Abstract
Studying the mechanical properties of and crack propagation in coal after water intrusion is necessary to tackle a number of geological engineering problems such as those associated with underground water storage in collieries and support for underground roadways in coal mines. To study the mechanical properties and crack development, 12 coal samples with moisture contents of 0, 2.37, 3.78 and 5.29 % were prepared for acoustic emission tests under uniaxial compression. Over about 6 days, the coal samples absorbed moisture from a humidifier in three different phases. In this period, uniaxial tests show that the peak stress, elastic modulus, strain softening modulus and post-peak modulus decreased with rising moisture content in the samples while the peak strain increased. It was further found that, by analysing the relationship between the stiffness and stress and the accumulated acoustic emission counts, all the phases of crack development can be evaluated. This is useful for studying the effect of water intrusion on crack propagation and for calculating the mechanical properties of the coal such as the elastic modulus. This investigation also quantifies the percentage of the stress thresholds for crack closure, crack initiation, and crack damage that constitutes the peak stress. These stress thresholds do not change with moisture content. Our results are of great significance for water storage in coal mines, for determination of pillar dimensions in coal mines, and for expanding the knowledge base of the mechanical properties of coal and the characteristics of crack propagation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chen LH, Chen WC, Chen YC, Benyamin L, Li AJ (2014) Investigation of hydraulic fracture propagation using a post-peak control system coupled with acoustic emission. Rock Mech Rock Eng 48:1233–1248
Dazhao G (2015) Theory framework and technological system of coal mine underground reservoir. J Chin Coal Soc 40:239–246 (in Chinese)
Eberhardt E, Stead D, Stimpson B, Read R (1998) Identifying crack initiation and propagation thresholds in brittle rock. Can Geotech J 35:222–233
Eberhardt E, Stimpson B, Stead D (1999) Effects of grain size on the initiation and propagation thresholds of stress-induced brittle fractures. Rock Mech Rock Eng 32:81–99
Feng XT, Ding WX (2011) Coupled chemical stress processes in rock fracturing. Mater Res Innov 15(s1):s547–s550
Galouei M, Fakhimi A (2015) Size effect material ductility and shape of fracture process zone in quasi-brittle materials. Comput Geotech 65:126–135
Hashiba K, Fukui K (2014) Effect of water on the deformation and failure of rock in uniaxial tension. Rock Mech Rock Eng 48:1751–1761
Hoek E, Bienawski ZT (1965) Brittle fracture propagation in rock under compression. Int J Fract Mech 1:137–155
Hossein M, Paul CH, Serkan S (2015) Modification to radial strain calculation in rock testing. Geotech Test J 38:813–822
Huang B, Liu J (2013) The effect of loading rate on the behaviour of samples composed of coal and rock. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 61:23–30
Hudson JA, Harrison JP (2000) Engineering rock mechanics—an introduction to the principles. Elsevier, New York
Jaeger JC, Cook NGW, Zimmerman R (2007) Fundamentals of rock mechanics. Blackwell, London
Khazaei C, Hazzard J, Chalaturnyk R (2015) Damage quantification of intact rocks using acoustic emission energies recorded during uniaxial compression test and discrete element modeling. Comput Geotech 67:94–102
Lekhnitskij S (1977) Theory of the elasticity of anisotropic bodies. Nauka, Moscow
Li JP, Zhou CB (2004) Experimental research on acoustic emission characteristics of rock mass. Rock Soil Mech 25(3):374–378
Li H, Li H, Gao B, Jiang D, Feng J (2015) Study of acoustic emission and mechanical characteristics of coal samples under different loading rates. Shock Vib 2015:1–11
Liu Q, Xu J, Liu X, Jiang J, Liu B (2015) The role of flaws on crack growth in rock-like material assessed by AE technique. Int J Fract 193:99–115
Mahmutoglu Y (2006) The effects of strain rate and saturation on a micro-cracked marble. Eng Geol 82:137–144
Ranjith PG, Fourar M, Pong SF, Chian W, Haque A (2004) Characterisation of fractured rocks under uniaxial loading states. Rock Mech Min Sci 41:43–48
Ranjith PG, Jasinge D, Song JY, Choi SK (2008) A study of the effect of displacement rate and moisture content on the mechanical properties of concrete: use of acoustic emission. Mech Mater 40:453–469
Sideris KK, Manita P, Sideris K (2004) Estimation of ultimate modulus of elasticity and poison ratio of normal concrete. Cem Concr Compos 26:623–631
Verstrynge E, Adriaens R, Elsen J, Van Balen K (2014) Multi-scale analysis on the influence of moisture on the mechanical behavior of ferruginous sandstone. Constr Build Mater 54:78–90
Vishal V, Ranjith PG, Singh TN (2015) An experimental investigation on behaviour of coal under fluid saturation using acoustic emission. J Nat Gas Sci Eng 22:428–436
Xiaoqian D, Xiaofei L, Shuchong T (2011) Experimental study of original cracks features effecting on fracture of coal samples under uniaxial compression. Proc Eng 26:681–688
Xu H, Liu J, Wang L, Yang B, Yang H (2015) The weakening effect of hydrostatic pressure on rock mass of different lithology. Environ Earth Sci 74:2489–2497
Yao QL, Li XH, Zhou J, Ju MH, Chong ZH, Zhao B (2015) Experimental study of strength characteristics of coal specimens after water intrusion. Arab J Geosci 8:6779–6789
Yu Z, Zhang L, Jiang P, Papelis C, Li Y (2015) Study on water–rock interactions of trace elements in groundwater with leaching experiments. Groundwater 53:95–102
Zhang Z, Gao F (2015) Experimental investigation on the energy evolution of dry and water-saturated red sandstones. Int J Min Sci Technol 25(3):383–388
Zhang D, Waas AM, Yen CF (2015) Progressive damage and failure response of hybrid 3D textile composites subjected to flexural loading, part II: mechanics based multiscale computational modeling of progressive damage and failure. Int J Solids Struct 75:321–335
Zou J, Li S (2015) Theoretical solution for displacement and stress in strain-softening surrounding rock under hydraulic-mechanical coupling. Sci China Technol Sci 58:1401–1413
Acknowledgments
Projects (51674248, 51304208) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Project (BK20161184) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province; Project supported by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), China. Project (2015M581893) supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yao, Q., Chen, T., Ju, M. et al. Effects of Water Intrusion on Mechanical Properties of and Crack Propagation in Coal. Rock Mech Rock Eng 49, 4699–4709 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-016-1079-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-016-1079-9