Mechanical Properties of Rock–Coal–Rock Composites at Different Inclined Coal Seam Thicknesses

A comprehensive understanding of the mechanical properties of coal and rock sections is necessary for interpreting the deformation and failure modes of such underground sections and for evaluating the potential dynamic hazards. However, most studies have focused on horizontal coal–rock composites and the mechanical properties of inclined coal–rock composites have not been considered. To explore the influence of different confining pressures and inclined coal seam thicknesses on the mechanical properties and failure characteristics of rock–coal–rock (RCR) composites, a numerical model based on the particle flow code was used to perform simulations on five inclined RCR composites at different confining pressures. The results show that the mechanical properties and failure characteristics of the RCR composites are affected considerably by the inclined coal seam thickness and the confining pressure. (1) When the inclined coal seam thickness is constant, the elasticity modulus of the inclined RCR composite increases nonlinearly with the confining pressure at first, and then remains constant. At the same confining pressure, the elasticity modulus of the inclined RCR composite decreases nonlinearly with the inclined coal seam thickness. (2) When the confining pressure is constant, the peak stress of the inclined RCR composite decreases with the increase of the inclined coal seam thickness. When the inclined coal seam thickness is constant, the peak stress increases with the confining pressure. (3) As the inclined coal seam thickness increases, the peak strain of the inclined RCR composite first decreases rapidly, and then remains constant when there is no confining pressure. When the confining pressure is between 5 and 20 MPa, the peak strain of the inclined RCR composite gradually increases. (4) In the absence of confining pressure, there are few microcracks in the rock at an inclined coal seam thickness of 10 mm, whereas all the other cracks are in the coal section. When the confining pressure ranges between 5 and 20 MPa, the failure modes of the RCR composite can be divided into Y- and X-types.

Laboratory Measurements of Zeta Potential in Fractured Lewisian Gneiss: Implications for the Characterization of Flow in Fractured Crystalline Bedrock

Despite the broad range of interest and possible applications, the controls on the electric surface charge and the zeta potential of gneiss at conditions relevant to naturally fractured systems remain unreported. There are no published zeta potential measurements conducted in such systems at equilibrium, hence, the effects of composition, concentration and pressure remain unknown. This study reports zeta potential values for the first time measured in a fractured Lewisian gneiss sample saturated with NaCl solutions of various concentrations, artificial seawater and artificial groundwater solutions under equilibrium conditions at confining pressures of 4 MPa and 7 MPa. The constituent minerals of the sample were identified using X-ray diffraction and linked to the concentration and composition dependence of the zeta potential. The results reported in this study demonstrate that the zeta potential remained negative for all tested solutions and concentrations. However, the values of the zeta potential of our Lewisian gneiss sample were found to be unique and dissimilar to pure minerals such as quartz, calcite, mica or feldspar. Moreover, the measured zeta potentials were smaller in magnitude in the experiments with artificial complex solutions compared with those measured with NaCl, thus suggesting that divalent ions (Ca2+, Mg2+ and SO42−) acted as potential determining ions. The zeta potential was also found to be independent of salinity in the NaCl experiments, which is unusual for most reported data. We also investigated the impact of fracture aperture on the electrokinetic response and found that surface electrical conductivity remained negligibly small across the range of the tested confining pressures. Our novel results are an essential first step for interpreting field self-potential (SP) signals and facilitate a way forward for characterization of water flow through fractured basement aquifers.

Direct observation of particle kinematics in biaxial shearing test

Biaxial shearing tests on dual-sized, 2d particle assemblies are conducted at several confining pressures. The effect of particle angularity, an important mesoscale shape descriptor, is investigated at the macro and micro levels. Macroscopically, it is observed that assemblies composed of angular particles exhibit higher strengths and dilations. The difference observed in bulk behavior due to particle angularity can be explained reasonably by considering particle-level mechanisms. A novel 2D image analysis technique is employed to estimate particle kinematics. Particle rotation results to be a key mechanism strongly influenced by particle shape determining the overall granular behavior. Unlike circular particles, angular ones are more resistant to rotations due to stronger interlocking and consequently exhibit higher strengths.

Experimental Study on the Anisotropy of Layered Rock Mass under Triaxial Conditions

Weak and hard inhomogeneous rock formations are typically encountered during tunnel excavations. The physical and mechanical properties and geological conditions of these rock formations vary significantly; thus, it is crucial to investigate the mechanical characteristics of deep bedded composite rock formations. Three-dimensional (3D) scanning and 3D printing were used to prepare composite rock specimens to simulate natural rock laminae. Triaxial compression tests were conducted to determine the influence of the bedding angle, rock composition, and confining pressure on the mechanical properties of the composite rock specimens. The anisotropic strength characteristics and the damage patterns of the composite rock specimens were analyzed under different confining pressures, and the failure mechanism during triaxial loading was revealed. The results show that the damage of the composite rock specimens with a bedding structure depends on the bedding dip angle and the rock formation. The stress-strain curves and peak strengths of the composite rock specimens have anisotropic characteristics corresponding to their failure modes. As the bedding dip angle increases, the peak strength of the three groups of specimens first decreases and then increases under different confining pressure levels. The compressive strength has a nonlinear relationship with the confining pressure, and the difference between the compressive strengths of specimens with different inclination angles decreases as the confining pressure increases. The Hoek–Brown strength criterion is a good predictor of the nonlinear increase in peak strength of the composite rock specimens under different confining pressures. The specimen with a β = 60°dip angle shows the most significant increase in the strength difference with increasing confining pressure. The results can be used as a reference for testing and analyzing the anisotropic mechanical properties of bedded rock masses.

Particle Flow Analysis of Mechanical Properties and Failure Behaviour in Composite Rock Strata with Holes

Understanding the deformation failure behavior of the composite rock strata has important implications for deep underground engineering construction. Based on the uniaxial compression laboratory test of the specimens of composite rock strata containing holes, the microscopic parameters in the particle discrete element simulation are firstly calibrated. Then, the mechanical properties and failure characteristics of the composite rock strata with holes under different confining pressures are studied. The results show that different dip angles and confining pressures have significant effects on the peak strength and elastic modulus of the specimens. Under the same confining pressure, the peak strength and elastic modulus decrease first and then increase with the increasing dip angle. As the dip angle is constant, both the peak strength and elastic modulus gradually increase with the increase in confining pressure. It shows that the first area to be damaged in composite rock strata transfers from soft rock to hard rock with the increase in dip angle. With the increase in confining pressure, the range of tensile stress concentration area decreases substantially, while the range of compressive stress concentration area changes less.

Experimental Study on Coupling Influence of Temperature and Confining Pressure to Deformation and Strength Characteristics of Rock-like Material with Pre-Existing Crack

In this paper, destructive compression tests under the coupled influence of temperatures (20–60 °C) and confining pressures (0–7 MPa) were carried out on rock-like material with pre-existing crack to explore the deformation and strength characteristics. The stress–strain curves of rock-like material under the coupled influence of temperatures and confining pressures were obtained. Meanwhile, the correlations of peak stress, peak strain, and average Young’s modulus with temperatures and confining pressures were obtained. The results of the experiments indicate that, firstly, the compressive strength decreased and the deformation increased due to the influence of pre-existing cracks; the combined effect of initial cracks, temperature, and confining pressure gave rise to a more complicated mechanism of soft rock deformation. Secondly, the deformation of rock-like material was affected by initial cracks, confining pressures, and temperatures, but the influence of temperature was lower than that of confining pressure and initial crack. The failure mode of rock-like material was brittle at the confining pressure of 0 and 1 MPa and plastic at the confining pressure of 5 and 7 MPa. The critical confining pressure value of failure mode for rock-like material was 3 MPa. Thirdly, the peak strength and peak strain of rock-like material increased with confining pressure. Temperature had less influence on the rock-like material strength and peak strain than confining pressure. Lastly, Young’s modulus decreased with temperature and confining pressure.