• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.35-47
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• 2018

This paper investigates the mechanisms of tunnel spalling and massive tunnel failures using fracture mechanics principles. The study starts with examining the fracture propagation due to tensile and shear failure mechanisms. It was found that, fundamentally, in rock masses with high compressive stresses, tensile fracture propagation is often a stable process which leads to a gradual failure. Shear fracture propagation tends to be an unstable process. Several real case observations of spalling failures and massive shear failures in boreholes, tunnels and underground roadways are shown in the paper. A number of numerical models were used to investigate the fracture mechanisms and extents in the roof/wall of a deep tunnel and in an underground coal mine roadway. The modelling was done using a unique fracture mechanics code FRACOD which simulates explicitly the fracture initiation and propagation process. The study has demonstrated that both tensile and shear fracturing may occur in the vicinity of an underground opening. Shallow spalling in the tunnel wall is believed to be caused by tensile fracturing from extensional strain although no tensile stress exists there. Massive large scale failure however is most likely to be caused by shear fracturing under high compressive stresses. The observation that tunnel spalling often starts when the hoop stress reaches $0.4^*UCS$ has been explained in this paper by using the extension strain criterion. At this uniaxial compressive stress level, the lateral extensional strain is equivalent to the critical strain under uniaxial tension. Scale effect on UCS commonly believed by many is unlikely the dominant factor in this phenomenon.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.69 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2019

In this research, the effect of bedding layer on the tensile failure mechanism of rocks has been investigated using PFC2D. For this purpose, firstly calibration of PFC2d was performed using Brazilian tensile strength. Secondly Brazilian test was performed on the bedding layer. Thickness of layers were 5 mm, 10 mm and 20 mm. in each thickness layer, layer angles changes from $0^{\circ}$ to $90^{\circ}$ with increment of $15^{\circ}$. Totally, 21 model were simulated and tested by loading rate of 0.016 mm/s. The results show that when layer angle is less than 15, tensile cracks initiates between the layers and propagate till coalesce with model boundary. Its trace is too high. With increasing the layer angle, less layer mobilizes in failure process. Also, the failure trace is very short. It's to be noted that number of cracks decrease with increasing the layer thickness. Also, Brazilian tensile strength is minimum when bedding layer angle is between $45^{\circ}$ and $75^{\circ}$. The maximum one is related to layer angle of $90^{\circ}$.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.431-446
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• 2017

Rock bridges in rock masses would increase the bearing capacity of Non-persistent discontinuities. In this paper the effect of ratio of rock bridge surface to joint surface, rock bridge shape and normal load on failure behaviour of intermittent rock joint were investigated. A total of 42 various models with dimensions of $15cm{\times}15cm{\times}15cm$ of plaster specimens were fabricated simulating the open joints possessing rock bridge. The introduced rock bridges have various continuities in shear surface. The area of the rock bridge was $45cm^2$ and $90cm^2$ out of the total fixed area of $225cm^2$ respectively. The fabricated specimens were subjected to shear tests under normal loads of 0.5 MPa, 2 MPa and 4 MPa in order to investigate the shear mechanism of rock bridge. The results indicated that the failure pattern and the failure mechanism were affected by two parameters; i.e., the ratio of joint surface to rock bridge surface and normal load. So that increasing in joint area in front of the rock bridge changes the shear failure mode to tensile failure mode. Also the tensile failure change to shear failure by increasing the normal load.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.605-619
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• 2022

The tensile behavior of the Thread-fixed One-side Bolt (TOB) at high temperatures was studied using the Finite Element Modeling (FEM) to explore the structural responses that could not be measured in tests. The accuracy of the FEM was verified using the test results from the failure mode, load-displacement curve as well as yielding load. Three typical failure modes of TOB connected T-stubs were observed, which were the Flange Yielding (FY), the Bolt Failure (BF) and the Coupling Failure mode (CF). The influence of the flange thickness tb and the temperature θ on the tensile behavior of the T-stub were discussed. The initial stiffness and the yielding load decreased with the increase of the temperature. The T-stubs almost lost their resistance when the temperature exceeded 700℃. The failure modes of T-stubs were mainly decided by the flange thickness, which relates to the anchorage of the hole threads and the bending resistance of flange. The failure mode could also be changed by the high temperature. Design equations in EN 1993-1-8 were modified and verified by the FEM results. The results showed that these equations could predict the failure mode and the yielding load at different temperatures with satisfactory accuracy.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.145-154
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• 1995

Concrete has two different failure mechanisms : compressive crushing and tensile cracking. Concrete models should use the two different failure criteria to analyze the inelastic behavior of concrete including multiaxial crushing and tensile cracking. Concrete models used in this study are based on plasticity with multiple failure criteria of compressive crushing and tensile cracking. For tensile cracking behavior, two different plasticity models are investigated. The* ,e are rotating-crack and fixed-crack plasticity models, classified according to idealization of crack 0rientat:ions. The material models simplify inelastic behavior of concrete for plane stress problenls. The material models are used for the finite element anlaysis. Analytical results are compared with several experiments of reinforced concrete member. The advantages and disadva.ntages of rotating-crack and fixed -crack plasticity models are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.61-68
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• 2018

Tensile load tests were conducted on High-Shear Ring Anchors (HRAs) after shear load had been applied to the HRAs, which had been developed to reduce the number of the anchors. Test variables include the embedment length of the rod and the width of the specimens and a total of 12 specimens were tested. Test results show that the HRAs pulled out due to bond failure or steel failure occurred in case that the HRAs were installed to the members with 300mm or greater width and the embedment length of 160mm (the actual embedment of rod is 140mm) or deeper. Except 4 HRAs showing steel failure of rod, the minimum and average of test-to-prediction by ACI 318-14 ratios are 1.18 and 1.79, respectively. The tensile strength of HRAs, after shear load was applied to the HRAs, can be safely evaluated by the minimum among the concrete breakout strength and bond strength with the actual embedment length of the rod.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.565-576
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• 2020

Experimental and discrete element methods were used to investigate the effects of angle of Y shape non-persistent joint on the tensile behaviour of joint's bridge area under brazilian test. concrete samples with diameter of 100 mm and thikness of 40 mm were prepared. Within the specimen, two Y shape non-persistent notches were provided. The large notch lengths were 6 cm, 4 cm and 2 cm. the small notch lengths were 3 cm, 2 cm and 1 cm. The angle of larger notch related to horizontal axis was 0°, 30°, 60°, 90°. Totally, 12 different configuration systems were prepared for Y shape non-persistent joints. Also, 18 models with different Y shape non-persistent notch angle and notch length were prepared in numerical model. The large notch lengths were 6 cm, 4 cm and 2 cm. the small notch lengths were 3 cm, 2 cm and 1 cm. The angle of larger notch related to horizontal axis was 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150. Tensile strength of model materil was 1 MPa. The axial load was applied to the model by rate of 0.02 mm/sec. This testing showed that the failure process was mostly governed by the Y shape non-persistent joint angle and joint length. The tensile strengths of the specimens were related to the fracture pattern and failure mechanism of the discontinuities. It was shown that the tensile behaviour of discontinuities is related to the number of the induced tensile cracks which are increased by increasing the joint length and joint angle. The minimum tensile strength occurs when the angle of larger joint related to horizontal axis was 60°. Also, the maximum compressive strength occurs when the angle of larger joint related to horizontal axis was 90°. The tensile strength was decreased by increasing the notch length. The failure pattern and failure strength are similar in both methods i.e. the experimental testing and the numerical simulation methods.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.60 no.6
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• pp.939-952
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• 2016

A compression to tensile load transforming (CTT) device was developed to determine indirect tensile strength of concrete material. Before CTT test, Particle flow code was used for the determination of the standard dimension of physical samples. Four numerical models with different dimensions were made and were subjected to tensile loading. The geometry of the model with ideal failure pattern was selected for physical sample preparation. A concrete slab with dimensions of $15{\times}19{\times}6cm$ and a hole at its center was prepared and subjected to tensile loading using this special loading device. The ratio of hole diameter to sample width was 0.5. The samples were made from a mixture of water, fine sand and cement with a ratio of 1-0.5-1, respectively. A 30-ton hydraulic jack with a load cell applied compressive loading to CTT with the compressive pressure rate of 0.02 MPa per second. The compressive loading was converted to tensile stress on the sample because of the overall test design. A numerical modeling was also done to analyze the effect of the hole diameter on stress concentrations of the hole side along its horizontal axis to provide a suitable criterion for determining the real tensile strength of concrete. Concurrent with indirect tensile test, the Brazilian test was performed to compare the results from two methods and also to perform numerical calibration. The numerical modeling shows that the models have tensile failure in the sides of the hole along the horizontal axis before any failure under shear loading. Also the stress concentration at the edge of the hole was 1.4 times more than the applied stress registered by the machine. Experimental Results showed that, the indirect tensile strength was clearly lower than the Brazilian test strength.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.788-795
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• 2008

To understand the tensile behaviors of GFRP at low temperature, three types of specimen have been used in this study. Tensile properties and fracture mechanisms for three orthogonal orientations of plain weave glass fabric reinforced epoxy resin laminate were investigated at temperature range of about -30 to $15^{\circ}C$. The tensile properties of axial and edge type specimen decrease slightly with decreasing temperature to $-20^{\circ}C$. However, at $-30^{\circ}C$ the decreases in the tensile properties increased considerably. Below $-20^{\circ}C$, thickness type specimen showed a marked decreases in the tensile properties. It was obvious that the fracture manner of thickness type specimen was adhesive failure at above $-10^{\circ}C$ and a mixed adhesive and cohesive failure at below $-20^{\circ}C$.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2017

This paper focuses on the mesh-size dependency in numerical simulations of reinforced concrete (RC) structures subjected to blast loading. A tensile failure criterion that can minimize the mesh-dependency of simulation results is introduced based on the fracture energy theory. In addition, conventional plasticity based damage models for concrete such as the CSC model and the HJC model, which are widely used for blast analyses of concrete structures, are compared with the orthotropic model that adopts the introduced tensile failure criterion in blast tests to verify the proposed criterion. The numerical predictions of the time-displacement relations at the mid-span of RC beams subjected to blast loading are compared with experimental results. The analytical results show that the numerical error according to the change in the finite element mesh size is substantially reduced and the accuracy of the numerical results is improved by applying a unique failure strain value determined by the proposed criterion.