This study aims to systematically investigate the influence mechanism of particle size and surface roughness on the shear mechanical behavior of spherical particle materials. Rough glass beads with different particle sizes (2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm) were prepared using sandblasting technique. Together with smooth glass beads, they were used as test raw materials for indoor triaxial consolidated-drained (CD) tests. Based on the quantitative characterization of particle surface roughness, the differences in the shear mechanical properties of spherical particle materials, including stress-strain curves, strength parameters, critical state characteristics, and stick-slip behavior, etc., were discussed from the aspects of the particle size effect (R), the surface roughness index (Ra), and the normalized roughness effect (Ra/R). The main research results show that: increasing the surface roughness of particles can improve various shear mechanical parameters to a certain extent. This includes effectively increasing the peak deviatoric stress, expanding the range of the strength envelope, and raising the deviatoric stress corresponding to the specimen in the critical failure state. It can significantly increase the peak friction angle phi by approximately 10 %-40 % and the critical state line slope (CSL slope) by about 5 %-23 %. Moreover, the increase becomes more pronounced as the particle size decreases. Meanwhile, as the normalized roughness effect (Ra/R) increases, the friction coefficient becomes larger, which greatly weakens the stick-slip behavior between particles.
In order to accurately measure the internal stress-strain curve of plain concrete specimens and confined concrete specimens under compression, a new measurement method is proposed, which adopts conventional strain gauges to measure the internal strain data of the specimens, and the micro soil pressure box with ultra-large range is developed to measure the internal stress of the specimens. The uniaxial compression tests of 3 plain concrete specimens and 9 confined concrete specimens are completed, and the macroscopic failure process of the specimens and the stress-strain curves at different internal points are obtained. Combined with the experimental results, the accuracy of the calculation results of several classical confined concrete constitutive models is compared, and a modified constitutive model is proposed. Solid finite element analysis is used to analyze the stress-strain curves at different points inside the specimens, and the prediction accuracy of different constitutive models is compared. On this basis, nonlinear finite element analysis is used to verify the quasi-static test of RC columns, and the accuracy of different constitutive models in the nonlinear analysis at the component level is compared and analyzed. The results show that the measurement method proposed in this study can accurately measure the stress-strain data internal the concrete. The calculation results of the modified constitutive model proposed in this study are in the best agreement with the test results, and have a wide range of applications, which can be applied to the measurement of internal stress-strain curves of other different types of specimens.
The reliability of the absorbing layer is crucial for realizing protective engineering's protection function. However, the typical wave-absorbing material, sand, is unable to fulfill its intended wave-absorbing function in areas with seasonally frozen soil. This is because the internal pores of the material become filled with ice and the particles freeze. To address this issue, alumina thin-walled hollow particles were chosen as a new wave-absorbing material. These particles can introduce the gas phase into the absorbing layer which is essential for attenuating the stress waves and its wave-absorbing capacity under freezing conditions was investigated by the split Hopkinson bar (SHPB) test. According to the test data, the alumina thin-walled hollow particles are less dense than sand and have a lower wave impedance, allowing them to reflect more incident energy. Moreover, these particles have a better capacity for dissipating the absorbed energy, as compared to sand. Under freezing circumstances, the average transmittance coefficient of alumina thin-walled hollow particles is only 21.95% to 49.30% of ordinary sand. Additionally, the particle size positively correlates with the capacity for wave-absorption. The capacity of alumina thin-walled hollow particles to shatter and release the gas phase under impact stress significantly increases the compressibility of the absorbing layer under freezing conditions, which accounts for their enhanced wave-absorbing effectiveness. The stress-strain curve specifically manifests as a smoother curve and a longer stage of plastic energy dissipation. Other than that, the dynamic deformation modulus of the material and peak stress is lower, while the peak strain is larger. The findings of this study provide a low-cost, high-reliability solution to the problem of frost damage in the absorbing layer in regions with seasonal freezing.
This study presents a novel approach to forecasting the evolution of hysteresis stress-strain response of different types of soils under repeated loading-unloading cycles. The forecasting is made solely from the knowledge of soil properties and loading parameters. Our approach combines mathematical modeling, regression analysis, and Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) to overcome the limitations of traditional DNN training. As a novelty, we propose a hysteresis loop evolution equation and design a family of DNNs to determine the parameters of this equation. Knowing the nature of the phenomenon, we can impose certain solution types and narrow the range of values, enabling the use of a very simple and efficient DNN model. The experimental data used to develop and test the model was obtained through Torsional Shear (TS) tests on soil samples. The model demonstrated high accuracy, with an average R 2 value of 0.9788 for testing and 0.9944 for training.
Utilizing MSC composite materials (M-Metakaolin(MK)), S-Slag, C-Calcium carbide residue (CCR)), the waste engineering mud produced through the drilling and grouting pile construction method was solidified.Through the analysis of unconfined compressive strength (UCS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) on solidified engineering mud test blocks, the influence of complex factors such as slag content, CCR content, and curing time on the solidification efficiency of engineering mud was investigated, and the microscopic mechanism was analyzed.Concurrently, supplementary tests were carried out to ascertain the pH and water content of the cured mud.The results indicated that the 7-day unconfined compressive strength of cured mud specimens could achieve 3 MPa when incorporating 12 % MK, 8 % slag, and 6 % CCR.The optimal pH for the curing mud is determined to be 11.25, correlating with a water content of 84 %.The destructive strains corresponding to the peak stresses of the cured mud at different curing times ranged from 1.6 % to 2.5 % and generally decreased with increasing peak stresses.The XRD and SEM analyses have demonstrated that the enhancement in the strength of the cured mud can be attributed to the processes of hydration and polymerization, resulting in the generation of gel products such as calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) and aluminosilicate-Na hydrate (NASH). These products are responsible for the adsorption of clay and bentonite particles, thereby efficiently occupying the structural voids.The research findings have the potential to provide theoretical support for the development of environmentally friendly and low-carbon MSC gelling materials, as well as their application in soil reinforcement, notably in the context of engineered mud solidification.
The environmental impact of non-biodegradable rubber waste can be severe if they are buried in moist landfill soils or remain unused forever. This study deals with a sustainable approach for reusing discarded tires in construction materials. Replacing ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with an environmentally friendly geopolymer binder and integrating crumb rubber into pre-treated or non-treated geopolymer concrete as a partial replacement of natural aggregate is a great alternative to utilise tire waste and reduce CO2 emissions. Considering this, two sets of geopolymer concrete (GPC) mixes were manufactured, referred to as core mixes. Fine aggregates of the core geopolymer mixes were partially replaced with pre-treated and non-treated rubber crumbs to produce crumb rubber geopolymer concrete (CRGPC). The mechanical properties, such as compressive strength, stress-strain relationship, and elastic modulus of a rubberised geopolymer concrete of the reference GPC mix and the CRGPC were examined thoroughly to determine the performance of the products. Also, the mechanical properties of the CRGPC were compared with the existing material models. The result shows that the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of CRGPC decrease with the increase of rubber content; for instance, a 33% reduction of the compressive strength is observed when 25% natural fine aggregate is replaced with crumb rubber. However, the strength and elasticity reduction can be minimised using pre-treated rubber particles. Based on the experimental results, stress-strain models for GPC and CRGPC are developed and proposed. The proposed models can accurately predict the properties of GPC and CRGPC.
To solve the problem that the mechanical behavior of undisturbed loess in seasonally frozen soil area is affected by freeze-thaw action, triaxial shear tests of undisturbed loess under freeze-thaw condition were carried out. The results show that the mechanical properties of undisturbed loess are greatly affected by factors including freeze-thaw process, water content, natural density and confining pressure. Freeze-thaw action has a certain impact on the failure surface shape and stress-strain curve. Before and after freeze-thaw, the shape of the shear failure surface is complex, including single oblique failure surface, double oblique failure surface, vertical failure surface, X-shaped failure surface, bulging failure, etc. And under the conditions of low water content, low confining pressure and high dry density, the stress-strain curve tends to be softened. Conversely, the curve tends to harden. Freeze-thaw action can make the stress-strain curve transition from softening to hardening. In addition, the freeze-thaw action significantly weakens the failure strength, shear strength, cohesion, initial tangent modulus and failure ratio of undisturbed soil, but does not change the internal friction angle obviously. Also, the heterogeneity of natural soil is also an important factor affecting the mechanical parameters, failure surface shape and stress-strain curve of undisturbed loess.
A standardized preparation process is proposed in this study for achieving optimal strength and vegetative properties in vegetated concrete, using Yunnan red soil as a growth substrate for plants. The porosity of vegetated concrete is a crucial factor influencing plant growth, while compressive strength is a significant mechanical property. To assess the strength and porosity of vegetated concrete, different design porosities (22%, 24%, 26%, 28%) and cement-to-aggregate ratios (4, 5, 6, 7) were utilized in the preparation of vegetated concrete samples. The shell-making and static-pressure-molding methods were optimized for specimen preparation. Analyzing the stress-strain full curve characteristics of vegetation-type concrete under different influencing factors, an in-depth investigation into its failure mechanism was conducted. It was determined that the design porosity and cement content significantly impact the concrete's performance, particularly in terms of 30-day compressive strength and effective porosity. Furthermore, an increase in the fly ash ratio led to an increase in porosity and a decrease in compressive strength, providing a certain guidance for optimizing concrete performance. Comparative analysis through vegetation experiments revealed that black rye grass exhibited favorable growth adaptability compared to other grass species.