Papers by Keyword: Failure Process

Abstract: Based on the heterogeneous and porous characteristics of rock materials, a flow-stressdamage (FSD) model, implemented with the Rock Failure Process Analysis code (RFPA2D), is used to investigate the behavior of fluid flow and damage evolution, and their coupling action in rock sample that are subjected to both hydraulic and uniaxial compressive loading. A highly heterogeneous sample, containing grains, grain boundaries and weak zones, is employed in the numerical simulation. The simulation results provide a deep insight in the physical essence of the evolutionary nature of fracture phenomena as well as the fluid flow in heterogeneous materials, especially when they are highly stressed. The simulation result suggests that the nature of fluid flow and strength character in rocks strongly depends upon the heterogeneity of the rocks.

Abstract: By using numerical code RFPA2D (Rock Failure Process Analysis), the evolution of fracture around cavities subjected to uniaxial and polyaxial compression is examined through a series of model simulation. It is shown from the numerical results that the chain of events leading to the collapse of the cavity may involve all or some of the fractures designated as primary tensile, shear and remote fracture. Numerical simulated results reproduce the evolution of three types of fractures. Under the condition of no confining pressure, the tensile mode dominates with collapse coinciding with the sudden and explosive appearance of the secondary tensile fracture; at moderate higher confining pressure, the tensile mode is depressed, comparatively, the shear effect is strengthened. Nevertheless, tensile fractures especially in remote fractures stage still play a role; at higher pressure, the shear fracture dominates the remote fractures. In addition, the evolution and interact of fractures between multiple cavities is investigated, considering the stress redistribution and transference in compressive and tensile stress field.

Abstract: Disastrous rock slope failures have been posing a hazard to people’s lives and causing enormous economic losses worldwide. Numerical simulation of rock slope failure can lead to improve the degree of understand of such phenomenon so as to predict and avoid the occurrence of these disastrous events. In order to simulate the global behaviors of rock slope failure under the high seepage pressure and the local behaviors of the occurrence of hydraulic fracture in the pre-existing rock joints effectively, a powerful finite element tools F-RFPA2D, is adopted. The simulation takes into account of the growth of existing fractures and the initiation of new fractures under various of hydraulic pressure in different heterogeneities medium. The behavior of fluid flow and damage evolution, and their coupling action are studied in small specimens that are subjected to both hydraulic and biaxial compressive loadings. The influence of the ratio (the initial horizontal stress to the initial vertical stress) and the distance between the two existing cracks on the fracture propagation behaviors are investigated. Moreover, based on the fundamental study of hydraulic fracture, the progressive failure of rock slope under the influence of the increase in hydraulic pressure was also studied in the paper.

Abstract: A newly developed numerical code MFPA3D is applied to simulate the progressive damage and failure process of laminated cylindrical composite shell. Heterogeneities in meso-scale are taken into account by randomly distributing the material properties throughout the model by following a Weibull statistical distribution. The cylindrical composite shell is discretized into 3-D block elements with the fixed size and is subjected to a lateral compressive loading, applied with a constant displacement control manner. The numerical simulation results show that not only the process of crack initiation, propagation and coalescence but also the failure process can be numerically obtained in three dimensional. The MFPA3D modeling demonstrates that the code can simulate non-linear behavior of brittle materials with a simple mesoscopic constitutive law with a strength and elastic modulus reduction of the weaken elements.

Abstract: A series of numerical simulations of hydraulic fracturing were performed to study the initiation, propagation and breakdown of fluid driven fractures. The simulations are conducted with a flow-coupled Rock Failure Process Analysis code (RFPA2D). Both heterogeneity and permeability of the rocks are taken into account in the studies. The simulated results reflect macroscopic failure evolution process induced by microscopic fracture subjected to porosity pressure, which are well agreeable to the character of multiple hydraulic fracturing experiments. Based on the modeling results, it is pointed out that fracture is influenced not only by pore pressure magnitude on a local scale around the fracture tip but also by the orientation and the distribution of pore pressure gradients on a global scale. The fracture initiation, the orientation of crack path, the breakdown pressure and the stress field evolution around the fracture tip are influenced considerably by the orientation of the pore pressure. The research provides valuable guidance to the designers of hydraulic fracturing engineering.

Abstract: A major challenge in rock mechanics has been the realistic modeling that can reveal the progressive accumulation of damage and shear localization in a brittle rock under compression. The Rock Failure Process Analysis code (RFPA^2D) is an efficient tool and realistic model to simulate such complexities. A key assumption of the code is that the heterogeneity of elastic moduli and failure strength are characterized by the Weibull distribution with two parameters (m and σ₀ ). However, these two parameters do automatically not relate to the microstructural parameters, such as grain size and microcrack statistics. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to elucidate the micromechanical basis of these Weibull parameters, specifically how they depend on microstructural attributes such as grain size and crack statistics. Secondly, a methodology was developed to quantitatively determine the relevant micromechanical parameters for input into the RFPA^2D code. Finally, the methodology was implemented by quantifying the microcrack geometry and statistics of real rock and simulating its uniaxial compression and progressive failure behavior. The simulated result agrees well with the experimental study.