or softening characteristics become more prominent. We demonstrate that the stress–strain curves of geogrids and geotextile reinforced tailings under different reinforced layers can be fitted by the Duncan–Zhang model, which indicates that the pseudo-cohesion of shear strength index increases linearly whereas the friction angle remains primarily unchanged with the increase in reinforced layers. In addition, we observed that, although the strength of the reinforced tailings increases substantially, the reinforcement effect is more significant at a low confining pressure than at a high confining pressure. On the contrary, the triaxial specimen strength decreases with the increase in the number of reinforced layers. Our findings can provide valuable input toward the design and application of reinforced engineering.

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Study on Damage Model and Damage Evolution Characteristics of Backfill with Prefabricated Fracture under Seepage-Stress Coupling

Advances in Materials Science and Engineering ◽

10.1155/2020/3642356 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Jifeng Hou ◽

Zhongping Guo ◽

Weizhen Liu ◽

Hengze Yang ◽

WenWu Xie

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Damage Evolution ◽

Coupling Effect ◽

Water Pressure ◽

Damage Model ◽

Confining Pressure ◽

Seepage Water ◽

Confining Pressures ◽

Initial Fracture ◽

Total Damage

Aiming at the backfill with prefabricated fracture under seepage-stress coupling, the concepts of fracture macrodamage, loaded mesodamage, seepage mesodamage, and total damage of backfill were proposed. Based on the macroscopic statistical damage model, the coupling effect of seepage, stress, and initial fracture was considered comprehensively and the damage model of backfill with prefabricated fracture under seepage-stress coupling was established. The mechanical properties of backfill with prefabricated fracture under different seepage water pressures and confining pressures were tested and the rationality of the model was verified. The research shows that the mechanical properties of backfill with prefabricated fracture under the seepage-stress coupling are determined by the seepage water pressure, the load, the initial fracture, and the coupling effect. Fracture and seepage have significant effects on the damage of the backfill. When the seepage water pressure is low, the fracture damage dominates; however, when the seepage water pressure is high, the seepage damage dominates; the total damage under the coupling action is more serious than the single factor. The development laws of the total damage evolution curves under different seepage water pressures and confining pressures are basically the same, and they show the S-shaped distribution law with the increase of the axial strain. With the increase of confining pressure, the damage effect of fracture and seepage on the backfill is weakened, indicating that the confining pressure has a certain inhibitory effect on the damage evolution of the backfill. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the study of the stability of backfill with geological defects such as joints and fractures in deep high-stress and high-seepage water pressure coal mines.

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Constitutive Theory of Elastoplastic Coupled with Damage of Anisotropic Concrete

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.166-169.3220 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 166-169 ◽

pp. 3220-3223

Author(s):

Jiang Qing Xiao ◽

Qing Zhang ◽

Dao Hong Ding

Keyword(s):

Damage Evolution ◽

Damage Model ◽

Irreversible Thermodynamics ◽

Constitutive Theory ◽

Loading Conditions ◽

Evolution Law ◽

Plastic Damage ◽

Elastoplastic Damage

A coupled elastoplastic damage model is proposed for the description of anisotropic concrete under compression-dominated stresses. The model is applied to typical concrete in various loading conditions. Damage evolution law and plastic damage coupling are described by using the framework of irreversible thermodynamics.

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