scholarly journals Experimental Study on Seepage Anisotropy of a Hexagonal Columnar Jointed Rock Mass

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Yanxin He ◽  
Zhende Zhu ◽  
Wenbin Lu ◽  
Yuan Tian ◽  
Xinghua Xie ◽  
...  

Many columnar jointed rock masses (basalt) are present at the Baihetan hydropower dam site, and their seepage characteristics have a significant impact on the project’s safety and stability. In this study, model samples consisting of material similar to the columnar jointed rock mass with different inclination angles (0°–90°) were prepared and laboratory triaxial seepage tests were performed to study the seepage characteristics of the columnar jointed rock mass under maximum axial principal stress. The experimental results showed that the similar material model samples of columnar jointed rock mass showed obvious seepage anisotropy. The nonlinear seepage characteristics were well described by the Forchheimer and Izbash equations, and the fitting coefficients of the two equations were in good correspondence. The curves describing the relationship between the inherent permeability and the stress of the samples with different dip angles were U-shaped and L-shaped, and a one-variable cubic equation well described the relationship. The 45° angle specimen had the highest sensitivity to the maximum principal stress, and its final permeability increased by 144.25% compared with the initial permeability. The research results can provide theoretical support for the stability evaluation of the Baihetan hydropower station.

Geofluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Yanxin He ◽  
Zhende Zhu ◽  
Wenbin Lu ◽  
Yunjin Hu ◽  
Xinghua Xie ◽  
...  

A columnar jointed rock mass is a type of rock mass with strong geometric anisotropy and high interface permeability. Its seepage characteristics pose new challenges to the construction and maintenance of the Baihetan Hydropower Station on the Jinsha River. The research object in this study is the columnar jointed rock mass (basalt) in the dam area of Baihetan Hydropower Station. Similar-material model samples of the columnar jointed rock mass with different column dip angles ( α = 0 ° ~90°) were prepared following a similar principle. A true triaxial seepage–stress coupling test was conducted to evaluate the seepage characteristics of similar-material samples with different dip angles under intermediate principal stress and minimum principal stress. The experimental results showed that the columnar jointed rock mass exhibited apparent seepage anisotropy. The relationship curve between the volume flow rate Q and the pressure gradient − d P / d L of the samples with different dip angles showed evident nonlinear seepage under intermediate principal stress, which could be well expressed using the Forchheimer equation. It shows the characteristics of a typical linear Darcy flow under minimum principal stress. The law of variations in the permeability of the samples with different dip angles under intermediate principal stress can be well expressed using the one-dimensional quadratic function equation k = a + b σ 2 + c σ 2 2 , and the law of variations in the permeability of the samples with different dip angles under minimum principal stress can be well expressed using the logarithmic function k = a + b ln σ 3 . The permeabilities of the columnar jointed rock mass with dip angles of 0°, 15°, 30°, and 60° were most sensitive to changes in stress, and the seepage characteristics increased in complexity after changes in stress.


2021 ◽  
Vol 861 (7) ◽  
pp. 072106
Author(s):  
Z P Xiang ◽  
S L Huang ◽  
H L Wang ◽  
W Y Xu ◽  
X L Ding ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Qian-Cheng Sun ◽  
Hao-Sen Guo ◽  
Zhi-Hua Xu ◽  
Yue Liu ◽  
Xiao Xu

It is very important to accurately determine the depth of excavation damaged zone for underground engineering excavation and surrounding rock stability evaluation, and it can be measured by acoustic test, but there is no quantitative method for analysis of the results, and it relies heavily on the experience of engineers, which leads to the low reliability of the results and also limits the application of the acoustic method. According to substantial field test data and the feedback of surrounding rock support parameters, the boundary method is proposed to determine the depth of excavation damaged zone in surrounding rock based on the relation between the ultrasonic velocity of measured point and the background wave velocity of rock mass. When the method is applied to the columnar jointed rock mass of Baihetan and the deep-buried hard rock of Jinping, the excavation damaged zone was well judged. The results in the Baihetan project show that the proposed method of determining excavation damage zone by the acoustic test can well demonstrate the anisotropy characteristics of the columnar jointed rock mass, and the damage evolution characteristics of jointed rock mass at the same position can also be obtained accurately. Moreover, the method also can accurately reveal the damage evolution process of the deep-buried hard rock under the condition of high ground stress, which proved the applicability of this method in jointed or nonjointed rock masses.


Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zihao Niu ◽  
Zhende Zhu ◽  
Xiangcheng Que

Columnar jointed rock mass (CJRM) is a highly symmetrical natural fractured structure. As the rock mass of the dam foundation of the Baihetan Hydropower Station, the study of its permeability anisotropy is of great significance to engineering safety. Based on the theory of composite mechanics and Goodman’s joint superposition principle, the constitutive model of joints of CJRM is derived according to the Quadrangular prism, the Pentagonal prism and the Hexagonal prism model; combined with Singh’s research results on intermittent joint stress concentration, considering column deflection angles, the joint constitutive model of CJRM in three-dimensional space is established. For the CJRM in the Baihetan dam site area, the Quadrangular prism, the Pentagonal prism and the Hexagonal prism constitutive models were used to calculate the permeability coefficients of CJRM under different deflection angles. The permeability anisotropy characteristics of the three models were compared and verified by numerical simulation results. The results show that the calculation results of the Pentagonal prism model are in good agreement with the numerical simulation results. The variation of permeability coefficient under different confining pressures is compared, and the relationship between permeability coefficient and confining pressure is obtained, which accords with the negative exponential function and conforms to the general rule of joint seepage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 268 ◽  
pp. 105509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingjie Xia ◽  
Chuanqing Zhang ◽  
Hui Zhou ◽  
Jing Hou ◽  
Guoshao Su ◽  
...  

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenbin Lu ◽  
Zhende Zhu ◽  
Xiangcheng Que ◽  
Cong Zhang ◽  
Yanxin He

In this work, an anisotropic constitutive model of hexagonal columnar jointed rock masses is established to describe the distribution law of deformation and the failure of columnar joint caverns under anisotropic conditions, and is implemented to study the columnar jointed rock mass at the dam site of the Baihetan Hydropower Station on the Jinsha River. The model is based on the Cosserat theory and considers the mesoscopic bending effect on the macroscopic mean. The influences of joint plane inclination on equivalent anisotropic elastic parameters are discussed via the introduction of an off-axis transformation matrix and the analysis of an example. It is also pointed out that the six-prism columnar jointed rock mass changes from transverse isotropy to anisotropy under the influence of the angle. A numerical calculation program of the Cosserat constitutive model is developed and is applied to the simulation calculation of a Baihetan diversion tunnel to compare and analyze the respective plastic zones and stress distributions after tunnel excavation under both isotropic and anisotropic conditions. The results reveal that, compared with the isotropic model, the proposed Cosserat anisotropic model better reflects the state of stress and asymmetric distribution of the plastic zone after tunnel excavation, and the actual deformation of the surrounding rock of the tunnel is greater than that calculated by the isotropic method. The results aid in a better understanding of the mechanical properties of rock masses.


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