• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.121-131
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• 2017

We studied the time-dependent behaviors of rock and concrete materials by conducting the static and dynamic long-term strength tests. In particular, acoustic emission(AE) signals generated while the tests were analyzed and used for the long-term stability evaluation. In the static subcritical crack growth test, the long-term behavior and AE characteristics of Mode I and Mode II were investigated. In the dynamic long-term strength test, the fatigue limit and characteristics of generation of AE were analyzed through cyclic four points bending test. The graph of the cumulative AE hits versus time showed a shape similar to that of the creep curve with the first, second and third stages. The possibility for evaluating the static and dynamic long-term stability of rock and concrete is presented from the log - log relationship between the slope of the secondary stage of cumulative AE hits curve and the delayed failure time.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.241-247
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• 2019

In this paper the effect of bedding layer on the failure mechanism of rock in direct shear test has been investigated using particle flow code, PFC. For this purpose, firstly calibration of pfc2d was performed using Brazilian tensile strength. Secondly direct shear test consisting bedding layer was simulated numerically. Thickness of layers was 10 mm and rock bridge length was 10 mm, 40 mm and 60 mm. In each rock bridge length, bedding layer angles changes from $0^{\circ}$ to $90^{\circ}$ with increment of $15^{\circ}$. Totally 21 models were simulated and tested. The results show that two types of cracks develop within the model. Shear cracks and tensile cracks. Also failure pattern is affected by bridge length while shear strength is controlled by failure pattern. It's to be noted that bedding layer has not any effect on the failure pattern because the layer interface strength is too high.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.235-266
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• 2016

A rock mass containing non-persistent joints can only fail if the joints propagate and coalesce through an intact rock bridge. Shear strength of rock mass containing non-persistent joints is highly affected by the both, mechanical behavior and geometrical configuration of non-persistent joints located in a rock mass. Existence of rock joints and rock bridges are the most important factors complicating mechanical responses of a rock mass to stress loading. The joint-bridge interaction and bridge failure dominates mechanical behavior of jointed rock masses and the stability of rock excavations. The purpose of this review paper is to present techniques, progresses and the likely future development directions in experimental and numerical modelling of a non-persistent joint failure behaviour. Such investigation is essential to study the fundamental failures occurring in a rock bridge, for assessing anticipated and actual performances of the structures built on or in rock masses. This paper is divided into two sections. In the first part, experimental investigations have been represented followed by a summarized numerical modelling. Experimental results showed failure mechanism of a rock bridge under different loading conditions. Also effects of the number of non-persistent joints, angle between joint and a rock bridge, lengths of the rock bridge and the joint were investigated on the rock bridge failure behaviour. Numerical simulation results are used to validate experimental outputs.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.573-594
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• 2024

This article presents a research study, with both laboratory and field tests, of a deep foundation in a markedly anisotropic medium. Particularly it has focused on the evaluation of the behavior of a pile, one meter in diameter, embedded in a rocky environment with difficult conditions, in the Flysch of the Spanish city of San Sebastián. To carry out the research, the site of a bridge over the Urumea River was chosen, which was supported by pre-excavated reinforced concrete piles. 4 borings were carried out, by the rotation and washing method, with continuous sampling and combined with flexible dilatometer tests. In the field, an Osterberg load test (O-cell) was performed, while in the laboratory, determinations of natural moisture, natural unit weight, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), point load strength (PLS), compressive wave propagation velocity (V_c) and also triaxial and direct shear tests were carried out. The research results indicate the following: a) the empirical functions that correlate the UCS with the PLS are not always linear; b) for the studied Flysch it is possible to obtain empirical functions that correlate the UCS with the PLS and with the V_c; c) the bearing capacity of the studied Flysch is much greater than if it is evaluated by different load capacity theories; d) it is possible to propose an empirical function that allows evaluating the mobilized shear strength (τ_m), as a function of the UCS and the displacement relative of the pile (δ_r).

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.91-107
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• 2014

Using the principle of damage mechanics, zero-thickness pore pressure cohesive elements (PPCE) are used to simulate the casing-cement interface (CCI) and cement-rock interface (CRI). The traction-separation law describes the emergence and propagation of the PPCE. Mohr-coulomb criteria determines the elastic and plastic condition of cement sheath and rock. The finite element model (FEM) of delamination fractures emergence and propagation along the casing-cement-rock (CCR) interfaces during hydraulic fracturing is established, and the emergence and propagation of fractures along the wellbore axial and circumferential direction are simulated. Regadless of the perforation angle (the angle between the perforation and the max. horizontal principle stress), mirco-annulus will be produced alonge the wellbore circumferential direction when the cementation strength of the CCI and the CRI is less than the rock tensile strength; the delamination fractures are hard to propagate along the horizontal wellbore axial direction; emergence and propagation of delamination fractures are most likely produced on the shallow formation when the in-situ stresses are lower; the failure mode of cement sheath in the deep well is mainly interfaces seperation and body damange caused by cement expansion and contraction, or pressure testing and well shut-in operations.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.269-282
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• 2015

In this paper, a compression to tensile load converter device was developed to determine the anisotropic tensile strength of concrete. The samples were made from a mixture of water, fine sand and cement, respectively. Concrete samples with a hole at its center was prepared and subjected to tensile loading using the compression to tensile load converter device. A hydraulic load cell applied compressive loading to converter device with a constant pressure of 0.02 MPa per second. Compressive loading was converted to tensile stress on the sample because of the overall test design. The samples have three different configurations related to loading axis; 0, $45^{\circ}$, $-45^{\circ}$. A series of finite element analysis were done to analyze the effect of hole diameter on stress concentration of the hole side along its horizontal axis to provide a suitable criterion for determining the real tensile strength of concrete. Concurrent with indirect tensile test, Brazilian test and three point loading test were also performed to compare the results from the three methods. Results obtained by this device were quite encouraging and show that the tensile strengths of concrete were similar in different directions because of the homogeneity of bonding between the concrete materials. Also, the indirect tensile strength was clearly lower than the Brazilian test strength and three point loading test.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics Conference
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• 1995.03a
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• pp.1-26
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• 1995

Key aspects of the Norwegian Method of Tunnelling (NMT) are reviewed. These include a predictive method of support design using the six-parameter Q-system of rock mass characterisation. The rock mass rating or Q-value is updated during tunnel driving. The designed tunnel support generally consists of wet process, steel fibre reinforced shotcrete combined with fully grouted, untensioned rock bolts, Even in poor rock conditions S(fr) + B usually acts as the final rock reinforcement and tunnel lining. Since it is a drained lining, it is very economic compared to cast concrete with membranes. Light, free-standing steel liners are used to prevent water affecting the runnel environment. Rock mass conditions, and hence lining design and cost estimation can be assessed by careful use of seismic surveys. Relationships between the P-wave velocity, the rock mass deformation modulus and the Q-value have recently been established, where tunnel depth, rock porosity and the uniaxial compression strength of the rock are important variables. The rock mass modulus estimate, and simple index testing of the joints, provide the key input which joints are discretely represented (either in two dimensions with the UDEC code or in three dimensions with the 3DEC code) is generally favoured compared to continuum analysis. The latter may give a misleading impression of uniformity and deformations tend to be understimated. Q-system NMT designs of S(fr) + B (fibre reinforced shotcrete and bolting) are numerically checked and adjustments made to bolt capacities and shotcrete thickness if overloading is evident around the modelled profile.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.411-427
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• 2006

The Discrete Element Method, DEM, is increasingly used in fracture studies of non-homogeneous continuous media, such as rock and concrete. A 2D circular rigid DEM formulation, developed to model concrete, has been adopted. A procedure developed to generate aggregate particles with a given aspect ratio and shape is presented. The aggregate particles are modelled with macroparticles formed by a group of circular particles that behave as a rigid body. Uniaxial tensile and compression tests performed with circular and non-circular aggregates, with a given aspect ratio, have shown similar values of fracture toughness when adopting uniform strength and elastic properties for all the contacts. Non-circular aggregate assemblies are shown to have higher fracture toughness when different strength and elastic properties are set for the matrix and for the aggregate/matrix contacts.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.333-341
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• 2021

Steel slag, an industrial reject from the steel rolling process, has been identified as one of the suitable, environmentally friendly materials for concrete production. Given that the coarse aggregate portion represents about 70% of concrete constituents, other economic approaches have been found in the use of alternative materials such as steel slag in concrete. Unfortunately, a standard framework for its application is still lacking. Therefore, this study proposed functional model equations for the determination of strength properties (compression and splitting tensile) of steel slag aggregate concrete (SSAC), using gene expression programming (GEP). The study, in the experimental phase, utilized steel slag as a partial replacement of crushed rock, in steps 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, respectively. The predictor variables included in the analysis were cement, sand, granite, steel slag, water/cement ratio, and curing regime (age). For the model development, 60-75% of the dataset was used as the training set, while the remaining data was used for testing the model. Empirical results illustrate that steel aggregate could be used up to 100% replacement of conventional aggregate, while also yielding comparable results as the latter. The GEP-based functional relations were tested statistically. The minimum absolute percentage error (MAPE), and root mean square error (RMSE) for compressive strength are 6.9 and 1.4, and 12.52 and 0.91 for the train and test datasets, respectively. With the consistency of both the training and testing datasets, the model has shown a strong capacity to predict the strength properties of SSAC. The results showed that the proposed model equations are reliably suitable for estimating SSAC strength properties. The GEP-based formula is relatively simple and useful for pre-design applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.09a
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• pp.1025-1028
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• 2009

Earth and rock fill dam is our typical dam because of their inherent flexibility and adaptability to various fundation conditions. In order to secure structural safety, rockfill materials are used angular particles obtained by blasting parent rock or rounded particles collected from river beds. Concrete-faces rockfill dams(CFRD) and Concrete-faces gravelfill dams(CFGD) have become popular in the last 20 years as s result of their good performance and low cost compared with the rockfill dam. These Dams are also constructed by the materials. A key factor in the design of the dams is the deformations induced during construction and upon reservoir filling. These can be predicted using the stress-strain and strength properties can be adequately define. However the stress-strain properties of rockfill are difficult to determine because the properties are affected by such factors as particle grading, size and shape of particles, stress conditions, and particle crushing. In our study, testing of the behavior of the rockfill materials are essential prerequisites to the realistic analysis and design of the CFGD. This paper deals with laboratory testing of particle crushing among the study.