Influence of Freeze-Thaw on the Stability of Road Cut Slopes near Atal Tunnel in Indian Himalayan Region

The rock slopes in the Indian Himalayan region are exposed to recurrent freeze-thaw. Freeze-thaw plays a dominant role in the instability of rock slopes in cold regions. Extensive field investigations have been carried on the two rock slopes of the Solang valley roadway in Himachal Pradesh. Freeze-thaw testing has been carried out in the laboratory on the rock samples collected from the studied slopes. The test has been repeated for 30 freeze-thaw cycles. The laboratory tests have been conducted to determine the mechanical properties of rock with and without freeze-thaw conditioning. The micro-photographs from scanning electron microscope have been obtained to identify the microscopic damages due to freeze-thaw activity. The macroscopic damages have been recognized in tensile, compressive and triaxial compressive strength of rock. Further, a three-dimensional numerical analysis has been performed to evaluate the stability and corroborate the results with the field observations. FT conditioning results reveal a reduction of about 27–39 % in rock strength and subsequently a decrease in the factor of safety by 10–39 % for rock slopes.

Experimental Research on Mechanical Properties and Microstructure Characteristics of Silty Clay Subgrade Filler With Red Pisha Sandstone and Carbide Slag in Seasonal Frozen Regions

As the foundation structure of highway engineering, the quality of the subgrade determines the service life of highway engineering. Under this condition, the filling soils are frequently improved for raising the stability of the subgrade. Proper utilization of lower-cost waste materials will reduce demand for natural materials and the cost of construction. In this study, the red Pisha sandstone (RPS) and carbide slag (CS) as green and sustainable materials to reinforce the silty clay. The improvement effect was evaluated through freeze-thaw cycles test, triaxial compression strength test, particle-size distribution test, X-ray diffraction test, and scanning electron microscopy test. The results indicated that the addition of 15wt.% RPS and 15wt.% CS increased about 136% of the triaxial compressive strength of silty clay. With the increase of freeze-thaw cycles, the strength loss ratio and the deformation change slightly. It also has the excellent function of freezing and thawing resistance and shear strength. The key factors for the superior mechanical performance of RPS-CS stabilized silty clay are that more sand-size particles are beneficial to the hydration reactions of RPS and CS during the entire curing time, adequate flocculation and agglomeration of soil particles occurred. Many small-sized rounded and plate-like CSH gels filled most of the soils pores and isolated pores fractures became fewer in the samples, which produced a denser and less permeable material. The outcomes of this research will contribute to the utilization of red Pisha sandstone and carbide slag as a sustainable stabilizer in highway subgrade applications in seasonal frozen regions.

Determination of Mechanical Properties of Altered Dacite by Laboratory Methods

This paper presents a methodology for determining the uniaxial and triaxial compressive strength of heterogeneous material composed of dacite (D) and altered dacite (AD). A zone of gradual transition from altered dacite to dacite was observed in the rock mass. The mechanical properties of the rock material in that zone were determined by laboratory tests of composite samples that consisted of rock material discs. However, the functional dependence on the strength parameter alteration of the rock material (UCS, intact UCS of the rock material, and mi) with an increase in the participation of “weaker” rock material was determined based on the test results of uniaxial and triaxial compressive strength. The participation of altered dacite directly affects the mode and mechanism of failure during testing. Uniaxial compressive strength (σciUCS) and intact uniaxial compressive strength (σciTX) decrease exponentially with increased AD volumetric participation. The critical ratio at which the uniaxial compressive strength of the composite sample equals the strength of the uniform AD sample was at a percentage of 30% AD. Comparison of the obtained exponential equation with practical suggestions shows a good correspondence. The suggested methodology for determining heterogeneous rock mass strength parameters allows us to determine the influence of rock material heterogeneity on the values σciUCS, σciTX, and constant mi. Obtained σciTX and constant mi dependences define more reliable rock material strength parameter values, which can be used, along with rock mass classification systems, as a basis for assessing rock mass parameters. Therefore, it is possible to predict the strength parameters of the heterogeneous rock mass at the transition of hard (D) and weak rock (AD) based on all calculated strength parameters for different participation of AD.

Intelligent Prediction Model of the Triaxial Compressive Strength of Rock Subjected to Freeze-Thaw Cycles Based on a Genetic Algorithm and Artificial Neural Network

Rock compressive strength is an important mechanical parameter for the design, excavation, and stability analysis of rock mass engineering in cold regions. Accurate and rapid prediction of rock compressive strength has great engineering value in guiding the efficient construction of rock mass engineering in a cold regions. In this study, the prediction of triaxial compressive strength (TCS) for sandstone subjected to freeze-thaw cycles was proposed using a genetic algorithm (GA) and an artificial neural network (ANN). For this purpose, a database including four model inputs, namely, the longitudinal wave velocity, porosity, confining pressure, and number of freeze-thaw cycles, and one output, the TCS of the rock, was established. The structure, initial connection weights, and biases of the ANN were optimized progressively based on GA. After obtaining the optimal GA-ANN model, the performance of the GA-ANN model was compared with that of a simple ANN model. The results revealed that the proposed hybrid GA-ANN model had a higher accuracy in predicting the testing datasets than the simple ANN model: the root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and R squared ( R 2 ) were equal to 1.083, 0.893, and 0.993, respectively, for the hybrid GA-ANN model, while the corresponding values were 2.676, 2.153, and 0.952 for the simple ANN model.

Effects of Long-Term Freeze–Thaw Cycles on the Properties of Stabilized/Solidified Lead-Zinc-Cadmium Composite-Contaminated Soil

Lead, zinc, and cadmium were used to prepare a composite-contaminated soil to replicate common situations, in which soil is usually simultaneously contaminated by multiple metals. To examine the long-term durability of stabilized/solidified (S/S) contaminated soil, specimens were subjected to a series of freeze–thaw (F-T) cycles, up to ninety times (one day per cycle), prior to testing. Triaxial compression tests, soil column leaching tests, and X-ray diffraction analysis were then employed to study the mechanical properties, environmental influences, and micro-mechanisms of the S/S lead-zinc-cadmium composite-contaminated soils after long-term F-T. The results showed that triaxial compressive strength increases within three F-T cycles, then decreases before slightly increasing or stabilizing after thirty F-T cycles. The stage of decreased cohesion thus occurs between three and fourteen F-T cycles, with variation in other factors similar to that of the triaxial compressive strength. The cohesion mainly increases between three and seven cycles. The soil column leaching test showed that the permeability of soil is more than four times higher than that of soil not subject to freeze–thaw cycles after ninety F-T cycles. XRD tests further revealed that the chemical composition of S/S contaminated soil and the occurrence of each heavy metal (HM) remained unchanged under F-T treatment.

Experimental Study on Triaxial Unloading Failure of Deep Composite Coal-Rock

With the deep mining of coal, the phenomenon of high ground stress is more likely to cause dynamic disaster. In view of the above problems, this paper takes the unloading process of coal mining as the background to study the effects of mining rates under different conditions on the mechanical properties and triaxial failure criterion of composite coal-rock, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of dynamic disasters in coal mines. The composite coal-rock models with a composite ratio of 1 : 1 : 1 were tested under different unloading rates or confining pressures. The results show that the triaxial unloading process of coal-rock can be divided into five stages: compaction, single elasticity, elastic-plastic unloading, partial fracture, and complete fracture. In this paper, the failure criterion of composite coal-rock triaxial unloading is derived. The unloading rate has an exponential relationship with the triaxial compressive strength, and the relationship between initial confining pressure and compressive strength is linear. The triaxial compressive strength is determined by both. The peak strains ε of all samples under different unloading conditions were around 0.01. And initial confining pressure had an influence on the strain variation trend during the unloading of composite coal-rock. The higher the initial confining pressure, the greater the elastic modulus. In addition, an increase of initial confining pressure led to the increase of the total energy converted into dissipated part in the process of fracture and caused the obvious increase of the rebound characteristics of the curve. However, the unloading rate had no influence on the strain trend.

Experimental Study on the Strength and Deformation Characteristics of Concrete under True Triaxial Compression after Sulfate Attack

To explore the mechanical properties of concrete under true triaxial static compressive load after sulfate attack, uniaxial static compression test and true triaxial static compression test at four stress ratios were carried out on concrete specimens immersed in 15% sulfate solution for 0–120 days by the integrated true triaxial static and dynamic load testing system, and the variation of performance indicators such as the strength and deformation of concrete under the coupling action of sulfate attack and complex stress state was analyzed. The results show that the uniaxial compressive strength of concrete increases at the beginning and then decreases with the increase of sulfate attack time and reaches the peak on the 30th day, with an increase rate of 16.57%; the strength of concrete under triaxial compression increases significantly, and the maximum triaxial compressive strength is 3.18 times of uniaxial compressive strength under the combination of 0-day sulfate attack and 0.2 : 0.8 stress ratio; and the deterioration of concrete under sulfate attack is more prominent at high confining pressure, and as the sulfate attack worsens, the sensitivity of triaxial compressive strength of concrete to lateral compressive stress is reduced. In conclusion, triaxial compression can significantly enhance the ductility of concrete by playing a role in restraining the deformation and cracking of concrete after sulfate attack.

Abrasiveness evaluation of complex strata based on PDC special energy consumption

The rock abrasiveness is determined with various methods, which results in no uniform standard formed. In order to predict the PDC bit wear and the abrasiveness of complex strata, the force analysis of the PDC broken rock was carried out, and the bit axial load and torque were obtained, respectively. Then, the calculation model of PDC special energy consumption is deduced. Combining the typical distribution patterns of different strata, the specific energy prediction model of complex strata is established. The wear coefficient of PDC is obtained by the relationship between the triaxial compressive strength of rock and the specific energy of rock breaking, and the grading coefficient and grading standard of abrasiveness of the composite formation are derived, which led to the grading coefficient and grading standard of complex strata abrasiveness. The field test of a well in the north of Songliao Basin verified the rationality and effectiveness of the abrasiveness grading standards and provided the basis for the selection and design of the bit.

VARIATION OF THE INTRINSIC ROCK PROPERTIES ON HOEK-BROWN FAILURE CRITERION PARAMETERS

The Hoek-Brown (H-B) criterion is one of the most commonly used rock failure criteria in recent years. This criterion includes a constant parameter called mi which is a fundamental parameter for estimating rock strength. Due to the importance of the mi parameter in the H-B criterion, it is necessary to conduct comprehensive studies on various aspects of the effect of this parameter on the behavior of rocks. Therefore, in this study, using numerical simulation of the Triaxial Compressive Strength (TCS) tests in PFC-2D code, the effects of microscopic properties of different rocks on the H-B parameter mi have been studied. Based on the results of this study, it was found that the effects of micro-parameters on the H-B parameter mi can be different depending on the type of rock, however this parameter has an inverse relationship to the micro-parameters of bond tensile strength and bond fraction of the rocks. Also, the mi parameter increases with an increase in the micro-parameters of the friction coefficient, the friction angle, the particle contact modulus, and the contact stiffness ratio of rocks.