In this thesis, the effects of size and stress on permeability, deformability and strength of fractured rock masses are investigated. A comparison study was carried out to examine the effects of considering, or not considering, the correlation between distributions of fracture apertures and fracture trace lengths on the hydro-mechanical behavior of fractured rocks. The basic concepts used are the fundamental principles of the general theory of elasticity, Representative Elementary Volume (REV), the tensor of equivalent permeability, and the strength criteria of the fractured rocks. Due to the size and stress dependence of the hydro-mechanical properties of rock fractures, the overall effective (or equivalent) hydro-mechanical properties of the fractured rocks are also size and stress-dependent. However, such dependence cannot be readily investigated in laboratory using small samples, and so numerical modeling becomes a necessary tool for estimating their impacts. In this study, a closed-form relation is established for representing the correlation between a truncated lognormal distribution of fracture apertures and a truncated power law distribution of trace lengths, as obtained from field mapping. Furthermore, a new nonlinear algorithm is developed for predicting the relationship between normal stress and normal displacement of fractures, based on the Bandis model and the correlation between aperture and length. A large number of stochastic Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) models of varying sizes were extracted from some generated large-sized parent realizations based on a realistic fracture system description from a site investigation programme at Sellafield, UK, for calculating the REV of hydro-mechanical properties of fractured rocks. Rotated DFN models were also generated and used for evaluation of the distributions of directional permeabilities, such that tensors of equivalent permeability could be established based on stochastically established REVs. The stress-dependence of the permeability and the stress-displacement behaviour were then investigated using models of REV sizes. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) was used for numerical simulation of the fluid flow, deformability properties and mechanical strength behavior of fractured rocks. The results show significant scale-dependency of rock permeability, deformability and strength, and its variation when the correlation between aperture and trace length of fractures are concerned, with the overall permeability and deformability more controlled by dominating fractures with larger apertures and higher transmissivity and deformability, compared with fracture network models having uniform aperture. As the second moment of aperture distribution increases, a fractured rock mass shows more discrete behavior and an REV is established in smaller value of second moment with much larger model size, compared with the models with uniform fracture aperture. When the fracture aperture pattern is more scattered, the overall permeability, Young’s modulus and mechanical strength change significantly. The effect of stress on permeability and fluid flow patterns in fractured rock is significant and can lead to the existence or non-existence of a permeability tensor. Stress changes the fluid flow patterns and can cause significant channeling and the permeability tensor, and REV may be destroyed or re-established at different applied stress conditions. With an increase in the confining stress on the DEM models, the strength is increased. Compared with the Hoek-Brown criterion, the Mohr-Coulomb strength envelope provides a better fit to the results of numerical biaxial compression tests, with significant changes of the strength characteristic parameters occurring when the second moment of the aperture distribution is increased. / QC 20100702

Under loading conditions found in many geotechnical structures, it is common to observe failure in zones of high localized strain called shear bands. Existing models predict these localizations, but provide little insight into the micromechanics within the shear bands. This research captures the variation in microstructure inside and outside of shear bands that were formed in laboratory plane strain and two-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) biaxial compression experiments. Plane strain compression tests were conducted on dry specimens of Ottawa 20-30 sand to calibrate the device, assess global response repeatability, and develop a procedure to quantitatively define the onset of localization. A new methodology was employed to quantify and correct for the additional stresses imparted by the confining membrane in the vicinity of the shear band. Unsheared and sheared specimens of varying dilatancy were solidified using a two-stage resin impregnation procedure. DEM tests were performed using an innovative servo-controlled flexible lateral confinement algorithm to provide additional insights into laboratory results. The solidified specimens were sectioned and the resulting surfaces prepared for microstructure observation using bright field microscopy and morphological analysis. Local void ratio distributions and their statistical properties were determined and compared. Microstructural parameters for subregions in a grid pattern and along predefined inclined zones were also calculated. Virtual surfaces parallel to the shear band were identified and their roughnesses assessed. Similar calculations were performed on the DEM simulations at varying strain levels to characterize the evolution of microstructure with increasing strain. The various observations showed that the mean, standard deviation, and entropy of the local void ratio distributions all increased with increasing strain levels, particularly within regions of high local strains. These results indicate that disorder increases within a shear band and that the soil within the shear band does not adhere to the classical concept of critical state, but reaches a terminal void ratio that is largely a function of initial void ratio. Furthermore, there appears to be a transition zone between the far field and the fully formed shear block, as opposed to an abrupt delineation as traditionally inferred.

Integrated theoretical and experimental analysis is carried out in this work to investigate the fundamental failure mechanisms and flow patterns involved in the process of fluid injection into dense granular media. The experimental work is conducted with aqueous glycerin solutions, utilizing a novel setup based on a Hele-Shaw cell filled with dense dry sand. The two dimensional nature of the setup allows direct visualization and imaging analysis of the real-time fluid and grain kinematics. The experimental results reveal that the fluid flow patterns show a transition from simple radial flow to a ramified morphology while the granular media behaviors change from that of rigid porous media to localized failure that lead to development of fluid channels. Based on the failure/flow patterns, four distinct failure/flow regimes can be identified, namely, (i) a simple radial flow regime, (ii) an infiltration-dominated regime, (iii) a grain displacement-dominated regime, and (iv) a viscous fingering-dominated regime. These distinct failure/flow regimes emerge as a result of competition among various energy dissipation mechanisms, namely, viscous dissipation through infiltration, dissipation due to grain displacements, and viscous dissipation through flow in thin channels and can be classified based on the characteristic times associated with fluid injection, hydromechanical coupling and viscoelastoplasticity. The injection process is also analyzed numerically using the discrete element method (DEM) coupled with two fluid flow scheme, a fixed coarse grid scheme based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and a pore network modeling scheme. The numerical results from the two complementary methods reproduce phenomena consistent with the experimental observations and justify the concept of associating the displacement regimes with the partition among energy dissipation mechanisms. The research in this work, though fundamental in nature, will have direct impacts on many engineering problems in civil, environmental and petroleum engineering such as ground improvement, environmental remediation and reservoir stimulation.

This work explains the effect of failure on permeability anisotropy and dilation in sands. Shear failure is widely observed in field operations. There is incomplete understanding of the influence of shear failure in sand formations. Shear plane orientations are dependent on the stress anisotropy and that view is confirmed in this research. The effect of shear failure on the permeability is confirmed and calculated. Description of permeability anisotropy due to shear failure has also been discussed. In this work, three-dimensional discrete element modeling is used to model the behavior of uncemented and weakly cemented sand samples. Mechanical deformation data from experiments conducted on sand samples is used to calibrate the properties of the spherical particles in the simulations. Orientation of the failure planes (due to mechanical deformation) is analyzed both in an axi-symmetric stress regime (cylindrical specimen) and a non-axi-symmetric stress regime (right cuboidal specimen). Pore network fluid flow simulations are conducted before and after mechanical deformation to observe the effect of failure and stress anisotropy on the permeability and dilation of the granular specimen. A rolling resistance strategy is applied in the simulations, incorporating the stiffness of the specimens due to particle angularity, aiding in the calibration of the simulated samples against experimental data to derive optimum granular scale elastic and friction properties. A flexible membrane algorithm is applied on the lateral boundary of the simulation samples to implement the effect of a rubber/latex jacket. The effect of particle size distribution, stress anisotropy, and confining pressure on failure, permeability and dilation is studied. Using the calibrated micro-properties, simulations are extended to non-cylindrical specimen geometries to simulate field-like anisotropic stress regimes. The shear failure plane alignment is observed to be parallel to the maximum horizontal stress plane. Pore network fluid flow simulations confirm the increase in permeability due to shear failure and show a significantly greater permeability increase in the maximum horizontal stress direction. Using the flow simulations, anisotropy in the permeability field is observed by plotting the permeability ellipsoid. Samples with a small value of inter-granular cohesion depict greater shear failure, larger permeability increase and a greater permeability anisotropy than samples with a larger value of inter-granular cohesion. This is estimated by the number of micro-cracks observed. / text

Modeling and simulation of granular matter has important applications in both natural science and industry. One widely used method is the discrete element method (DEM). It can be used for simulating granular matter in the gaseous, liquid as well as solid regime whereas alternative methods are in general applicable to only one. Discrete element analysis of large systems is, however, limited by long computational time. A number of solutions to radically improve the computational efficiency of DEM simulations are developed and analysed. These include treating the material as a nonsmooth dynamical system and methods for reducing the computational effort for solving the complementarity problem that arise from implicit treatment of the contact laws. This allow for large time-step integration and ultimately more and faster simulation studies or analysis of more complex systems. Acceleration methods that can reduce the computational complexity and degrees of freedom have been invented. These solutions are investigated in numerical experiments, validated using experimental data and applied for design exploration of iron ore pelletising systems. / <p>This work has been generously supported by Algoryx Simulation, LKAB (dnr 223-</p><p>2442-09), Umeå University and VINNOVA (2014-01901).</p>

Tyrimų sritis ir darbo aktualumas. Kuriant modernias įvairios paskirties mechanines sistemas, technologijas ir įrangą, svarbiomis tampa jas sudarančios medžiagos. Savaime suprantama, kad žinomos ir naujai kuriamos medžiagos dabar kur kas išsamiau nagrinėjamos daugelyje mokslo šakų, įskaitant ir me-džiagų mechaniką. Visos medžiagos mezo- ir mikrostruktūros požiūriu yra ne-vienalytės. Jų mikroskopinės savybės skirtingos, lyginant su įprastu kontinuu-mu. Medžiagų savybėms tirti dažniausiai taikomi eksperimentiniai metodai. Eksperimentiniais metodais ištirti medžiagos struktūras ir jose vykstančius procesus ir įvertinti tam tikras jų savybes labai brangu. Tai viena priežasčių, kodėl skaitinis modeliavimas tampa realia tyrimų alternatyva. Skaitinį eksperi-mentą galima kartoti daug kartų, valdant bandinio parametrus, išlaikant tas pa-čias sąlygas, ir stebėti reiškiniui būdingus rodiklius visame tūryje. Šiuolaikiniai modeliavimo metodai yra kompleksiniai. Jie jungia fenome-nologines ir statistines idėjas, o matematiniai modeliai sudaromi taikant konti-nuumo mechanikos ir jų diskrečiųjų modelių bei molekulinės dinamikos pri-klausomybes. Diskrečiųjų elementų metodas (DEM) taip pat priskiriamas šiuo-laikinių metodų kategorijai. Jis skirtas kontaktuojančių dalelių sistemų dinami-niam modeliavimui. Kintanti dalelių sistemos topologija – būdingas metodo požymis. Pastaruoju metu DEM jau taikomas kontinuumui modeliuoti ir praktikoje aktualiems irimo uždaviniams spręsti. Reikia pastebėti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Research area and topicality of the work. Mechanical properties and their evolution under loading are the most significant factors for the development of various mechanical structures, technologies and equipment. It seems to be natu-ral that deeper understanding of the behaviour of existing and design of new materials presents a challenge in different research areas. It should be noted, that all the materials are heterogeneous in meso- and micro- scales. They exhibit essential differences, compared to the macroscopic continuum behaviour. Basically, both experimental and numerical simulation methods are extensively applied for investigation purposes. Experimental techniques, capable of giving a realistic view of the inside of the material and extracting the real data, are very expensive. Therefore, the nu-merical simulation tools are extensively used as an alternative for investigation purposes. They have considerable advantages allowing the reproduction of multiple experiments and providing comprehensive data about ongoing phe-nomena. Recently, numerical technologies have become highly multidisciplinary subjects. They comprise phenomenological and statistical ideas, while mathe-matical models employ the relations of continuum mechanics, classical discre-tization methods and molecular dynamics. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is one of new methods. It is aimed at simulating the dynamic behaviour of the contacting particles. Variable topology of the system of particles is an... [to full text]

Baigiamajame magistro darbe nagrinėjama dalelių mišinio dinaminė elgsena kvazistatiniame pusiausvyros būvyje. Pagrindinis dėmesys skiriamas mišinio makro- ir mikrobūsenai charakterizuoti. Darbo tikslas – ištirti betono užpildams būdingomis fizinėmis-mechaninėmis savybėmis pasižyminčio sferinių dalelių mišinio struktūrą ir elgseną fliuktuojančioje aplinkoje kvazistatinio pusiausvyros būvio sąlygomis. Dalelių mišinio elgsenos dinaminis modeliavimas atliktas diskrečiųjų elementų metodu (DEM). Modeliuoti viendispersis ir daugiadispersis mišiniai. Pagal gautus rezultatus, mišinio makrobūsena charakterizuojama struktūros užimama tūrio dalimi (tankumu), dalelių kontaktinėmis jėgomis bei koordinacijos skaičiumi. Atskirų mišinio dalelių mikrobūsena charakterizuojama taikant unikalų geometrinį metodą, sukurtą pagal Hamiltono mechanikos, bendrosios reliatyvumo teorijos ir kvantinės gravitacijos teorijų principus. Metodui realizuoti parengtas kompiuterinis algoritmas patvirtino iškeltas hipotezes. / In the Master Thesis an investigation of dynamical behavior of the mixture of particles under quasistatic equilibrium conditions was performed. It focuses on a characterization of the macro- and microstate of the mixture. The purpose of the research is to explore structure and behavior of the mixture of spherical particles, characterized by the typical physical-mechanical properties of concrete aggregates, in a fluctuating environment under quasistatic equilibrium conditions. Dynamic simulation of the behavior of the particles was performed via the discrete element method (DEM). According to the results obtained, the macrostate of the mixture was investigated in view of a volume fraction, contact forces of particles and a coordination number. A characterization of the microstate of distinct particle was done using the unique geometrical method which had been created according to Hamiltonian mechanics, the theory of relativity and the principles of quantum gravity. The developed computer algorithm allowed to confirm the hypotheses of the method.

Recently, powders of the size d (0.1 μm < d < 10 μm) have been referred to ultrafine particles. The particle shape considered is assumed to be a sphere of the diameter d. The handling of powders is of great importance for processing of pharmaceuticals, cement, chemicals and other products. Most of these technological processes involve powder compaction, storage, transportation, mixing, etc, therefore, understanding of the fundamentals of particles interaction behaviour is very essential in the design of machines and equipment as well as in powder technology, cleaning of environment and other areas. The dynamic behaviour of particulate systems is very complicated due to the complex interactions between individual particles and their interaction with the surroundings. Understanding the underlying mechanisms can be effectively achieved via particle scale research. The problem of a normal contact may be resolved in a number of ways. In spite of huge progress in experimental techniques, direct lab tests with individual particles are still rather time-consuming and expensive. The interaction of particles as solid bodies is actually a classical problem of contact mechanics. In the case of ultrafine particles, the reduction of the particle size shifts the contact zones into the nanoscale or subnanoscale. Thus, steadily increasing contribution of adhesion has to be considered in the development of the physically correct constitutive models and numerical tools. Consequently, it may... [to full text] / Ultrasmulkios dalelės yra šiuolaikinės chemijos, farmacijos, maisto ir kitų pramonės šakų produktų sudėtinė dalis. Tiriant pramoninius technologinius procesus, neišvengiamai reikalingos teorinės žinios apie ultrasmulkių dalelių elgseną. Išsamus supratimas įmanomas tik atlikus įvairius tyrimus. Pastaruoju metu milteliai, klasifikuojami kaip ultrasmulkios (0,1 < d < 10 μm) dalelės, imti plačiai naudoti pramoniniuose procesuose, todėl suprasti ultrasmulkių dalelių elgsenos fundamentalumą miltelių technologijoje yra labai svarbu. Ultrasmulki dalelė yra itin maža, todėl su ja atlikti fizinį eksperimentą, kuris reikalauja specialios įrangos bei žinių, labai sunku. Tokiu atveju dažniausiai naudojamas skaitinis eksperimentas, kurį galima atlikti virtualiai. Skaitinio eksperimento metu yra tiriamos dinaminės ultrasmulkios dalelės savybės bei sprendžiamas dinaminis uždavinys. Taikant skaitinius modelius bei dalelės judėjimą aprašančias jėgų lygtis, naudojami sąveikos modeliai, apimantys adhezinę, klampią, tamprią bei tampriai plastinę sąveikas. Mikroskopinis adhezinės sąveikos modeliavimas – aktualus mechanikos mokslo uždavinys. Taikant sąveikos modelius, svarbu pritaikyti ir diskrečiųjų elementų metodą, kadangi, norint aprašyti dalelių elgseną, visų pirma reikia su-vokti ir aprašyti dalelės modelį. Dalelės elgsenos skaitiniam modeliavimui siūlomi teoriniai modeliai leidžia tirti dalelės sąveiką su dalele ar tampria puserdve bei sąveikos dinamiką. Šie modeliai galėtų būti pritaikyti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

L'objectif de cette thèse est de mettre en place un cadre numérique qui permet de simuler la réponse de structures en béton armé de taille industrielle soumises à des impacts sévères. Notre modèle repose sur trois ingrédients principaux : 1) la modélisation éléments discrets (ED) du béton, permettant de profiter de la nature « discrète » de cette formulation et de décrire facilement l'apparition et la propagation des discontinuités fortes de la matière ; 2) la modélisation éléments finis (EF) poutre des armatures, donnant la possibilité de représenter toute la complexité du ferraillage que l'on rencontre dans les structures industrielles en béton armé ; 3) un modèle de liaison acier-béton original, que nous avons proposé et mis en œuvre dans le code EUROPLEXUS, et qui constitue le principal apport de cette thèse. Nous avons effectué une étude théorique et numérique sur la stabilité et la précision de ce modèle de liaison, et avons calibré ses paramètres en simulant un essai d'arrachement. En modélisant l'essai de traction d'un tirant (barre en béton contenant une armature), nous avons montré la capacité de notre modèle à reproduire le transfert des efforts entre le béton et l'armature au niveau de l'interface acier-béton. Testé et validé sur des cas-tests élémentaires, le modèle mixte ED-EF a ensuite été appliqué à la simulation de vraies structures en béton armé. Nous avons simulé de manière détaillée quelques essais connus (l'impact mou sur poutre CEA, l'essai Meppen II-4), ce qui a permis de valider l'ensemble de notre approche numérique et de recueillir des éléments pour définir les pistes d'amélioration des modèles que nous avons mis en œuvre. / The aim of this work is to set up a numerical framework to simulate the behaviour of industrial size reinforced concrete structures subjected to severe impacts. Our model is based on three main features : 1) modeling of the concrete with a discrete method to handle easily strong material discontinuities such as initiation and propagation of macro-cracks ; 2) modeling of the reinforcement bars with finite element method to be able to represent complex reinforcement cages of industrial structures ; 3) an original steel-concrete bond model that we proposed and implemented in the dynamic explicit code EUROPLEXUS and that constitutes the main task of this work. We studied theoretically and numerically this model to guarantee its stability and precision during the time integration. We calibrated its parameters by simulating pull-out tests. To verify our model, we simulated a tie-test (a long concrete column which contains a reinforcement bar) and showed that our model ensures the correct transfert of forces between steel and concrete. After testing our model on simple benchmarks, we simulated real reinforced concrete structures subjected to impacts (soft impact on a beam, Meppen test n°II-4), allowing us to validate our numerical approach and to define some perspectives to improve the models we have developped.

This thesis presents a systematic numerical modeling framework to simulate the stress-deformation and coupled stress-deformation-flow processes by performing uniaxial and biaxial compressive tests on fractured rock models with considering the effects of different loading conditions, different loading directions (anisotropy), and coupled hydro-mechanical processes for evaluating strength and deformability behavior of fractured rocks. By using code UDEC of discrete element method (DEM), a series of numerical experiments were conducted on discrete fracture network models (DFN) at an established representative elementary volume (REV), based on realistic geometrical and mechanical data of fracture systems from field mapping at Sellafield, UK. The results were used to estimate the equivalent Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio and to fit the Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown failure criteria, represented by equivalent material properties defining these two criteria. The results demonstrate that strength and deformation parameters of fractured rocks are dependent on confining pressures, loading directions, water pressure, and mechanical and hydraulic boundary conditions. Fractured rocks behave nonlinearly, represented by their elasto-plastic behavior with a strain hardening trend. Fluid flow analysis in fractured rocks under hydro-mechanical loading conditions show an important impact of water pressure on the strength and deformability parameters of fractured rocks, due to the effective stress phenomenon, but the values of stress and strength reduction may or may not equal to the magnitude of water pressure, due to the influence of fracture system complexity. Stochastic analysis indicates that the strength and deformation properties of fractured rocks have ranges of values instead of fixed values, hence such analyses should be considered especially in cases where there is significant scatter in the rock and fracture parameters. These scientific achievements can improve our understanding of fractured rocks’ hydro-mechanical behavior and are useful for the design of large-scale in-situ experiments with large volumes of fractured rocks, considering coupled stress-deformation-flow processes in engineering practice. / <p>QC 20141111</p>