Numerical Investigation on Fracture Mechanisms and Energy Evolution Characteristics of Columnar Jointed Basalts With Different Model Boundaries and Confining Pressures

To reveal the mechanical mechanisms and energy release characteristics underlying progressive failure of columnar jointed basalts (CJBs) with various model boundaries and confining pressures, by combining the meso-damage mechanics, statistical strength theory, and continuum mechanics, inhomogeneous CJB models with different dip angles to the column axis are constructed. In the cases of plane stress, plane strain, and between plane stress and plane strain, the gradual fracture processes of CJBs are simulated under different confining pressures and the acoustic emission (AE) rules are obtained. The results show that: 1) in the case of plane stress, the fracture process of CJBs along direction I orthogonal to the column axis: at the initial stage of loading, the vertical joints and the transverse joints in the CJB specimen are damaged. Then, more columns in the upper middle part are cracked; 2) in the case between plane stress and plane strain, the fracture process of CJBs along the direction parallel to the column axis: at the initial stage of loading, the columnar joints are damaged. Then, the area of the damaged and broken columns at the top of the specimen increases and the crushing degree intensifies; 3) for the case between plane stress and plane strain, the AE energy accumulation before the peak stress is higher than the plane strain state along the direction orthogonal to the column axis. Meanwhile, along the direction parallel to the column axis, this value becomes larger when changing from the state between plane stress and plane strain to the plane strain state. These achievements will certainly improve our understanding of the fracture mechanism and energy evolution of CJBs and provide valuable insights into the instability precursor of CJBs.

Construction of Nonsingular Stress Fields for Non-Euclidean Model in Planar Deformations

A material with a microstructure is considered. A material is described on the basis of a non-Euclidean model of a continuous medium. In equilibrium, the total stress field is represented as the sum of elastic and self-balanced stresses, the parameterization of which is given through the scalar curvature of the Ricci tensor. It is proposed to use the spectral biharmonic equation to calculate the scalar curvature. Using the example of a plane strain state of a material, it is shown that the amplitude coefficients of elastic and self-balanced fields can be chosen so that singularities of the same type compensate each other in the full stress field

The Characteristics of Selected Triaxiality Measures of the Stresses for a C(T) Specimen Dominated by the Plane Strain State

The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the stress field and selected triaxiality parameters near the crack tip for C(T) specimen dominated by the plane strain state using the finite element method. It includes some theoretical information about elastic-plastic fracture mechanics, the basics of the FEM modeling and presentation of the numerical results. The FEM analysis includes calculations with large strain assumptions. The influence of the external load and crack length is discussed. Additional elements of the paper are a qualitative assessment of the size of plastic zones and the crack tip opening displacement.

The Characterization of the Stress Fields Near a Crack Tip for a Compact Specimen for Elastic-Plastic Materials Dominated by the Plane Strain State

The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the stress field near a crack tip for a compact specimen dominated by the plane strain state using the finite element method. The analysis also includes the calculation of some parameters of in-plane constraints, both for small and large strain assumptions. It discusses the influence of the material characteristic, relative crack length and external load for the stress field, and the in-plane constraint parameter. The approximation formulas for some in-plane constraint parameters are presented.