MRI/RUI: Acquisition of Physical and Numerical Geomechanics Laboratory Equipment

蒙大拿理工大学拥有不同寻常的学术和实践人才组合，非常适合将实验室和现场测试的要求与日益重要的数值建模学科联系起来。这样的个人集合在大型大学中很少见，更不用说像蒙大拿理工大学这样规模的机构了。由联合首席调查员代表的四个学科中的每一个都调查类似的材料，但每个学科都从各自学科所要求的不同角度进行调查。然而，通过这项奖励购买的设备将允许将这些不同的视角结合到一个全面的计划中，该计划将在如何对地质和相关材料和设计进行研究方面产生协同效应。这些设备将被用来组成一个综合的物理和数值模拟地质力学实验室。购买的设备将用于对岩石的三轴测试进行研究。蒙大拿理工大学的三轴测试设备将由于这项拟议的研究设备拨款的升级而被充分利用于研究和教学目的。升级的组件包括数据采集和控制、围压、孔压和热模块。获得的计算机和数值模拟软件将用于研究地质和复合材料的行为。因此，对于连续和不连续的数值分析都需要有限差分和离散元软件程序。数值方法特别适合于在很大范围内对材料进行建模。然而，它们需要特别强大的计算机工作站，这些计算机工作站应该联网在一起，以便并行处理技术可以更有效地解决手头的问题。研究的应用范围从地下采矿到颗粒增强复合材料的微观机械分析，再到岩石的可钻性和岩石/钻头的相互作用。大多数项目将数值模拟与岩石的物理测试相结合，这是在建模之前准确确定材料特性所必需的。该实验室将服务于蒙大拿理工大学所有相关项目的研究需求，以及相关行业和政府研究机构的研究需求。据估计，每年将有100名学生从获得的设备中受益，主要是通过课程作业所需的实验室活动。5门本科生课程和9门研究生课程将使用设备的各种部件。此外，由于蒙大拿理工大学积极让本科生和研究生参与研究，除了采掘业和其他政府研究机构的人员外，两个小组都将利用实验室设备和数值模拟设施。Co-Pi Donovan全面参与了落基山敏捷虚拟企业技术开发中心(RAVE-TDC)，该中心旨在为能够提供服务的综合地质力学实验室等实体与蒙大拿州需要这些服务的客户进行匹配。几个部落组织参加了RAVE-TDC。在鼓励学生，特别是妇女参加研究活动方面，私人投资机构有着良好的记录。利用购置的设备开发的综合岩土力学实验室预计将是一个出色的招聘工具。

Montana Tech has an unusual combination of academic and practical talent that isuniquely suited to link the requirements of both laboratory and field testing with the increasingly important discipline of numerical modeling. Such a collection of individuals is rarely found in large universities, much less an institution the size of Montana Tech. Each of the four disciplines represented by the co-principal investigators investigate similar materials, but each conduct his or her investigation from a different perspective that is required by their respective disciplines. However, the equipment purchased through this award will allow for a combination of these different perspectives into a comprehensive program that will have a synergistic effect into how research is conducted into geologic and related materials and designs. The equipment will be used to form an Integrated Physical and Numerical Modeling Geomechanics Laboratory.The acquired equipment will be used to perform research into the triaxial testing of rock.Montana Tech's triaxial test device will be utilized to its full potential for research andinstructional purposes as a result of the upgrade from this proposed research equipment grant. The components of the upgrade are data acquisition & control, confining pressure, pore pressure, and thermal modules. The acquired computers and numerical modeling software will be used to perform research into the behavior of geological and composite materials. Finite difference and discrete element software programs are thus requested for both continuum and discontinuum numerical analyses. Numerical methods are especially suitable for modeling materials over a wide range of scales. However, they require exceptionally powerful computer workstations that should be networked together so that parallel-processing techniques may more efficiently solve the problem at hand. The research applications will range from underground mining to micro-mechanical analysis of particulate reinforced composites to rock drillability and rock/bit interaction. Most of the projects combine numerical modeling with physical testing of rock that is necessary to accurately determine material properties prior to the modeling. The laboratory will serve the research needs of all the respective programs withinMontana Tech as well as the research needs of interested industries and governmental research agencies. An estimated 100 students/year will benefit from the acquired equipment, primarily via lab activities required for in their coursework. Five undergraduate and nine graduate level courses would use various components of the equipment. Furthermore, since Montana Tech actively involves undergraduate and graduate students in research, both groups will utilize the laboratory equipment and the numerical modeling facilities, in addition to personnel from the extractive industries and other government research agencies. Co-PI Donovan is integrally involved in the Rocky Mountain Agile Virtual Enterprise Technical Development Center (RAVE-TDC) which is designed to match entities like the Integrated Geomechanics Laboratory that can provide services, with clients within Montana who need those services. Several tribalorganizations are participating in the RAVE-TDC. The PIs have excellent records regarding encouraging students, particularly women, to participate in research activities. The Integrated Geomechanics Laboratory developed using the acquired equipment is expected to be an excellent recruiting tool.