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In Japan, the disastrous effects of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake has affected seismic design. Furthermore, there is an increasing need for dynamic nonlinear analysis that can consider large strain levels in assessing the seismic resilience of essential structures such as nuclear power plants. However, the applicability of dynamic nonlinear analysis methods to rock masses has not yet been fully evaluated. Their applicability needs to be confirmed by dynamic phenomena, such as shaking table tests. Herein, as a preliminary step, quasi-static analyses of cyclic direct shear tests were conducted to validate the constitutive model. Soft rock samples with relatively few fractures were used as the testing material. In the tests, the load was applied in multiple steps by increasing the loading amplitude at each step, with a loading frequency of 0.1 Hz. The quasi-static analyses revealed that, although an existing constitutive model generally reproduced the shear load–displacement relationship obtained in the tests from small displacement levels to peak strength, discrepancies emerged beyond peak strength. Therefore, we focused on the post-failure history damping characteristics of the soft rocks and added a damping constant after rock failure to the existing constitutive model. Consequently, the accuracy of the values of the stress history beyond peak strength was improved by more than 10%, and the reproducibility of the shear load–displacement relationship improved. Therefore, the applicability of the improved constitutive model was confirmed for conditions of quasi-static cyclic loading of soft rock with few fractures, from small displacement levels to beyond peak strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In Japan, the disastrous effects of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake has affected seismic design. Furthermore, there is an increasing need for dynamic nonlinear analysis that can consider large strain levels in assessing the seismic resilience of essential structures such as nuclear power plants. However, the applicability of dynamic nonlinear analysis methods to rock masses has not yet been fully evaluated. Their applicability needs to be confirmed by dynamic phenomena, such as shaking table tests. Herein, as a preliminary step, quasi-static analyses of cyclic direct shear tests were conducted to validate the constitutive model. Soft rock samples with relatively few fractures were used as the testing material. In the tests, the load was applied in multiple steps by increasing the loading amplitude at each step, with a loading frequency of 0.1 Hz. The quasi-static analyses revealed that, although an existing constitutive model generally reproduced the shear load–displacement relationship obtained in the tests from small displacement levels to peak strength, discrepancies emerged beyond peak strength. Therefore, we focused on the post-failure history damping characteristics of the soft rocks and added a damping constant after rock failure to the existing constitutive model. Consequently, the accuracy of the values of the stress history beyond peak strength was improved by more than 10%, and the reproducibility of the shear load–displacement relationship improved. Therefore, the applicability of the improved constitutive model was confirmed for conditions of quasi-static cyclic loading of soft rock with few fractures, from small displacement levels to beyond peak strength.

The stability of the roof in coal mining plays a crucial role in ensuring safe excavation. After coal extraction, the roof experiences complex and unbalanced stress conditions, leading to diverse roof failure behaviors, particularly in the case of thick roofs. This study examines the failure behaviors of roofs with different thicknesses through a combination of on-site measurements, physical modeling, and numerical modeling. The on-site results indicate that the failure of thick roof leads to larger magnitudes, increased magnitude variance, and energy compared to thin roof. A self-developed three-dimensional roof fracture experimental platform was utilized to conduct loading experiments on roofs with different thicknesses. The experimental results reveal that roof thickness significantly impacts peak load, deformation characteristics, crack patterns, and acoustic emission (AE) signals. Thin roof failure only generates tensile cracks, while thick roof failure produces both tensile and shear cracks. This suggests that an increase in roof thickness leads to a transition in the roof's failure mode from pure tensile failure to tensile-shear mixed failure or shear failure. The energy of AE events has a threshold. When below this threshold, more AE events occur for thin roofs, and when above it, thick roofs exhibit more AE events. The digital image correlation (DIC) results and AE location indicate roof failure initiates from the upper surface of the roof, where "O" shaped cracks form around the periphery, followed by gradual development of cracks on the lower surface. Thin roofs exhibit regular "X" shaped crack on lower surface, while thick roofs display additional branching and inflection points based on "X" shaped crack on lower surface. Numerical modeling using four polygonal particle roof models confirms the influence of roof thicknesses on peak load, deformation, and crack distribution, aligning with experimental and on-site results. These findings offer valuable theoretical support for controlling the stability of surrounding rock conditions in the presence of different roof thicknesses. Highlights: Roof thickness significantly affects coal mine safety, leading to diverse roof failure behaviors. On-site measurements, physical experiments, and numerical simulations reveal insights into roof behaviors. An experimental platform was established to explore the correlation between roof thickness and failure behavior. Thicker roofs exhibit higher peak loads, reduced deflection, complex crack propagation, and a tensile-shear mixed failure or shear failure. Numerical models of polygonal particle roofs further corroborate the impact of roof thickness on failure behavior, offering practical support for coal mine stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the cohesive length of various rock types is measured using quantitative fractography alongside a recently developed multifractal analysis. This length is then utilized to gauge material cohesive stress through the theory of critical distances. Furthermore, the fracture process zone length of different rings sourced from identical rocks is assessed as a function of ring dimensions and experimental measurements of fracture toughness, in accordance with the energy criterion of the finite fracture mechanics theory. Subsequently, employing the stress criterion within coupled finite fracture mechanics, the failure stress corresponding to the fracture process zone is determined for various rings. Ultimately, through interpolation, the critical stress corresponding to the cohesive length, quantified via quantitative fractography, is approximated. Remarkably, the cohesive stress values derived from both methodologies exhibit perfect alignment, indicating the successful determination of cohesive length for the analyzed rock materials. The study also delves into the significant implications of these findings, including the quantification of intrinsic tensile strength in quasi-brittle materials and the understanding of tensile strength variations under diverse stress concentrations and loading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crown pillar in the stope structure belongs to the category of thick plate, and its thickness determines the stability of the engineering structure. The key to determining the safe thickness of the crown pillar lies in solving its deflection function. Previous researchers often used the Galerkin method and other methods except the Ritz method to solve the deflection function of the crown pillar under simple boundary conditions. However, these methods are difficult to solve for the deflection function of the crown pillar under complex boundary conditions. Therefore, this paper builds upon the Reissner plate theory and introduces the Ritz method while considering the influence of strain components εz, γyz, and γzx on the flexural deformation of the crown pillar. Thus, the Reissner–Ritz method for solving the deflection function of the crown pillar in the stope is developed. Taking the failure of the crown pillar in stope 27 in the + 280 m section of the Daxin Manganese Mine as an example, firstly, the maximum tensile stress of the crown pillar is compared with its tensile strength to determine the safe thickness of the crown pillar in stope 27. The correctness of the chosen safe thickness for the crown pillar in stope 27 is verified using the Reissner–Ritz method. Then, FLAC3D is used to model and analyze the 8 m thick crown pillar in stope 27, and the accuracy of the Reissner–Ritz method in determining the safe thickness of the crown pillar is verified through finite element analysis. Finally, a comparison is made between the Reissner–Ritz method and the Galerkin method in solving the deflection function of the crown pillar under the uniformly distributed load, considering both simple and complex boundary conditions. The research results show that the Reissner–Ritz method has significant advantages over the Galerkin method in solving the deflection function of the crown pillar under the uniformly distributed load, even under complex boundary conditions. The findings are of great significance for solving the deflection function of thick plates under both simple and complex boundary conditions under the uniformly distributed load and determining the safe thickness of thick plates. Highlights: Based on the Reissner thick plate theory, the Ritz method is introduced, taking into account the influence of strain components εz, γyz, and γzx on the bending deformation of the crown pillar, forming the Reissner–Ritz method for solving the deflection function of the crown pillar in the stope. The range of safe thickness values for the crown pillar is determined based on the thickness-span ratio and safety factor, incorporating engineering experience to finalize the safe thickness of the crown pillar in the stope. The accuracy of the Reissner–Ritz method in determining the safe thickness of the four-sided fixed support crown pillar under the uniformly distributed load is verified through finite element analysis. Comparing and analyzing the calculation results of the Reissner Ritz method with the Galerkin method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates the biomechanical benefits of using hybrid constructs that combine cannulated screws with tension band wiring (TBW) cerclage compared to cannulated screws with anterior Variable Angle locking neutralisation plates (VA LNP). These enhancements can bear heavier loads and maintain the repaired patella's integrity, in contrast to traditional methods. Method: Eighteen fresh‐frozen human cadaver patellae were carefully fractured transversely at their midpoints using a saw. They were then divided into two groups of nine for subsequent utilisation. Fixation methods included Cannulated Screw Fixation added with either TBW or VA LNP Fixation Technique. Cyclic loading simulations (500 cycles) were conducted to mimic knee motion, tracking fracture displacement with Optotrak. After that, the constructs were secured over a servo‐hydraulic testing machine to determine the load‐to‐failure on axial mode. Results: The average fracture displacement for the anterior neutralisation plate group was 0.09 ± 0.12 mm, compared to 0.77 ± 0.54 mm for the tension band wiring with cannulated screw group after 500 cyclic loading. This result is statistically significant (p = 0.004). The anterior neutralisation plate group exhibited a mean load‐to‐failure of 1359 ± $\pm \,$21.53 N, whereas the tension band wiring group showed 780.1 ± 22.62 N, resulting in a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.007). Conclusion: This research highlights the superior biomechanical advantage of VA LNP over TBW for treating simple transverse patella fractures with two cannulated screws. It also highlights how the TBW is still a valuable option considering the load‐to‐failure limit. Level of Evidence: Not Applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the distinct element method (DEM), a structure is modeled as an assembly of rigid elements, and the failure of the structure is represented by the breakage of the springs that connect the elements. The original DEM has a drawback in that spring constants cannot be theoretically determined. The refined DEM solved this problem and made the spring constant possible to be theoretically determined from material properties. However, the refined DEM still has a drawback in that the Poisson effect cannot be considered, and it cannot represent the tensile stress/strain and tensile failure in the orthogonal direction of the compressive force. This study proposes a method to introduce the Poisson effect into the refined DEM that can consider tensile stress/strain or tensile failure due to the Poisson effect. Since the non-diagonal component of the elasticity tensor expresses the Poisson effect, the Poisson effect is introduced using the element stiffness matrix developed using the non-diagonal component of the elasticity tensor. Through numerical analysis of the compression test of a concrete block, it was confirmed that the Poisson's ratio value was quantitatively reproduced, and tensile cracks were qualitatively reproduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Braided composite structures, characterized by their inherent brittleness, necessitate precise damage prediction and prevention to ensure structural integrity/reliability. This study introduces an innovative method for enhancing damage resistance in tubular triaxial hybrid braided composites. These composites employ Epoxy resin as the matrix, with polyester serving as the bias yarn, and glass and basalt as the axial yarns, woven at varying braiding angles. Tensile tests reveal a compelling trend: a reduction in the braiding angle correlates with an increase in the failure load, indicative of quasi‐ductile behavior. A model is also derived for predicting tensile elastic modulus, which demonstrates a strong correlation with experimental results. Furthermore, finite element simulations are utilized to analyze damage within the triaxial hybrid braided composite specimens, providing empirical confirmation of progressive damage occurrence. This research offers a promising avenue for designing/manufacturing advanced composite materials with superior damage‐resistance holding immense potential across a spectrum of engineering applications. Highlights: The tubular triaxial hybrid braided composites were produced by Epoxy resin as the matrix, with polyester as the bias yarn, and glass and basalt as the axial yarns at different braiding angles.An innovative method was introduced for enhancing damage resistance in tubular triaxial hybrid braided composites.The effect of operating parameters (braiding angle, type of bias yarns, production method) was investigated.Was tried to predict tensile modulus values in tubular triaxial hybrid braided composites by finite element simulation and developed equations.Finite element simulation exhibited excellent performance in the prediction of tensile behavior of structures manufactured by the innovative method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides, ground fissures, and soil collapses are common natural disasters frequently associated with the tensile strength of loess. However, due to measurement difficulties, previous studies have often overlooked the tensile failure characteristics and processes of loess. This paper utilizes electrical resistance and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technologies to investigate the changes in electrical resistance and surface strain fields during the Brazilian split test on remolded loess under various dry densities, moisture contents, and loading methods. The experimental results indicate that an increase in dry density and a reduction in moisture content decrease the tensile strength of loess. Cracks appear and electrical resistance begins to increase after reaching the peak load. The tensile strength under platen loading is lower than that under loading disc application, and the latter is not suitable for soils with high plasticity. Borehole water injection reduces the tensile strength and peak displacement of high moisture content soil samples, whereas for low moisture content samples, the peak displacement remains unchanged after water injection, but the tensile strength decreases. The failure stages of loess in the Brazilian split test are divided into four phases: stress adjustment contact phase, elastoplastic deformation phase, tensile cracking phase, and residual deformation phase. The angle between the load–displacement curves before and after the peak load is proposed as a criterion for determining brittleness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strain isolation pad is a critical connection mechanism that enables deformation coordination between the rigid thermal insulation tile and the primary structure in the thermal protection system of a reusable hypersonic vehicle. An experimental investigation has been conducted to determine the static, loading–unloading, and high-cycle fatigue (HCF) responses of the SIP with 0.2 mm adhesive under through-thickness tension at room temperature. The contributions of the rigid thermal insulation tile and metallic substructure have not been considered so far. The results indicate that the tensile behavior of the SIP joint is highly nonlinear. The static and fatigue tensile failures both initiate from the corner close to the adhesive/SIP interface due to the stress concentration and the edge effect. The uniform breakage of the aramid fiber can be seen on the cross-section. A novel method is proposed to quantify the residual strain due to the short-time ratcheting effect of the SIP joint in the initial loading–unloading tensile response. As the number of fatigue cycles increases, the thickness of the SIP joint continues to increase until failure. An explicit expression associated with the growth of SIP joint thickness, fatigue cycle number, and peak cyclic stress is established. The turning point of the thickness growth rate with the fatigue cycle number is proposed as a new fatigue failure index for the SIP joint under tensile fatigue, and a fatigue life prediction model is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice exhibits good mechanical performance at low temperatures, and when it replaces the weakest pores in cement-based materials, it can noticeably enhance the overall mechanical properties of the material. However, the specific micro-mechanisms that contribute to the improvement of tensile mechanical properties in gel pores at low temperatures are still not fully understood. Based on the results of molecular dynamics simulations, significant roles have been attributed to pore size and temperature in the mechanical performance of gel pores at low temperatures. A thorough investigation was conducted on the process of tensile failure in saturated gel pores, as well as the changes in bonding interactions between calcium silicate hydrate (CSH)-ice and the unfrozen water film (UWF) at different pore sizes and temperatures. The results indicate that increasing pore size and decreasing temperature can improve the mechanical properties of saturated gel pores. With the decrease in temperature, the mechanical properties of the three gel pore systems with heights of 100 Å, 68 Å, and 54 Å were significantly enhanced. Under an engineering strain rate of 8×10−4/ps, the tensile strength and elastic modulus of gel pores increased from 0.57 GPa and 17.81 GPa at 250 K, to 0.97 GPa and 20.87 GPa at 150 K, respectively. To explain this phenomenon, further studies were conducted on the radial distribution function and dynamic hydrogen bonding behavior. The critical contribution of the hydrogen bond network to the mechanical performance of gel pores was discovered. The hydrogen bond structure which experienced the earliest damage, was investigated. As the strain increased, the hydrogen bonds continuously broke and reformed. This research provides a theoretical understanding of the mechanical properties of gel pores under low-temperature conditions.

Abstract Purpose This paper investigates the biomechanical benefits of using hybrid constructs that combine cannulated screws with tension band wiring (TBW) cerclage compared to cannulated screws with anterior Variable Angle locking neutralisation plates (VA LNP). These enhancements can bear heavier loads and maintain the repaired patella's integrity, in contrast to traditional methods. Method Eighteen fresh‐frozen human cadaver patellae were carefully fractured transversely at their midpoints using a saw. They were then divided into two groups of nine for subsequent utilisation. Fixation methods included Cannulated Screw Fixation added with either TBW or VA LNP Fixation Technique. Cyclic loading simulations (500 cycles) were conducted to mimic knee motion, tracking fracture displacement with Optotrak. After that, the constructs were secured over a servo‐hydraulic testing machine to determine the load‐to‐failure on axial mode. Results The average fracture displacement for the anterior neutralisation plate group was 0.09 ± 0.12 mm, compared to 0.77 ± 0.54 mm for the tension band wiring with cannulated screw group after 500 cyclic loading. This result is statistically significant (p = 0.004). The anterior neutralisation plate group exhibited a mean load‐to‐failure of 1359 ±21.53 N, whereas the tension band wiring group showed 780.1 ± 22.62 N, resulting in a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.007). Conclusion This research highlights the superior biomechanical advantage of VA LNP over TBW for treating simple transverse patella fractures with two cannulated screws. It also highlights how the TBW is still a valuable option considering the load‐to‐failure limit. Level of Evidence Not Applicable.

Adhesive bonding plays a pivotal role in structural connections, yet the bonding strength is notably affected by the presence of pore defects. However, the invisibility of interior pores severely poses a challenge to understanding their influence on tensile failure behaviors under loading. In this study, we present a pioneering investigation into the real-time micro-failure mechanisms of adhesively bonded structures using in situ X-ray micro-CT. Moreover, the high-precision finite element analysis (FEA) of stress distribution is realized by establishing the real adhesive layer model based on micro-CT slices. The findings unveil that pores induce stress concentration within the adhesive layer during the tensile process, with stress levels significantly contingent upon pore sizes rather than their specific shapes. Consequently, larger pores initiate and propagate cracks along their paths, ultimately culminating in the failure of adhesively bonded structures. These outcomes serve as a significant stride in elucidating how pore defects affect the bonding performance of adhesively bonded structures, offering invaluable insights into their mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustic emission (AE) evaluation is an important Nondestructive Testing technique. The technique is a whole field passive technique that detects defects that are growing during the application of force on the structure. At a certain threshold, AE starts emanating from the structure while the structure is stressed by tensile deformation. 18% Ni Maraging steel 250 grade material is widely used in the aerospace industry and exhibits fracture behaviour. In the current study, tensile specimens are used and acoustic emission (AE) parameters are recorded. Four types of specimens Type A, Type B, Type C and Type D specimens are designated as heat -affected zone, parent metal, defect-free weldment and weld with notch defect, respectively. These specimens are tensile deformed in order to obtain AE parameters at 60% of failure load (FL), 60–75% of FL, 75–90% of FL and 90% to FL. AE parameters – amplitude, ring down counts, duration, rise time, energy, RA value, DA value, hit rate, count rate and energy rate – are tabulated for various FLs. These parameters have vital importance in critical assessment of the structural integrity of 18% Ni Maraging steel 250 structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the dynamics of a single fiber tensile break within an S-Glass/epoxy composite and the associated effects of stress wave propagation in the fibers, interface and matrix, a 3D micromechanical Finite Element (FE) model with a hexagonal packing of parallel fibers is developed. The effects of a dynamic fiber break on energy dissipation associated with resin plasticity and interface debonding using cohesive traction laws are included. The 3D FE model also incorporates process-induced residual stresses that induces radial compression at the fiber-matrix interface due the mismatch in CTE and Poisson's ratios between the fiber and matrix. During dynamic fiber failure where interface debonding occurs, radial compressive residual stresses lead to additional frictional energy dissipation in the debond region of the interface. A map of the dynamic stress concentration factor (SCF) values on the surface (along the axial as well as circumferential directions) of the fibers which are neighboring the fiber break is generated. A stability criterion based on an energy balance between elastic strain energy released by the fiber and energy dissipation (resin plasticity, interphase debonding and frictional sliding) is established to predict maximum fiber strength that initiates unstable debonding of the interface characteristic of axial splitting of the unidirectional composite loaded in tension. The FE modeling results also indicate that the dynamic fiber break introduces strain rates on the order of 106/s in the fiber and matrix, and up to 1012/s in the interphase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-linear finite element (FE) analysis is a powerful tool for determination of ultimate capacities of steel components. To produce reliable predictions of structural strength, it is of fundamental importance that non-linear finite element analyses are based on a validated methodology. This paper focuses on physical test campaigns, which are designed with the purpose of providing an experimental foundation for calibrated and validated non-linear finite element assessments of plated components, which form part of typical offshore structures. The experimental work discussed in the current paper is a continuation of the experiments of tubular members and joints, which were carried out by Maersk Oil in the late nineties. The objective is that the two-test campaigns together shall allow for development of a non-linear finite element methodology with calibrated failure criteria providing either characteristic or mean level of capacity/response for the main details in typical offshore structures. This paper particularly focuses on the testing campaign completed in 2017 which forms the basis for the calibration of the failure criteria covering plated sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic fracturing is an indispensable technology for the development of shale oil and shale gas. Knowing the changes in the rock mechanical properties and failure modes during hydraulic fracturing is the key to improving the efficiency of hydraulic fracturing. Based on experiments and simulations, it can be concluded that the injection of fracturing fluid in the hydraulic fracturing caused deformation of the fracture surface, and the rock mechanical properties experienced degradation with a maximum reduction in the rock mechanical properties of 44.24%. As indicated in the experiments, the displacement of the measurement point was decreased with the distance increase between the injection point and the measurement point. According to the numerical simulations, tensile failure is the main failure mode in hydraulic fracturing, but the percentage of shear failure had an obvious increase with the increase in distance between the injection point and the measurement point. Comparing DDS #1 and DDS #5, the DDS #5 measurement point was farther away from the injection point, and the average percentage of shear failure increased from 21.94 to 52.72%. Meanwhile, the increase in the branch fractures also caused shear failure to occur. Comparing Sample 1 and Sample 3, in Sample 3, which had more branch fractures, the average percentage of shear failure increased from 33.12 to 37.58%. Due to the porous medium of the reservoir rock, the enormous pressure generated during the injection of fracturing fluid caused significant deformation of the fracture surface, leading to the tensile failure of the rock. The displacement of the fracture surface caused by the fracturing fluid injection also led to the deformation of the pore throat structure; thus, the shear failure increased when the measurement point was away from the injection point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warpage deformation inevitably occurs when laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is applied on an overhanging structure. An effective support added to the system can mitigate warpage and improve the accuracy of formed parts. Four types of support structures are designed, and sheet tensile specimens and overhanging structures with different support structures are fabricated in this study. The tensile failure behavior and warpage suppression ability of different support structures are investigated, with the relation of the support influence to the design of support structure analyzed. The results show that the support with reinforcement can effectively restrain warpage deformation of the overhanging structure. During the process of tension, the main failure area of the support structure is located on the top of the support structure, close to the overhanging solid body. Increasing the change ratio of the support cross-sectional area is helpful to improve the constraint ability of the support. This design provides a new method for accurate forming of overhanging structures via LPBF and evaluating the restrain ability of support structures.

Copper-aluminum hybrid connectors play a crucial role in electric vehicles, but welding these metals together poses a significant challenge due to their distinct physical and mechanical properties. Friction stir welding, a solid- state welding technique, proves to be suitable for joining dissimilar metals. In this study, friction stir welding was employed to create a joint between pure copper 1100 and aluminum 1050 plates, each with a thickness of 5 mm. The fabricated results showed that a significant amount of copper was dispersed into the aluminum side to establish the bonding. The bonding strength was evaluated through tensile testing, while the macrostructure and fracture paths of the joints were monitored using an optical microscope. Despite efforts, eliminating defects in the joint proved challenging, with most defects attributed to vacancies. Increasing the tool rotation speed resulted in greater mixing intensity between the aluminum and copper. The interface between the copper and aluminum was found to be prone to crack propagation. The tensile strength of the joint improved with higher tool rotation, reaching up to 88 MPa. For further analysis, stress within the joint under tensile loading was simulated.

We test the hypothesis that loading conditions affect the statistical features of crackling noise accompanying the failure of porous rocks by performing discrete element simulations of the tensile failure of model rocks and comparing the results to those of compressive simulations of the same samples. Cylindrical samples are constructed by sedimenting randomly sized spherical particles connected by beam elements representing the cementation of granules. Under a slowly increasing external tensile load, the cohesive contacts between particles break in bursts whose size fluctuates over a broad range. Close to failure breaking avalanches are found to localize on a highly stressed region where the catastrophic avalanche is triggered and the specimen breaks apart along a spanning crack. The fracture plane has a random position and orientation falling most likely close to the centre of the specimen perpendicular to the load direction. In spite of the strongly different strengths, degrees of ‘brittleness’ and spatial structure of damage of tensile and compressive failure of model rocks, our calculations revealed that the size, energy and duration of avalanches, and the waiting time between consecutive events all obey scale-free statistics with power law exponents which agree within their error bars in the two loading cases.

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The induction welding has been recognized as one of potential and high-efficiency joining methods for thermoplastic composite materials. In this study, a numerical simulation model with containing both induction wielding heat transfer and joint tensile failure process for CF/PPS-Al alloy interlocking induction welding was established based on software COMSOL Multiphysics and Abaqus/Explicit. The CF/PPS-Al7075 interlocking welding joints with special designed macro-scale interlocking were tested under tensile loads, and the corresponding single-lap shear strength, energy absorption, and failure mechanisms were investigated by combining the experimental and numerical approaches. Finally, the influence of macro-scale interlocking geometric parameters on joint tensile strength was also discussed. The results indicate that the proposed model can effectively predict the temperature distribution in the welding process and the tensile failure process of the joint. It is also presented that the addition of macro-scale interlocking features can effectively improve the ultimate load (47%) of the CF/PPS-Al alloy induction welded joints. Meanwhile, the number of addition PPS films in the welding zone and the inclination angle have greater contribution on the tensile strength of the welded joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strain isolation pad is a critical connection mechanism that enables deformation coordination between the rigid thermal insulation tile and the primary structure in the thermal protection system of a reusable hypersonic vehicle. An experimental investigation has been conducted to determine the static, loading–unloading, and high-cycle fatigue (HCF) responses of the SIP with 0.2 mm adhesive under through-thickness tension at room temperature. The contributions of the rigid thermal insulation tile and metallic substructure have not been considered so far. The results indicate that the tensile behavior of the SIP joint is highly nonlinear. The static and fatigue tensile failures both initiate from the corner close to the adhesive/SIP interface due to the stress concentration and the edge effect. The uniform breakage of the aramid fiber can be seen on the cross-section. A novel method is proposed to quantify the residual strain due to the short-time ratcheting effect of the SIP joint in the initial loading–unloading tensile response. As the number of fatigue cycles increases, the thickness of the SIP joint continues to increase until failure. An explicit expression associated with the growth of SIP joint thickness, fatigue cycle number, and peak cyclic stress is established. The turning point of the thickness growth rate with the fatigue cycle number is proposed as a new fatigue failure index for the SIP joint under tensile fatigue, and a fatigue life prediction model is developed.

The mechanical earth model (MEM) has recently been considered in the oil and gas industry due to its importance in predicting the safe and stable range of drilling mud, better understanding the effective parameters in wellbore instability, safe drilling and reduce exorbitant costs on the industry and understanding the geomechanical properties of the reservoir. The MEM includes a logical set of information related to geology, stress field, mechanical properties of rock (elastic modulus and rock failure properties) and pore pressure which can be employed as a tool to quickly update information for use in drilling and reservoir management. In this paper, a MEM was constructed using well logging data for a well in one of the oil-fields as a case study and calibrated using laboratory results and drilling reports. According to the results obtained from the minimum horizontal stress values and the maximum horizontal stress range, as well as the occurrence of tensile failures in the wellbore, it was found that the stress regime prevailing in the study field is a strike-slip fault regime. The results also show that shear failure occurs in the direction of minimum horizontal stress and tensile failure occurs in the direction of maximum horizontal stress.

Abstract A better understanding of the tensile performance and tensile failure mechanism of cement paste is significant in preventing rock reinforcement failure. Therefore, this paper aims to reveal the tensile performance and failure mechanism of a modified Portland cement: Stratabinder HS cement. To achieve this objective, the split tensile test was conducted on specimens followed by simulating the failure mechanism numerically. The results indicated that the water–cement rate significantly influenced the tensile performance of the cement paste. When the water–cement rate increased from 0.35 to 0.42, the tensile strength declined from 1.9 MPa to 1.5 MPa. It was also observed that vertical tensile failure constantly occurred regardless of the water–cement rate. During the testing process, tensile cracks and shear cracks occurred. The increasing rate in the number of specimen cracks was dependent on the tensile stress state. Before the tensile stress reached the peak, the crack quantity increased slightly. After the peak, the crack quantity increased dramatically. During the vertical loading process, horizontal tensile stress occurred in the specimen. This horizontal tensile stress zone showed a diamond shape. The higher the tensile stress is, the larger the area of the horizontal tensile stress zone. When the tensile strength was reached, horizontal tensile stress mainly concentrated at the vertical centre of the specimen. This finally led to tensile failure of the specimen. This paper indicated that the water–cement rate was the key factor in evaluating the tensile strength of the Stratabinder HS cement.

This study focused on the in-plane rocking behavior of unreinforced masonry (URM) walls. Three URM wall specimens were designed and fabricated based on a typical masonry house in Korea. The experimental parameters were the layout of openings (its presence or absence) and configuration of openings (window or door). Static cyclic loading tests were conducted to investigate nonlinear performance curves of masonry walls subjected to a rocking behavior in the in-plane direction. In this paper, the mortar-joint tensile crack strength and rocking strength of masonry walls (i.e., peak and residual strengths) were evaluated, and the effects of opening configurations on the masonry wall strength were examined, due to the proposed procedure. The deformation capacity of a rocking behavior was also identified by the procedure. As a result, specimens without initial cracks showed the rocking behavior after mortar-joint tensile crack failure, whereas a specimen with initial cracks exhibited only the rocking behavior. Since no remarkable strength deterioration was found until final loading in all specimens, an in-plane rocking URM wall may have very good deformation performance. The estimated mortar-joint tensile crack strength, rocking strength, stiffness, and ultimate deformation were in good agreement with the experimental results, regardless of the layout and configuration of openings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geotextile layers are arranged on and below the geomembrane to prevent the geomembrane from being punctured and damaged. The geotextile not only plays a role in physical protection, like anti-puncture but also makes a great difference to the mechanical properties of the geomembrane's air expansion deformation. In this paper, the bulging deformation of geotextile is simplified as spherical bulging deformation under ring-restrained conditions. Using the special bulging deformation test equipment, the bulging deformation experiment of geotextile is realized, the main factors affecting the bulging deformation are analyzed, the law of bulging deformation and failure of geotextile is summarized, the failure mechanism of geotextile and the Influence of geotextile on the properties of geomembrane are discussed, and the following conclusions are drawn. The failure of bulging deformation of geotextiles belongs to tensile failure, which is characterized by fast speed and high strength. The typical failure mode is spindle-shaped cracks distributed along the crown, whose failure mechanism belongs to tensile failure produced in weak areas. The bulging deformation of the geotextile shows nonuniformity, with the largest deformation at the crown top and the smallest deformation at the ring constraint. When the geotextile is covered on the geomembrane, bulging pressure is shared by both the geomembrane and the geotextile. At the initial deformation stage, the geomembrane replaces it, and then the geotextile bears more internal pressure and plays a decisive role till destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adhesive joints possess a number of advantages over traditional joining methods and are widely used in composite structures. Conventional non-destructive examination techniques do not readily reveal joint degradation before the formation of explicit defects. Embedded fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors and the resistance of carbon nanotube (CNT)-doped conductive joints have been proposed to monitor the structural integrity of adhesive joints. Both techniques will be employed and compared in the current work to monitor damage development in adhesive joints under tensile and cyclic fatigue loading. Most of the previous works took measurements under an applied load, which by itself will affect the monitoring signals without the presence of any damage. Moreover, most FBG works primarily relied on the peak shifting phenomenon for sensing. Degradation of adhesive and inter-facial defects will lead to non-uniform strain that may chirp the FBG spectrum, causing complications in the peak shifting measurement. In view of the above shortfalls, measurements are made at some low and fixed loads to preclude any unwanted effect due to the applied load. The whole FBG spectrum, instead of a single peak, will be used, and a quantitative parameter to describe spectrum changes is proposed for monitoring purposes. The extent of damage is revealed by a fluorescent penetrant and correlated with the monitoring signals. With these refined techniques, we hope to shed some light on the relative merits and limitations of the two techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anchored bolts are well known as an effective measure to support the rock masses, after all with stiff steel bolts being inserted into them. Although numerous researches have been carried out on anchored joints, the effects of anchored bolts on rock mass containing nonpersistent joints were rarely investigated. In the present study, in order to make up for the deficiency of research, we carried out experimental study on the effect of anchored bolts on failure and strength behavior of nonpersistent jointed rock model. Specifically, the unbolted and bolted rocklike samples with one set of nonpersistent joints were carefully prepared and subjected to the uniaxial compression tests. The strength and failure behavior of jointed rock mass with/without bolts were systematically compared and analyzed. The results demonstrated the effect of joint dip angle and joint spacing on the failure behavior of jointed rock model. The anchored bolts mainly increased the strength of jointed samples having joints of intermediate dip angles such as α = 30°, 45°, and 60°, which fail in a mechanism of Shear Failure along the Joint Plane. The anchored bolts support the jointed rock models through providing lateral constraints and “pin” effect. Even though the anchored bolts work better for the intermediate dip angle situations to increase the bearing capability than for low dip angle (e.g., α = 0° and 15°) and high dip angle (e.g., α = 75° and 90°), they provide limit support strength such that cannot eliminate the influence of nonpersistent joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike normal-pressure gas wells, wellbore instability is more likely to occur during testing for high-pressure gas wells. Gas acceleration effect exists in gas flow during high-pressure gas well testing, which was ignored in previous wellbore instability analysis. In this paper, the developments of effective circumferential stress and effective radial stress are analyzed in the near-wellbore area of high-pressure gas well, considering the influence of in-situ stress non-uniformity and acceleration effect. To analyze the effective circumferential stress and the effective radial stress more accurately, it is established that the fluid-structure coupling stress field of the finite large thick wall cylinder The flow field considers three cases, namely Darcy’s law, Darcy–Forchheimer model and Darcy-Forchheime model considering gas acceleration. The results show that in-situ stress non-uniformity has a similar influence on tensile failure and shear failure. It is observed that the location of occurring shear failure and tensile failure may not be on the wellbore wall. When the formation fluid is under abnormally high pressure, it is more likely to have a tensile failure, while when the formation fluid is under abnormally low pressure, it is more likely to have a shear failure. The Biot parameter has the same effect on tensile failure and shear failure. These results are helpful to control sand production during testing and production for high-pressure gas wells.

Welding is an indispensable manufacturing process in the shipbuilding industry. The fierce competition involved often necessitates a cost-effective and reliable welding method. In this study, the weldabilities, microstructures and some mechanical properties of ASTM A131 (Grade A) steel joints fabrication by submerged arc welding (SAW), metal active gas (MAG) welding and plasma arc welding (PAW) have been investigated. The microstructures of the welds were examined by optical microscopy. The mechanical properties of the joints were determined by microhardness measurements, tensile and impact tests. The results showed that tensile strength of the joints reached a tensile strength of up to 462 MPa. The locations of the fractures were always adjacent to the base metal. The Charpy impact energy of the weld metal reached a value of 72.5 J, which was 25 % higher than that of the base metal at 57.7 J. A relatively high hardness of 221 HV was obtained in the PAW method compared to 179 HV in the base metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better understanding of the tensile performance and tensile failure mechanism of cement paste is significant in preventing rock reinforcement failure. Therefore, this paper aims to reveal the tensile performance and failure mechanism of a modified Portland cement: Stratabinder HS cement. To achieve this objective, the split tensile test was conducted on specimens followed by simulating the failure mechanism numerically. The results indicated that the water–cement rate significantly influenced the tensile performance of the cement paste. When the water–cement rate increased from 0.35 to 0.42, the tensile strength declined from 1.9 MPa to 1.5 MPa. It was also observed that vertical tensile failure constantly occurred regardless of the water–cement rate. During the testing process, tensile cracks and shear cracks occurred. The increasing rate in the number of specimen cracks was dependent on the tensile stress state. Before the tensile stress reached the peak, the crack quantity increased slightly. After the peak, the crack quantity increased dramatically. During the vertical loading process, horizontal tensile stress occurred in the specimen. This horizontal tensile stress zone showed a diamond shape. The higher the tensile stress is, the larger the area of the horizontal tensile stress zone. When the tensile strength was reached, horizontal tensile stress mainly concentrated at the vertical centre of the specimen. This finally led to tensile failure of the specimen. This paper indicated that the water–cement rate was the key factor in evaluating the tensile strength of the Stratabinder HS cement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms of dynamic disasters around underground roadways/tunnels were examined by adopting split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) laboratory tests to reproduce the failure process of the surrounding rock subjected to incident stress waves. On the basis of ensuring the consistency of numerical simulations with the experimental results, the failure mechanisms of the surrounding rock and spatiotemporal evolution of the hoop stress around the hole were studied by using a two-dimensional particle flow code (PFC2D). The results of the numerical simulation indicate that tensile stress and compressive stress concentrate along the horizontal and vertical directions around the hole, respectively, owing to the instantaneous incidence of compressive stress waves. The failure modes of surrounding rocks are significantly different when the hole is subjected to various intensities of incident stress waves. In addition, the stability of the surrounding rock of the hole is greatly affected by the amplitude and wavelength of the incident wave and the elastic modulus of the surrounding rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation into the effects of acidizing treatment on the mechanical property of hot dry rocks (HDR) is beneficial for our understanding of the fracturing and stimulation mechanisms in HDR reservoirs. In this article, Brazilian disk tests were first carried out for hollow hot dry rocks with different internal diameters after acidizing treatments. The influences of acidizing treatments on the physical properties, tensile strength, and failure patterns of hot dry rock specimens were presented. Besides, the effects of the diameter of the internal hole on the peak load and failure patterns of the hot dry rock specimens were also investigated. The peak load decreases with the increase in the internal diameter. The results indicated that the acidizing treatments can dissolute the minerals, decrease rock mass, and tensile strength. The investigation of failure patterns demonstrated that the acidizing treatment is beneficial for the fracturing of hot dry rocks. The present study can provide some basic and theoretical data for the development of geothermal reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rate-dependent tensile failure of rock with a cement inclusion was experimentally and numerically investigated to reveal the coupled dynamic response of inclusion-containing heterogeneous rock structures. Brazilian discs (BDs) with differently sized inclusion cores made of Portland cement were compressed using a split Hopkinson pressure bar loading system. The inclusions in the BD specimens changed the observed failure patterns compared to the splitting results observed in traditional monolithic rock BDs. The failure patterns observed in the composite rock–cement depend on the loading rate, inclusion size, and material strengths. The tensile BD failure patterns fall into three classes: single and double deflection along the interface with the inclusion and direct penetration through the heterogeneous structure. As the inclusion diameter or loading rate is increased, the failure pattern of the BD generally evolves from single to double deflection to penetration. The mechanism underlying the formation of the different failure patterns was further investigated using discrete element modelling. This paper may improve our understanding of the effect of loading rate on the failure and fracture behaviour of heterogeneous rock structures under tension. Highlights: Static and dynamic tensile failure characteristics of inclusion-containing rock heterogeneous structure were experimentally and numerically investigated. Failure patterns were classified into three categories in terms of loading rate and normalised inclusion diameter. The mechanism and threshold of different failure patterns were given with the assistance of DEM simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high degree of alteration causes swelling, disintegration and argillization of granite and thus weakens its physical and mechanical properties. Very few experimental studies, however, have been conducted to quantitatively characterize the strong-to-weak transition of the mechanical behaviours of granite affected by varying degrees of alteration. A new miniature tensile instrument system, which can visualize the failure process and simultaneously record the stress–strain curves, was utilized to test the tensile strength of dog-bone sliced samples of altered granite. Meanwhile, an improved quantitative method was proposed to characterize the alteration degree. The results demonstrate that the tensile strength of granite decreases significantly with increasing alteration rate, while the strain at the peak strength and fracture angle increase. Additionally, the orientation of weaker crystals and the mineral size distribution significantly affect fracture propagation. But the effect will be weakened as the alteration rate increases. On the basis of fracture angle, tensile peak strength, strain at peak strength, and microscopy images of crack initiation and propagation, three major classes of fractures are identified from the test results: (1) extension fracture at a low alteration rate: crack initiates and propagates along biotite-brittle mineral interfaces; (2) shear fracture at a high alteration rate: intragranular crack initiates within altered feldspar and propagates along the interior of altered mineral grains; (3) hybrid fracture at a moderate alteration rate: the above two failure phenomena coexist. A simple model that considers the fracture process of altered granite was proposed to explain the transition from extension fracture to shear fracture. Highlights: A new visual miniature tensile instrument is utilized to capture the crack initiation and propagation. An improved quantitative method is proposed to characterize the alteration degree of granite. As alteration degree increases, the tensile strength of granite significantly decreases, whereas both the strain and the fracture angle increase. The transition from extension fracture to shear fracture of altered granite is detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical behavior of loess is highly predicated on variation in its moisture content. While the impacts of the water content on the shearing behavior and collapsibility of loess have been extensively studied, its effect on tensile characteristics has received relatively little attention. In this study, a series of tensile tests were conducted on remolded specimens of a clayey loess that were collected from Ili Valley in China. Two sets of loess specimens with varying water contents were prepared separately using wetting and drying methods. The influence of the water content on the tensile stress–strain response, failure mode and tensile strength was investigated by combining the tensile test results and particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis. On this basis, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations were implemented in order to assist with the interpretation of the underlying mechanism. The test results indicate that the tensile failure process and the variation of tensile strength with varying water contents differ for specimens that are prepared with wetting and drying methods; a finding which arises from the differences in the soil microstructure, clay–water interaction and the distribution of capillary and adsorbed water. This research has shown that the tensile strength of clayey loess is essentially dominated by the clay's hydration/cementation and the development of capillary and adsorption suction as well as the microstructural evolution that occurs with the change in the water content. Based on the experimental observations, a conceptual model is proposed in order to interpret the effect of water content on loess' tensile behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex coupled thermo-hydromechanical (THM) loading paths are expected to occur in clay rocks which serve as host formations for geological radioactive waste repositories. Exothermic waste packages heat the rock, causing thermal strains and temperature induced pore pressure build-up. The drifts are designed in such a way as to limit these effects. One has to anticipate failure and fracturing of the material, should pore pressures exceed the tensile resistance of the rock. To characterise the behaviour of the Callovo-Oxfordian claystone (COx) under effective tension and to quantify the tensile failure criterion, a laboratory program is carried out in this work. THM loading paths which correspond to the expected in situ conditions are recreated in the laboratory. To this end, a special triaxial system was developed, which allows the independent control of radial and axial stresses, as well as of pore pressure and temperature of rock specimens. More importantly, the device allows one to maintain axial effective tension on a specimen. Saturated cylindrical claystone specimens were tested in undrained conditions under constrained lateral deformation and under nearly constant axial stress. The specimens were heated until the induced pore pressures created effective tensile stresses and ultimately fractured the material. The failure happened at average axial effective tensile stresses around 3.0 MPa. Fracturing under different lateral total stresses allows one to describe the failure with a Hoek–Brown or Fairhurst's generalized Griffith criterion. Measured axial extension strains are analysed based on a transversely isotropic thermo-poroelastic constitutive model, which is able to satisfactorily reproduce the observed behaviour. Highlights: Thermal pressurization of clay rock in deep radioactive waste repositories can reduce the effective stresses, which can lead to damage or failure. Our novel laboratory triaxial device is able mimic in situ conditions: Constant vertical total stress, zero lateral deformation and thermal pressurization. Pore pressure increase, vertical extension strains and thermal pressurization failure were recorded in a series of tests on Callovo-Oxfordian claystone specimens. The effective tensile strength was reached at values around 3 MPa in tension and temperatures between 53 and 64 °C, creating sub-horizontal fractures. The experimental responses can be well reproduced using a thermo-poroelasticity model. Hoek–Brown and Fairhurst generalized Griffith criteria appear suitable to account for the rock's tensile resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the formation mechanisms and geometries of fracture systems in sedimentary rocks is crucial for understanding local and basin-scale fluid migration. Complex fracture networks can be caused by, for instance, forced folding of a competent sediment layer in response to magmatic sill intrusion, remobilisation of fluidized sand or fluid overpressure in underlying porous reservoir formations. The opening modes and geometries of the fractures mainly determine the bulk permeability and sealing capacity of the folded layer. In this study, we carried out laboratory analog experiments to better comprehend patterns and evolution of the fracture network during forced folding as well as differences of the fracture patterns between a 2D and 3D modelling approach and between a homogenous and a multi-layered cover. The experimental layering consisted of a lower reservoir layer and an upper cover, which was either a single high-cohesive layer or an alternation of low- and high-cohesive layers. The two configurations were tested in an apparatus allowing quasi-2D and 3D experiments. Streaming air from the base of the model and air injected through a needle valve was used to produce a regional and a local field of fluid overpressure in the layers. The experimental outcomes reveal that the evolution of the fracture network undergoes an initial phase characterized by the formation of a forced fold associated with dominantly compactive and tensile fractures. The second phase of the evolution is dominated by fracture breakthrough and overpressure release mainly along shear fractures. Structures observed in 2D cross sections can be related to their expressions on the surface of the 3D respective experiments. Furthermore, the experiments showed that the intrusion network is more complex and laterally extended in the case of a multi-layered cover. Our results can be instructive for detecting and predicting fracture patterns around shallow magmatic and sand intrusions as well as above underground fluid storage sites.