Dynamic analysis of strain localization in water‐saturated clay using a cyclic elasto‐viscoplastic model

A computational framework is presented for dynamic strain localization and deformation analyses of water‐saturated clay by using a cyclic elasto‐viscoplastic constitutive model. In the model, the nonlinear kinematic hardening rule and softening due to the structural degradation of soil particles are considered. In order to appropriately simulate the large deformation phenomenon in strain localization analysis, the dynamic finite element formulation for a two‐phase mixture is derived in the updated Lagrangian framework. The shear band development is shown through the distributions of viscoplastic shear strain, the axial strain, the mean effective stress, and the pore water pressure in a normally consolidated clay specimen. From the local stress–strain relations, more brittleness is found inside the shear bands than outside of them. The effects of partially drained conditions and mesh‐size dependency on the shear banding are also investigated. The effect of a partially drained boundary is found to be insignificant on the dynamic shear band propagation because of the rapid rate of applied loading and low permeability of the clay. Using the finer mesh results in slightly narrower shear bands; nonetheless, the results manifest convergency through the mesh refinement in terms of the overall shape of shear banding and stress–strain relations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling the 2D behavior of dry‐stone retaining walls by a fully discrete element method

The dry‐stone retaining walls (DSRW) have been tipped as a promising solution for sustainable development. However, before recently, their behavior is relatively obscure. In this study, discrete element method (DEM) approach was applied to simulate the plane strain failure of these walls. A commercial DEM package (PFC2D™) was used throughout this study. The authors used a fully discrete approach; thus, both the wall and the backfill were modeled as discrete elements. The methodology for obtaining the micromechanical parameters was discussed in detail; this includes the three mechanical sub‐systems of DSRWs: wall, backfill and interface. The models were loaded progressively until failure, and then the results were compared with the full‐scale experimental results where the walls were loaded, respectively, with hydrostatic load and backfill. Despite its complexity and its intensive calculation time, DEM model can then be used to validate a more simplified approach. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reaction softening by dissolution–precipitation creep in a retrograde greenschist facies ductile shear zone,New Hampshire,USA

We describe strain localization by a mixed process of reaction and microstructural softening in a lower greenschist facies ductile fault zone that transposes and replaces middle to upper amphibolite facies fabrics and mineral assemblages in the host schist of the Littleton Formation near Claremont, New Hampshire. Here, Na‐poor muscovite and chlorite progressively replace first staurolite, then garnet, and finally biotite porphyroblasts as the core of the fault zone is approached. Across the transect, higher grade fabric‐forming Na‐rich muscovite is also progressively replaced by fabric‐forming Na‐poor muscovite. The mineralogy of the new phyllonitic fault‐rock produced is dominated by Na‐poor muscovite and chlorite together with late albite porphyroblasts. The replacement of the amphibolite facies porphyroblasts by muscovite and chlorite is pseudomorphic in some samples and shows that the chemical metastability of the porphyroblasts is sufficient to drive replacement. In contrast, element mapping shows that fabric‐forming Na‐rich muscovite is selectively replaced at high‐strain microstructural sites, indicating that strain energy played an important role in activating the dissolution of the compositionally metastable muscovite. The replacement of strong, high‐grade porphyroblasts by weaker Na‐poor muscovite and chlorite constitutes reaction softening. The crystallization of parallel and contiguous mica in the retrograde foliation at the expense of the earlier and locally crenulated Na‐rich muscovite‐defined foliation destroys not only the metastable high‐grade mineralogy, but also its stronger geometry. This process constitutes both reaction and microstructural softening. The deformation mechanism here was thus one of dissolution–precipitation creep, activated at considerably lower stresses than might be predicted in quartzofeldspathic rocks at the same lower greenschist facies conditions.     

Borehole failure analysis in a sandstone under anisotropic stresses

Borehole failure under anisotropic stresses in a sandstone is analyze numerically for various borehole sizes using a nonlinear elastic–plastic constitutive model for a Cosserat continuum. Borehole failure is identified as macroscopic failure of the borehole through the development of shear bands and breakouts. The results compare well both qualitatively and quantitatively with experimental results from polyaxial tests on Red Wildmoor sandstone. They show that the hole size effect of the borehole failure strength is independent of the far‐field stress anisotropy and follows a ? power law of the hole size. A similar scale effect equation with a ? power law is proposed for the scale effect of the maximum plastic shear strain at failure. This equation can be useful for better predicting hole‐size‐dependent failure with standard codes based on classical continua. The effect of stress anisotropy on the borehole failure stress is found to be independent of the hole size. The failure stress decreases linearly to 40% as the stress anisotropy increases. However, the maximum plastic shear strain at failure is stress anisotropy independent and therefore the critical plastic shear strain for failure is only hole‐size dependent. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contrast in stress–strain history during exhumation between high- and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic units in the Western Alps: Microboudinage analysis of piemontite in metacherts

Our analyses of microboudinage structures of piemontite grains embedded within six samples of metachert, one collected from an ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic unit at Lago di Cignana in Italy of the Western Alps, and the other five from surrounding high-pressure (HP) metamorphic units in Italy and France, have revealed that the structures are all symmetrical in type, and were presumably produced in coaxial strain fields. Stress–strain analyses of the microboudinaged grains revealed significant contrasts in the stress and strain histories of the UHP and HP metamorphic units, with the differential stress recorded by the UHP sample being unequivocally lower than that recorded by the five HP samples. In addition, our analyses showed that the UHP sample underwent stress-relaxation during microboudinage, whereas the five HP samples did not. On the basis of these observations and analyses we discuss the mechanical decoupling of the UHP and HP units that led to different histories in differential stress between the units during exhumation of the Western Alps.     

松辽盆地大陆科钻二开段大井眼钻井液技术

CCSD-SK2井是一口钻穿松辽盆地白垩纪陆相沉积地层的中国大陆科学钻探井。二开段先以216mm口径钻至2806.20m,然后进行444.5mm口径扩孔。泥页岩地层大井眼钻进过程中粘土矿物含量高且易造浆,砂砾岩层渗透性强易粘卡,井壁稳定控制与钻屑携带难度大。选用了钾铵聚合物钻井液体系和聚磺钻井液体系,通过正交实验确定了钻井液配方。将钻井液控制在合适的密度、较低的失水量以及较强的封堵性,有效实现了井壁稳定;保持适当的环空返速、较高的动塑比以及定期打稠塞举砂等措施,有效实现了井眼净化。1086.45m~1147.56m与1182.74m~1256.01m井段累计收获岩心130.90m,取心率达到97.41%,平均机械钻速为0.84m/h;最终顺利钻至2806.20m。     

Modification of strain wedge method for lateral soil-pile interaction in sandEI北大核心CSCD

A modified strain wedge (SW) method for analyzing the behavior of laterally loaded single piles in sand is proposed. The modified model assumes that the lateral displacements of a pile behind the three-dimensional passive soil wedge are nonlinear, which makes the horizontal soil strain variable with depths instead of a constant value in the original strain wedge model, and also employs two different hyperbolic models, one for describing horizontal stress increment-strain behavior of soil in the wedge, and the other for describing the shear stress-displacement property at the interface between soil and pile shafts. An example is analyzed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the modified method, and a good agreement is obtained. Finally, the effects of modifications on the lateral bearing capacity of pile shafts are discussed. The results show that the problem of overestimating the lateral bearing capacity of piles with strain wedge method can be ameliorated by introducing the assumption of nonlinear lateral displacements of piles. It makes the SW method more convenient and effective in analyzing the behavior of laterally loaded piles by introducing the new relationships of horizontal stress increment-strain and shear stress-displacement.     

华北克拉通基底花岗质片麻岩变形和流变学研究——以辽西寺儿堡地区为例

辽西寺儿堡镇新太古代花岗质片麻岩内发育的宏观、微观构造变形特征表明该地区曾遭受了强烈的韧性变形改造。花岗质岩石变形程度在初糜棱岩–糜棱岩之间,岩石经历了SWW向左行剪切作用改造。岩石中石英有限应变测量判别结果表明,构造岩类型为L-S型,为平面应变。岩石的剪应变平均值为1.43,运动学涡度值为0.788~0.829,指示岩石形成于以简单剪切为主的一般剪切变形中。此外,石英颗粒以亚颗粒旋转重结晶和颗粒边界迁移重结晶作用为主,长石颗粒塑性拉长,部分发生膨凸式重结晶作用;石英组构特征(EBSD)揭示石英以中–高温柱面滑移为主;石英颗粒边界具有明显的分形特征,分形维数值为1.151~1.201,指示了中高温变形条件。综合石英、长石的变形行为、石英组构特征以及分形法Kruhl温度计的判别结果,推断辽西寺儿堡镇新太古代花岗质片麻岩经历过480~600℃的中高温变形,其同构造变质相为高绿片岩相-低角闪岩相。花岗质岩石的古差异应力为10.62~12.21 MPa,估算的应变速率为10~(–11.67)~10~(–13.34) s~(–1),即缓慢的变形,可能记录早期中高温、低应变速率的韧性变形过程,反映华北克拉通基底中下部地壳变形特征。     

降水井改造为原位生产井的工艺设计及应用

为有效地扩大油页岩原位开采区域和节约油页岩原位开采的成本,需将废置的降水井改造成为原位生产井。根据降水井与原位生产井井身结构的相似性,对农安油页岩原位开采先导试验工程基地的降水井改造工艺进行了设计和优化。同时研发了偏心轮式套管割管装置及三爪式套管打捞装置用于拔管施工。工程实践证明,该工艺具有步骤简单、合理、高效以及价格低廉等特点。偏心轮式套管割管装置及三爪式套管打捞装置应用在降水井改造中,均取得理想的效果。     

构造物理模拟和PIV有限应变分析对构造裂缝预测的启示

油气储层中构造裂缝发育与有限应变状态关系密切,为了探索有限应变分析与构造裂缝预测的新技术方法,此次研究设计完成了一组单侧挤压收敛模型的物理模拟实验,并引入粒子图像测速(PIV,Particle Image Velocimetry)技术对实验过程进行了定量化分析。实验模型在垂向上为含粘性层的多层结构,实验结果形成了一个肉眼可见的箱状褶皱。通过PIV技术可以获取实验模型变形演化过程中各阶段的位移场数据,计算出各阶段的增量应变,实现从初始状态到褶皱形成之后整个变形过程的有限应变分析,探讨构造裂缝成因机制和分布规律,进行定量化裂缝预测。挤压变形过程初期,应变分布范围很广,有限应变较弱(约4%~8%),在挤压方向上的线应变表现为弱压应变,在垂向上的线应变表现为弱张应变,这种现象是褶皱和断层产生前平行层缩短和层增厚的纯剪变形结果,也是区域型张裂缝和剪裂缝形成的主要机制。褶皱和断层即将发育之时至发育之后,应变局限在断层发育的剪切带及附近区域,有限应变表现为较强(达20%)的剪切应变和剪切张应变,是断层面附近简单剪切变形作用的结果,也是局部型剪裂缝和张剪裂缝形成的主要机制。