Damage Evolution Constitutive Behavior of Rock in Thermo-mechanical Coupling Processes

For thermal and loaded rock in engineering structures for some projects, triple-shear Drucker–Prager yield criteria, compaction coefficient K, damage variable correction factor δ, and thermal damage variable DT are introduced in a new thermomechanical (TM) constitutive model for the entire process. The compaction stage of rock in uniaxial compression test and the strain softening of rock caused by thermal attack are considered in this article. The damage evolution of rocks is described by a damage variable and a constitutive equation, which are in agreement with the actual thermal experimental breakage. The uniaxial compressive strength of granite subjected to a TM coupling effect can be predicted properly by this new unified constitutive model. The new TM unified constitutive model considering the compaction stage and post-failure stage is in good agreement with the test curves throughout the entire process. The coupling effect of heat and load in the total damage of rock has obvious nonlinear properties, but the coupling effect significantly weakens the specimens. By using the new TM unified constitutive model, the whole process of changes in rock damage with strain after high temperature can be calculated. Meanwhile, the model well represents the stress–strain curve at the post-failure stage. It is expected that this model can provide references for studying the mechanical response of the rock damage propagation characteristics in the future.

Research on Deep-Hole Cutting Blasting Efficiency in Blind Shafting with High In-Situ Stress Environment Using the Method of SPH

This article aiming at the lack of research on the influence of rock clamp production on cutting blasting under high in-situ stress conditions and the lack of rock damage criteria for RHT constitution in numerical simulation. Combined with the critical rock damage criterion and the embedded function of RHT constitution, the criterion for determining the critical damage of rock in RHT constitutive was studied, and the mechanical parameters of Metamorphic sodium lava were substituted to obtain the critical damage threshold of rock in numerical simulation. The smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method was used to numerically simulate and analyze the influence of different rock clamping coefficients on the rock damage range and the cavity area in the cutting blasting. The stress state applied by the numerical simulation was inversely deduced by the field test scanning results to simulate the rock clamping coefficient Kr at the corresponding depth. The relationship between the cavity area Sc and the free surface distance Df is analyzed and established. The results show that the rock clip production has an inhibitory effect on the development and propagation of blast-induced cracks. The stress applied in the numerical simulation affects the range and development degree of cracks, and the cracks generated by the explosion are mainly circumferential cracks. The larger coefficient of rock clip production, the more obvious the inhibitory effect on cut blasting, the less the blast-induced cracks and the smaller the rock damage circle. The fitting results show that the curve fitting degree is about 0.94, which proves the accuracy of Sc-Df curve, and provides important reference value for the design of one-time completion blasting of upward blind shaft.

Rock Damage and Aquifer Property Estimation from Water Level Fluctuations in Wells Induced by Seismic Waves: A Case Study in X10 Well, Xinjiang, China

There is a coupling relationship between surrounding rock stress, deformation, and fracture evolution, especially in the microdynamics of the crust caused by mining activities and earthquakes. Previous research has investigated many cases regarding the coseismal water level responses and proposed a method to calculate the aquifer parameters by tidal analysis. However, to date, measurement of the degree of rock damage in the field has not been reported. Quantifying the fracture characteristics is essential for accurate evaluation of rock stability. This study has analyzed the relationship between the seismograms and hydroseismograms in response to the Mw 7.8 Solomon Islands earthquake and the Mw 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake, both events occurring in 2016. The calculated and measured changes in water level in the X10 well were fitted in order to study the relationships among the volumetric strain, the deviatoric strain, and the oscillations in the pore pressure. Then, we further estimate the degree of rock damage and the hydraulic characteristics of the aquifer. The results showed that the values for the rock damage parameter, 0.662 < αD < 0.754, and the Skempton coefficient, −0.100 < A < 0.026, estimated for the Solomon Islands earthquake signified higher damage and dilatancy in the X10 well. Also, the respective values for the parameters, 0.293 < αD < 0.363 and 0.226 < A < 0.251, calculated for the Kaikōura earthquake signified a lower degree of rock damage. It is concluded that the changes in the pore pressure were influenced by both the volumetric strain and the deviatoric strain. The degree of rock damage and the hydraulic properties of the aquifer estimated from the water level fluctuations in the wells which were induced by the seismic waves represent the actual aquifer characteristics.