Regularities in formation of stressed state in roof rocks of mined-out space during development stage

Formation of the stress-and-strain state of the rock mass in the roof of mined coal seam depends on the development of the mined-out space. It is believed that the coal seam is located deep enough and it can be assumed that the effect of the daylight surface on its condition can be neglected. In this case, the solution is based on the analytical approach using methods of the complex variable theory and it is reduced to the construction of a single permission analytical function. The paper reviews the evolution of the deformation processes in development of the mined-out space in presence of a hard-to-collapse elastic roof, which is capable of sinking smoothly over time, without sudden caving on the landings on the floor. A particular attention is paid to the phase when the roof and the floor touch each other, i.e. the roof caving, starting from the first touching and up to its complete caving. In this case, two sections of the hanging roof are formed, that are gradually reducing in length as the dimensions of the mined-out space increase. The area of roof caving is progressively increasing, and the vertical compressive stresses at the boundary are gradually rising, tending to reach the initial vertical pressure at the depth of the formation before the start of its mining. Tension zones relative to the horizontal and vertical stresses are identified, that are attributed to the areas of roof hang-up, which may determine the location of zones with higher methane and formation water permeability, both in the rocks between the seams and in the coal seam.

Stress Intensity Factors for a Non-Circular Hole with Inclusion Layer Embedded in a Cracked Matrix

The failure analysis of a non-circular hole with an inclusion layer embedded in an infinite cracked matrix under a remote in-plane uniform load is presented. In this study, a series solution of stress functions for both the matrix and inclusion layer is obtained using the complex variable theory in conjunction with the method of conformal mapping. The stress intensity factor (SIF) can then be determined numerically by solving the singular integral equation (SIE) for the interaction among different crack sites, material properties, and geometries of irregular holes with an inclusion layer. In particular, the failure behavior of composite structures associated with an approximately triangular hole and an approximately square hole with inclusion layers, such as those of oxides, nitrides, and sulfides, is examined in detail. The results demonstrate that a softer layer would enhance the SIF and a stiffer layer would restrain the SIF when a crack is near the inclusion layer. It can be concluded that crack propagation would be suppressed by a stiffer layer even when a micro-defect such as a hole resides in the inclusion layer.

Stress intensity factors for cusp-type crack problem under mechanical and thermal loading

The general solutions of the stress intensity factors (SIFs) for a cusp-type crack problem under remote uniform mechanical and thermal loads are presented in this work. According to the complex variable theory and the method of conformal mapping, a symmetric airfoil crack is mapped onto a unit circle, and both the temperature and stress potentials are used to solve the relevant boundary-value problems. By introducing the auxiliary function and applying the analytical continuation theorem, the SIFs at the cusp-type crack tip can be analytically determined. The obtained SIF results are dependent on the geometric configurations of the cusp-type crack components and the magnitudes of the mechanical and thermal loads. For some combinations of combined loads, the SIF is maximized, and the system has a high risk of damage.

Modern interpretation of Saint-Venant’s principle and semi-inverse method

Relevance. The progressive development of views on the Saint-Venant formulated principles and methods underlying the deformable body mechanics, the growth of the mathematical analysis branch, which is used for calculation and accumulation of rules of thumb obtained by the mathematical results interpretation, lead to the fact that the existing principles are being replaced with new, more general ones, their number is decreasing, and this field is brought into an increasingly closer relationship with other branches of science and technology. Most differential equations of mechanics have solutions where there are gaps, quick transitions, inhomogeneities or other irregularities arising out of an approximate description. On the other hand, it is necessary to construct equation solutions with preservation of the order of the differential equation in conjunction with satisfying all the boundary conditions. Thus, the following aims of the work were determined: 1) to complete the familiar Saint-Venants principle for the case of displacements specified on a small area; 2) to generalize the semi-inverse Saint-Venants method by finding the complement to the classical local rapidly decaying solutions; 3) to construct on the basis of the semi-inverse method a modernized method, which completes the solutions obtained by the classical semi-inverse method by rapidly varying decaying solutions, and to rationalize asymptotic convergence of the solutions and clarify the classical theory for a better understanding of the classic theory itself. To achieve these goals, we used such methods , as: 1) strict mathematical separation of decaying and non-decaying components of the solution out of the plane elasticity equations by the methods of complex variable theory function; 2) construction of the asymptotic solution without any hypotheses and satisfaction of all boundary conditions; 3) evaluation of convergence. Results. A generalized formulation of the Saint-Venants principle is proposed for the displacements specified on a small area of a body. A method of constructing asymptotic analytical solutions of the elasticity theory equations is found, which allows to satisfy all boundary conditions.

RESEARCH OF STATIONARY PLANE FIELDS BY MEANS OF COMPLEX POTENTIAL

Some of the most frequently encountered and generic types of plane vector fields with singular points at the origin of the coordinate system have been studied using complex variable theory methods combined with complex potential methods and field theory methods. The basic concepts of field theory and vector analysis, which are used to study vector fields and the main numerical characteristics of these fields, have been considered. The study of the most frequently encountered vector fields with singular points of four types, namely the generator, the vortical point, the eddy source, the dipole, have been conducted. The application of the complex potential for finding the main characteristics of the vector fields of the considered types, namely their divergence and rotor, has been shown. Equipotential lines and streamlines of the considered vector fields have been obtained and graphically constructed using the method of complex potential. Studied using the vector analysis methods and the methods of the theory of complex variable functions (complex potential) characteristics of vector fields can be used for mathematical modeling of various problems, arising during the study of layers, namely soil and water reservoir filtration problems, as well as in studying the flow of fluid or gas in layers problems. The developed and considered mathematical models of flat vector fields and the found numerical characteristics of these fields can be used to solve other problems of the oil and gas complex, which require studies of the flow of liquids or gases in gas- or oil-bearing beds.