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Physical Characterization and Mechanical Resistance of Geomaterials in Deep Underground...
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Physical Characterization and Mechanical Resistance of Geomaterials in Deep Underground Engineering

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 7719

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bin Gong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Brunel University London, London UB8 3PH, UK
Interests: rock mechanics; computational geomechanics; geohazard prevention and mitigation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Yongjun Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, China
Interests: rock fracture; strength criterion; thermal-hydraulic-mechanical coupling
Dr. Xiangxin Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil and Surveying & Mapping Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, China
Interests: geotechnical mechanics; mining engineering; tunnelling engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The safety and stability of deep underground projects have become a challenging topic of increasing interest. With the gradual exhaustion of shallow mineral resources and energy, the depth of further extraction and exploitation continues to increase. Meanwhile, many deep transit and water conveyance tunnels are planned or under construction in mountain areas. In recent years, advanced technologies for laboratory testing, geotechnical modeling, and field monitoring have been deployed to characterize the physical properties and mechanical resistances of geomaterials in deep underground engineering. By assessing the inherent properties of geomaterials that determine their behaviors under various conditions, the results will significantly benefit the design, construction, and management of support systems, excavation methods, and safety measures to ensure the successful completion of underground projects while mitigating geological and geotechnical challenges.

This Special Issue aims to identify cutting-edge research and recent advancements in the theories, technologies, and numerical methods in terms of the physical characterization and mechanical resistance of deep geomaterials. We welcome the submission of research papers as well as review articles. The focal points include, but are not limited to, the following themes:

  • Geological mapping and surveys to identify rock types, faults, and fractures.
  • Characterization of mineralogical composition, grain size, and pore structure.
  • Development and implementation of advanced monitoring systems to measure stress, strain, and deformation in underground structures.
  • Computational geomechanics for simulating rock and soil deformation.
  • Coupled thermal-hydro-mechanical modeling.
  • Investigation of the behavior of fractured and jointed rock masses.
  • Geomaterials behave under extreme pressure and temperature conditions encountered at great depths.
  • Probabilistic risk assessment for underground structures by considering uncertainties in material properties
  • Research on environmentally friendly and sustainable construction materials and techniques for underground engineering.

Dr. Bin Gong
Prof. Dr. Yongjun Zhang
Dr. Xiangxin Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • geotechnical mechanics
  • rock fracture
  • constitutive relation
  • strength criterion
  • thermal-hydraulic-mechanical coupling
  • high geostress
  • numerical simulation

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4161 KiB  
Article
Deep Learning-Based Reconstruction of 3D Morphology of Geomaterial Particles from Single-View 2D Images
by Jiangpeng Zhao, Heping Xie, Cunbao Li and Yifei Liu
Materials 2024, 17(20), 5100; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17205100 - 18 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1044
Abstract
The morphology of particles formed in different environments contains critical information. Thus, the rapid and effective reconstruction of their three-dimensional (3D) morphology is crucial. This study reconstructs the 3D morphology from two-dimensional (2D) images of particles using artificial intelligence (AI). More than 100,000 [...] Read more.
The morphology of particles formed in different environments contains critical information. Thus, the rapid and effective reconstruction of their three-dimensional (3D) morphology is crucial. This study reconstructs the 3D morphology from two-dimensional (2D) images of particles using artificial intelligence (AI). More than 100,000 particles were sampled from three sources: naturally formed particles (desert sand), manufactured particles (lunar soil simulant), and numerically generated digital particles. A deep learning approach based on a voxel representation of the morphology and multi-dimensional convolutional neural networks was proposed to rapidly upscale and reconstruct particle morphology. The trained model was tested using the three particle types and evaluated using different multi-scale morphological descriptors. The results demonstrated that the statistical properties of the morphological descriptors were consistent for the real 3D particles and those derived from the 2D images and the model. This finding confirms the model’s validity and generalizability in upscaling and reconstructing diverse particle samples. This study provides a method for generating 3D numerical representations of geological particles, facilitating in-depth analysis of properties, such as mechanical behavior and transport characteristics, from 2D images. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Characterization and Mechanical Resistance of Geomaterials in Deep Underground Engineering)
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17 pages, 23803 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on Acoustic Emission Features and Energy Dissipation Properties during Rock Shear-Slip Process
by Zhengnan Zhang, Xiangxin Liu, Kui Zhao, Zhengzhao Liang, Bin Gong and Xun You
Materials 2024, 17(19), 4684; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17194684 - 24 Sep 2024
Viewed by 915
Abstract
The features of rock shear-slip fracturing are closely related to the stability of rock mass engineering. Granite, white sandstone, red sandstone, and yellow sandstone specimens were selected in this study. The loading phase of “shear failure > slow slip > fast slip” was [...] Read more.
The features of rock shear-slip fracturing are closely related to the stability of rock mass engineering. Granite, white sandstone, red sandstone, and yellow sandstone specimens were selected in this study. The loading phase of “shear failure > slow slip > fast slip” was set up to explore the correlation between fracture type, acoustic emission (AE) features, and energy dissipation during the rock fracturing process. The results show that there is a strong correlation between fracture type, energy dissipation, and AE features. The energy dissipation ratio of tension-shear (T-S) composite, shear, and tensile types is 10:100:1. The fracture types in the shear failure phase are mainly tensile and TS composite types. The differential mechanism of energy dissipation of different rocks during the shear-slip process is revealed from the physical property perspectives of mineral composition, particle size, and diagenetic mode. These results provide a necessary research basis for energy dissipation research in rock failure and offer an important scientific foundation for analyzing the fracture propagation problem in the shear-slip process. They also provide a research basis for further understanding the acoustic emission characteristics and crack type evolution during rock shear and slip processes, which helps to better understand the shear failure mechanism of natural joints and provides a reference for the identification of precursors of shear disasters in geotechnical engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Characterization and Mechanical Resistance of Geomaterials in Deep Underground Engineering)
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13 pages, 10284 KiB  
Article
Study on Characteristics of Failure and Energy Evolution of Different Moisture-Containing Soft Rocks under Cyclic Disturbance Loading
by Xuewen Cao, Xuhui Tang, Lugen Chen, Dong Wang and Yujing Jiang
Materials 2024, 17(8), 1770; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17081770 - 12 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1451
Abstract
During the coal mining process in soft rock mines with abundant water, the rock mass undergoes cyclic loading and unloading at low frequencies due to factors such as excavation. To investigate the mechanical characteristics and energy evolution laws of different water-containing rock masses [...] Read more.
During the coal mining process in soft rock mines with abundant water, the rock mass undergoes cyclic loading and unloading at low frequencies due to factors such as excavation. To investigate the mechanical characteristics and energy evolution laws of different water-containing rock masses under cyclic disturbance loading, a creep dynamic disturbance impact loading system was employed to conduct cyclic disturbance experiments on various water-containing soft rocks (0.00%, 1.74%, 3.48%, 5.21%, 6.95%, and 8.69%). A comparative analysis was conducted on the patterns of input energy density, elastic energy density, dissipated energy density, and damage variables of different water-containing soft rocks during the disturbance process. The results indicate that under the influence of disturbance loading, the peak strength of specimens, except for fully saturated samples, is generally increased to varying degrees. Weakness effects on the elastic modulus were observed in samples with 6.95% water content and saturated samples, while strengthening effects were observed in others. The input energy density of samples is mostly stored in the form of elastic strain energy within the samples, and different water-containing samples adapt to external loads within the first 100 cycles, with almost identical trends in energy indicators. Damage variables during the disturbance process were calculated using the maximum strain method, revealing the evolution of damage in the samples. From an energy evolution perspective, these experimental results elucidate the fatigue damage characteristics of water-containing rock masses under the influence of disturbance loading. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Characterization and Mechanical Resistance of Geomaterials in Deep Underground Engineering)
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38 pages, 13358 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Cementitious Composites for High-Temperature Geothermal Wells
by Tatiana Pyatina, Toshifumi Sugama, Al Moghadam, Marcel Naumann, Ragnhild Skorpa, Blandine Feneuil, Vincent Soustelle and Rune Godøy
Materials 2024, 17(6), 1320; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17061320 - 13 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1491
Abstract
High-temperature (HT) geothermal wells can provide green power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Under harsh environmental and operational conditions, the long-term durability requirements of such wells require special cementitious composites for well construction. This paper reports a comprehensive assessment of [...] Read more.
High-temperature (HT) geothermal wells can provide green power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Under harsh environmental and operational conditions, the long-term durability requirements of such wells require special cementitious composites for well construction. This paper reports a comprehensive assessment of geothermal cement composites in cyclic pressure function laboratory tests and field exposures in an HT geothermal well (300–350 °C), as well as a numerical model to complement the experimental results. Performances of calcium–aluminate cement (CAC)-based composites and calcium-free cement were compared against the reference ordinary Portland cement (OPC)/silica blend. The stability and degradation of the tested materials were characterized by crystalline composition, thermo-gravimetric and elemental analyses, morphological studies, water-fillable porosity, and mechanical property measurements. All CAC-based formulations outperformed the reference blend both in the function and exposure tests. The reference OPC/silica lost its mechanical properties during the 9-month well exposure through extensive HT carbonation, while the properties of the CAC-based blends improved over that period. The Modified Cam-Clay (MCC) plasticity parameters of several HT cement formulations were extracted from triaxial and Brazilian tests and verified against the experimental results of function cyclic tests. These parameters can be used in well integrity models to predict the field-scale behavior of the cement sheath under geothermal well conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Characterization and Mechanical Resistance of Geomaterials in Deep Underground Engineering)
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16 pages, 6214 KiB  
Article
Study on the Degradation Effect of Carbonaceous Shale under the Coupling Effect of Chemical Erosion and High Temperature
by Guangwei Xiong, Qiunan Chen, Yongchao He, Zhenghong Chen, Xiaocheng Huang and Yunpeng Xie
Materials 2024, 17(3), 701; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17030701 - 1 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1153
Abstract
The southwest region of China has abundant groundwater and high-temperature geothermal energy. Carbonaceous shale, as one of the typical surrounding rocks in this region, often suffers from deterioration effects due to the coupled action of groundwater chemical erosion and high temperature, which affects [...] Read more.
The southwest region of China has abundant groundwater and high-temperature geothermal energy. Carbonaceous shale, as one of the typical surrounding rocks in this region, often suffers from deterioration effects due to the coupled action of groundwater chemical erosion and high temperature, which affects the long-term stability of tunnel engineering. In order to investigate the deterioration effects of carbonaceous shale under the coupled action of chemical erosion and high temperature, carbonaceous shale from a tunnel of Lixiang Railway in Yunnan Province was taken as the research object. The microstructure and mineral composition of the samples before and after chemical erosion were obtained with a scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer and an X-ray diffraction test. Then, triaxial compression tests were conducted on the samples under different time points and different temperature effects of chemical erosion, and the stress–strain curves and the deterioration laws under a single factor were obtained. An improved numerical simulation method based on the parallel bond model was developed, which can account for the coupled effects of chemical erosion and high temperature on the rock. By simulating the triaxial compression test of carbonaceous shale, the deterioration law of carbonaceous shale under the coupled action was discussed. The results show that chemical erosion has a significant deterioration effect on the triaxial compressive strength of carbonaceous shale, and the degree of deterioration is related to the erosion time. In the first 30 days of erosion, the triaxial compressive strength of carbonaceous shale decreased by 11.38%, which was the largest deterioration range. With the increase in erosion time, the deterioration rate gradually decreased; temperature had a significant threshold effect on the strength of carbonaceous shale, and a clear turning point appeared at about 200 °C. By simulating the deterioration effects of carbonaceous shale under the coupled action of chemical erosion and high temperature, it was found that the longer the duration of chemical erosion, the stronger the temperature sensitivity of carbonaceous shale, and the more serious the loss of compressive strength during the heating process. When the temperature was low, the strength of carbonaceous shale changed little, and some samples even showed an increase in strength; when the temperature was high, the strength of carbonaceous shale decreased significantly, showing deterioration characteristics. The numerical simulation method was compared and verified with the indoor test results, and it was found that the numerical calculation had a good agreement with the test results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Characterization and Mechanical Resistance of Geomaterials in Deep Underground Engineering)
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