Experimental Investigation on the Energy Properties and Failure Process of Thermal Shock Treated Sandstone Subjected to Coupled Dynamic and Static Loads

Thermal shock (TS) is known as the process where fractures are generated when rocks go through sudden temperature changes. In the field of deep rock engineering, the rock mass can be subjected to the TS process in various circumstances. To study the influence of TS on the mechanical behaviors of rock, sandstone specimens are heated at different high temperatures and three cooling methods (stove cooling, air cooling, and freezer cooling) are adopted to provide different cooling rates. The coupled dynamic and static loading tests are performed on the heated sandstone through a modified split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) system. The influence of heating level and cooling rate on the dynamic compressive strength, energy dissipations, and fracturing characteristics is investigated based on the experimental data. The development of the microcracks of the sandstone specimens after the experiment is analyzed utilizing a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The extent of the development of the microcracks serves to explain the variation pattern of the mechanical responses and energy dissipations of the specimens obtained from the loading test. The findings of this study are valuable for practices in rock engineering involving high temperature and fast cooling.

Physical Simulation Test on Surrounding Rock Deformation of Roof Rockburst in Continuous Tunneling Roadway

To study the occurrence process, as well as the temporal and spatial evolution laws, of rockburst disasters, the roof deformation of continuous heading roadways during rockburst was studied through a physical similarity simulation test with a high similarity ratio and low strength. The deformation and failure evolution law of the roadway roof in the process of rockburst were analyzed by using detection systems, including a strain acquisition system and a high-power digital micro-imaging system. The results show that the rockburst of the roadway roof can be divided into four stages: equilibrium, debris ejection, stable failure, and complete failure stage. According to the stress state of a I–II composite crack, the theoretical buckling failure strength of the surrounding rock is determined as 1.43 times the tensile strength. The flexural failure strength of a vanadium-bearing shale is 1.29–1.76 times its compressive strength. With continuous advancement in the mining time, the internal expansion energy of the roadway roof-surrounding rock in the equilibrium stage continuously accumulates. The fracture network continuously increases, developing to the stable failure stage, with bending deformation, accompanied by continuous particle ejection until the cumulative stress in the failure stage increases, and the tensile state of the rock surrounding the roof expands radially into deep rock. A microscopic damage study in similar material demonstrated that the deformation of the roadway roof is non-uniform and uncoordinated. In the four stages, the storage deformation of the rock surrounding the roadway roof changes from small accumulation to continuous deformation, to the left (or deep rock). Finally, the roadway roof-surrounding rock becomes completely tensioned. The research results presented in this study provide a reference for the prediction and control of rockburst in practical engineering.

Experimental Study on the Effects of In Situ Stress on the Initiation and Propagation of Cracks during Hard Rock Blasting

In situ stress is one of the most important factors affecting rock dynamic fractures during blasting excavation of deep rock mass that generally is hard rock. In this research, crater blasting experiments on hard rock under different uniaxial static stresses were conducted to investigate the initiation and propagation process of crack networks that were induced by coupled dynamic and static loads. Furthermore, the effects of anisotropic static stress fields on the initiation and propagation of crack networks during hard rock blasting, and the crack network morphological characteristics were analyzed and elucidated. The experimental results showed that the static stress field changed the process of crack network initiation and propagation during hard rock blasting, and then control the crack network morphology. Under uniaxial static stress, the crack network was elliptical with the long axis parallel to the static stress. In addition, the larger the anisotropic static stress is, the more obvious the elliptical morphology of the crack network. Moreover, the static stress lead to the delay of crack formation which indicates that the delay time during millisecond blasting excavation of deep rock mass should be adjusted appropriately according to the in situ stress. A stress-strength ratio (SSR) of 0.15 is the threshold value where static stress may have a significant effect on the initiation and propagation of a crack network. Meanwhile, the strain field prior to crack initiation during rock blasting controlled the morphological characteristics of the crack network. Finally, the mechanism of static stress affecting propagation and morphology of crack network was revealed theoretically.

Research on the escape mechanism and influencing factors of harmful gas induced by blasting excavation in deep rock tunnel

The escape of toxic and harmful gases is a common disaster effect in tunnel engineering. Frequent drilling and blasting excavation disturbances under high in-situ stress environment will inevitably lead to cumulative damage effect on surrounding rock, which will increase the permeability coefficient of surrounding rock, increase the risk of toxic and harmful gas escape, and seriously endanger construction safety. In this paper, based on real-time monitoring data of harmful gases during blasting and excavation of Yuelongmen Tunnel on Chengdu-Lanzhou Railway, this study summarized laws and distribution characteristics of harmful gas escape intensified by the blasting excavation, and the effectiveness of shotcreting and grouting for water blocking to inhibit gas escape is verified. Then, taking water-containing and gas-containing voids as carriers, considering the influence of different in-situ stress, explosion load and void parameters (including void pressure, void diameter and distance between void and tunnel), to carry out research on the escape mechanism of water-soluble (H 2 S) and insoluble (CH 4 ) toxic and harmful gases under the coupling effect of stress-seepage-damage. The relationship between the amount of harmful gas escaped and the damage degree of the surrounding rock of the tunnel is analyzed, and the functional relationship between it and the in-situ stress, explosion load and cave parameters is established. The results further demonstrate that the amount of escaped harmful gases, such as methane and H 2 S is closely related to lithology of surrounding rock, occurrence conditions of the deep rock mass, development degree of structural fractures and void parameters. The damage of surrounding rock caused by dynamic disturbance during blasting excavation is the main reason of aggravating harmful gas escape. The research results can provide a theoretical reference for preventing harmful gas from escaping in the similar engineering construction.

Research on Deformation and Failure Evolution of Deep Rock Burst Drivage Roadway Surrounding Rock under Dynamic Disturbance

In order to explore the deformation and failure evolution characteristics of the surrounding rock during the connection process of the deep rock burst drivage roadway under the dynamic load disturbance, and based on this, the catastrophe mechanism of the roadway is analyzed, taking the rock burst accident of Longyun Coal Industry in Shandong Province on October 20, 2018, as the engineering background. FLAC3D was used to study the distribution evolution law of displacement, plastic zone, and stress field in the whole process of “Roadway Drivage-Deformation and Failure-Instability and Disaster” in the surrounding rock of deep roadway. The research results show that under the conditions of high stress and dynamic load disturbance, the surrounding rock deformation and failure are significant during the connection of the thick-top-coal roadway in deep, the roof is the most, the two ribs are the second, and the roadway top-coal is in an “inverted trapezoid” sag pattern. When the length of the bolts is limited or the anchoring force of the cables is not enough to effectively restrain the roof, the impact of dynamic disturbance on the plastic damage of the roof is greater than that of the two ribs and the floor, and the plastic damage of the coal seam roof affecting the surrounding rock deformation of the roadway drivage played a leading role.