• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.167-181
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• 2024

The soil-structure relative stiffness is a key factor affecting the seismic response of underground structures. It is of great significance to study the soil-structure relative stiffness for the soil-structure interaction and the seismic disaster reduction of subway stations. In this paper, the dynamic shear modulus ratio and damping ratio of an inhomogeneous soft soil site under different buried depths which were obtained by a one-dimensional equivalent linearization site response analysis were used as the input parameters in a 2D finite element model. A visco-elasto-plastic constitutive model based on the Mohr-Coulomb shear failure criterion combined with stiffness degradation was used to describe the plastic behavior of soil. The damage plasticity model was used to simulate the plastic behavior of concrete. The horizontal and vertical relative stiffness ratios of soil and structure were defined to study the influence of relative stiffness on the seismic response of subway stations in inhomogeneous soft soil. It is found that the compression damage to the middle columns of a subway station with a higher relative stiffness ratio is more serious while the tensile damage is slighter under the same earthquake motion. The relative stiffness has a significant influence on ground surface deformation, ground acceleration, and station structure deformation. However, the effect of the relative stiffness on the deformation of the bottom slab of the subway station is small. The research results can provide a reference for seismic fortification of subway stations in the soft soil area.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.125-137
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• 2024

In paste backfill mining, cemented coal gangue-fly ash backfill (CGFB) can effectively utilize coal-based solid waste, such as gangue, to control surface subsidence. However, given the pressurized water accumulation environment in goafs, CGFB is subject to coupling effects from water pressure and chloride ions. Therefore, studying the influence of pressurized water on the chlorine salt erosion of CGFB to ensure green mining safety is important. In this study, CGFB samples were soaked in a chloride salt solution at different pressures (0, 0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 MPa) to investigate the chloride ion transport characteristics, hydration products, micromorphology, pore characteristics, and mechanical properties of CGFB. Water pressure was found to promote chloride ion transfer to the CGFB interior and the material hydration reaction; enhance the internal CGFB pore structure, penetration depth, and chloride ion content; and fill the pores between the material to reduce its porosity. Furthermore, the CGFB peak uniaxial compression strain gradually decreased with increasing soaking pressure, whereas the uniaxial compressive strength first increased and then decreased. The resulting effects on the stability of the CGFB solid-phase hydration products can change the overall CGFB mechanical properties. These findings are significant for further improving the adaptability of CGFB for coal mine engineering.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1113-1124
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• 2018

Geological dynamic hazards during deep coal mining are caused by the failure of a composite system consisting of the rock and coal layers, whereas the joint in coal affects the stability of the composite system. In this paper, the compression test simulations for the rock-coal combined body with single joint in coal were conducted using $PFC^{2D}$ software and especially the effects of joint length and joint angle on strength and failure characteristics in a rock-coal combined body were analyzed. The joint length and joint angle exhibit a deterioration effect on the strength and affect the failure modes. The deterioration effect of joint length of L on the strength can be neglected with a tiny variation at ${\alpha}$ of $0^{\circ}$ or $90^{\circ}$ between the loading direction and joint direction. While, the deterioration effect of L on strength are relatively large at ${\alpha}$ between $30^{\circ}$ and $60^{\circ}$. And the peak stress and peak strain decrease with the increase of L. Additionally, the deterioration effect of ${\alpha}$ on the strength becomes larger with the increase of L. With the increase of ${\alpha}$, the peak stress and peak strain first decrease and then increase, presenting "V-shaped" curves. And the peak stress and peak strain at ${\alpha}$ of $45^{\circ}$ are the smallest. Moreover, the failure mainly occurs within the coal and no apparent failure is observed for rock. At ${\alpha}$ between $30^{\circ}$ and $60^{\circ}$, the secondary shear cracks generated in or close to the joint tips, cause the structural instability failure of the combined body. Therefore, their failure models present as a shear failure along partial joint plane direction and partially cutting across the coal body or a shear failure along the joint plane direction. However, at ${\alpha}$ of $60^{\circ}$ and L of 10 mm, the "V-shaped" shear cracks cutting across the coal body cause its final failure. While crack nucleations at ${\alpha}$ of $0^{\circ}$ or $90^{\circ}$ are randomly distributed in the coal, the failure mode shows a V-shaped shear failure cutting across the coal body.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.333-342
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• 2019

Geological dynamic hazards during coal mining can be caused by the failure of a composite system consisting of roof rock and coal layers, subject to different loading rates due to different advancing velocities in the working face. In this paper, the uniaxial compression test simulations on the composite rock-coal layers were performed using $PFC^{2D}$ software and especially the effects of loading rate on the stress-strain behavior, strength characteristics and crack nucleation, propagation and coalescence in a composite layer were analyzed. In addition, considering the composite layer, the mechanisms for the advanced bore decompression in coal to prevent the geological dynamic hazards at a rapid advancing velocity of working face were explored. The uniaxial compressive strength and peak strain are found to increase with the increase of loading rate. After post-peak point, the stress-strain curve shows a steep stepped drop at a low loading rate, while the stress-strain curve exhibits a slowly progressive decrease at a high loading rate. The cracking mainly occurs within coal, and no apparent cracking is observed for rock. While at a high loading rate, the rock near the bedding plane is damaged by rapid crack propagation in coal. The cracking pattern is not a single shear zone, but exhibits as two simultaneously propagating shear zones in a "X" shape. Following this, the coal breaks into many pieces and the fragment size and number increase with loading rate. Whereas a low loading rate promotes the development of tensile crack, the failure pattern shows a V-shaped hybrid shear and tensile failure. The shear failure becomes dominant with an increasing loading rate. Meanwhile, with the increase of loading rate, the width of the main shear failure zone increases. Moreover, the advanced bore decompression changes the physical property and energy accumulation conditions of the composite layer, which increases the strain energy dissipation, and the occurrence possibility of geological dynamic hazards is reduced at a rapid advancing velocity of working face.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.215-226
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• 2021

To study the evolution mechanism of cracks in rocks with multiple defects, rock-like samples with multiple defects, such as strip-shaped through-going cracks and cavity groups, are used, and the crack propagation law and changes in AE (acoustic emission) and strain of cavity groups under different inclination angles are studied. According to the test results, an increase in the cavity group inclination angle can facilitate the initial damage degree of the rock and weaken the crack initiation stress; the initial crack initiation direction is approximately 90°, and the extension angle is approximately 75~90° from the strip-shaped through-going cracks; thus, the relationship between crack development and cavity group initiation strengthens. The specific performance is as follows: when the initiation angle is 30°, the cracks between the cavities in the cavity group develop relatively independently along the parallel direction of the external load; when the angle is 75°, the cracks between the cavities in the cavity group can interpenetrate, and slip can occur along the inclination of the cavity group under the action of the shear mechanism rupture. With the increase in the inclination angle of the cavity group, the AE energy fluctuation frequency at the peak stress increases, and the stress drop is obvious. The larger the cavity group inclination angle is, the more obvious the energy accumulation and the more severe the rock damage; when the cavity group angle is 30° or 75°, the peak strain of the local area below the strip-shaped through-going fracture plane is approximately three times that when the cavity group angle is 45° and 60°, indicating that cracks are easily generated in the local area monitored by the strain gauge at this angle, and the further development of the cracks weakens the strength of the rock, thereby increasing the probability of major engineering quality damage. The research results will have important reference value for hazard prevention in underground engineering projects through rock with natural and artificial defects, including tunnels and air-raid shelters.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.739-744
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• 2018

This paper presents the results of numerical modeling studies on the effect of displacements of tunneling in granular soils. Presence of building loads is considered, to find displacement generated at the surface on tunnel. Effect of varying eccentricities of building is simulated, to find influence of building on vertical and horizontal displacement. Studies were carried out in two cases of with and without a geosynthetic layer installed at the bottom of the footing. Results of analysis revealed, the presence of geosynthetic layer under footing, with building placed on centre line, reduced the surface displacements compared to displacement generated without geosynthetic layer. Presence of geosynthetic layer under footing had a dominant effect in reducing displacements in high storey structures. However, when the building was shifted to greater eccentricities from centre line, presence of geosynthetic layer, led to insignificant reduction of displacements on the centre line at the surface.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.679-703
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• 2014

This paper investigates nonlinear response of 51 laterally loaded rigid piles in sand. Measured response of each pile test was used to deduce input parameters of modulus of subgrade reaction and the gradient of the linear limiting force profile using elastic-plastic solutions. Normalised load - displacement and/or moment - rotation curves and in some cases bending moment and displacement distributions with depth are provided for all the pile tests, to show the effect of load eccentricity on the nonlinear pile response and pile capacity. The values of modulus of subgrade reaction and the gradient of the linear limiting force profile may be used in the design of laterally loaded rigid piles in sand.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.871-882
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• 2017

Indirect measure of the tensile strength of laboratory samples is an important topic in rock engineering. One of the most important tests, the Brazilian strength test is performed to obtain the tensile strength of rock, concrete and other quasi brittle materials. Because the measurements are provided indirectly and the inspected rock materials may have heterogeneous properties, uncertainty quantification is required for a reliable test evaluation. In addition to the conventional measurement evaluation uncertainty methods recommended by the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM), such as Taylor's and Monte Carlo Methods, a fuzzy set-based approach is also proposed and resulting uncertainties are discussed. The results showed that when a tensile strength measurement is measured by a laboratory test, its uncertainty can also be expressed by one of the methods presented.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.421-432
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• 2020

Cutting of rocks is very common encountered in tunneling and mining during underground excavations. A deep understanding of rock-tool interaction can promote industrial applications significantly. In this paper, a distinct element method based approach, PFC^3D, is adopted to simulate the rock cutting under different operation conditions (cutting velocity, depth of cut and rake angle) and with various tool geometries (tip angle, tip wear and tip shape). Simulation results showed that the cutting force and accumulated number of cracks increase with increasing cutting velocity, cut depth, tip angle and pick abrasion. The number of cracks and cutting force decrease with increasing negative rake angle and increase with increasing positive rake angle. The numerical approach can offer a better insight into the rock-tool interaction during the rock cutting process. The proposed numerical method can be used to assess the rock cuttability, to estimate the cutting performance, and to design the cutter head.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.259-268
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• 2020

The synthetic rock mass (SRM) were used to investigate the influence of specimen size on the mechanical properties of jointed rock mass. The SRM were established based on parallel bond model (PBM) and smooth joint model (SJM) and the scaled rock specimens were sampled in two SRMs considering three sampling locations. The research results show that the smaller the initial fracture density is, the greater the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), elastic modulus (E) is when compared with the same sampling location. The mechanical properties of rock specimens obtained by different sampling methods in different SRMs have different scale effects. The strength of rock specimens with more new cracks is not necessarily less than that of rock specimens with fewer new cracks and the failure of rock is caused by the formation of macro-fracture surface.