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Continuous–Discontinuous Element Numerical Modeling of Damage and Fracture Characteristics of a Loaded Coal

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Abstract

In preventing and controlling coal–rock dynamic disasters, the damage and fracture characteristics of the loaded coal play an important role. Using the continuous–discontinuous element coupling numerical software and the experimental test results of the acoustic emission (AE) of the loaded coal, the damage and fracture modes as well as the evolution laws of crack propagation of coal under uniaxial compression were thoroughly analyzed in this study. The results showed that the physical and mechanical properties, such as uniaxial compressive strength, have no bearing on the generation of AE signals, which are only related to the number and expansion evolution laws of cracks in the loaded coal. The mode of internal crack propagation in loaded coal is influenced by its uneven stress distribution, and the interior of loaded coal frequently develops a mixture of multiple crack types, as opposed to a single type. Besides, the system’s unbalanced rate in power and heating transmission systems was incorporated into the damage and fracture analysis of loaded coal, and it varied with the degree of fracture development in coal, which can be used as alternative expression method of damage variable under specific conditions. The main fracture surface’s propagation direction was also affected by the initial crack’s location, as demonstrated by the numerical simulation results. To compensate for the limitations of conventional testing methods, we developed a numerical model that recreates the internal cracks’ spatio-temporal evolution process and elucidates the damage fracture modes and the evolution laws of crack propagation in the loaded coal.

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Data Availability

All data and models that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported financially by the opening project of the State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology (Beijing Institute of Technology, KFJJ22-15M), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52274245), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2009QZ09), and Youth Foundation of Social Science and Humanity Ministry of Education of China (19YJCZH087). The authors thank Dr. Chun Feng and Dr. Xinguang Zhu for their kind help with the use of GDEM software provided by Gdem Technology, Beijing, Co., Ltd.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Ding No.11 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China

    Qi Zhang, Xiangchun Li, Yaoyu Shi & Xin Tian

  2. State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100083, China

    Xiangchun Li

  3. Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada

    Qi Zhang & Biao Li

  4. State Key Laboratory for Geomechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Gang Yang

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  1. Qi Zhang
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  2. Xiangchun Li
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  3. Biao Li
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  4. Yaoyu Shi
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Correspondence to Xiangchun Li or Biao Li.

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Zhang, Q., Li, X., Li, B. et al. Continuous–Discontinuous Element Numerical Modeling of Damage and Fracture Characteristics of a Loaded Coal. Nat Resour Res 32, 373–389 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-022-10147-3

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