Servo Controlled Shear Actuator for high accuracy determination of interlayer, fracture and vein stiffness and strength for waste storage and deep mining applications

得到支持的研究项目是皇后大学的Diederichs博士和Hutchinson博士的研究项目。Diederichs博士的主要研究包括在各种载荷和边界条件下对岩石进行早期损伤检测，以预测地下核废料储存库附近及其周围的长期性能。这里所要求的设备将成为与在沉积岩中长期储存核废料的竖井、隧道和洞穴周围挖掘破坏相关的实验工作的关键基石，这些竖井、隧道和洞穴是平面结构和层理占主导地位的。这种储存库的长期稳定性和宿主岩石的极限渗透性取决于在储存库的建设、运营和长期寿命期间控制开挖周围的破坏发展水平。本研究旨在量化围岩层理抗剪刚度和强度的作用及其对开挖损伤区发展的影响。Hutchinson博士与Diederichs博士合作的主要研究是将矿脉等充填结构整合到深部开采岩体强度估计和产量预测中。现代数值工具可以适应离散特征，如静脉，但这些模型中包含的行为属性的有效性还没有得到很好的理解。该设备将允许测定岩石中各种结构和缺陷的剪切和正常力学特性。在此研究过程中进行的测试需要一个全职的专用自包含执行器/负载框架，具有高水平的可定制控制和灵活的物理配置，用于创新的直接剪切和断裂测试。这里要求的设备是一个伺服控制的剪切加载框架，具有高刚度和最先进的数字控制技术，可以结合应变、声学和其他测量进行峰前和峰后直接剪切测试。在接下来的4年里，6-8名研究生将在各种项目中使用该系统，包括那些讨论过的项目，以及一些其他项目的次要能力。

The research program to be supported is that of Dr. Diederichs and Dr. Hutchinson at Queen's University. The primary research of Dr. Diederichs involves early damage detection in rock under a variety of loading and boundary conditions as a predictor for long term performance adjacent to and around underground nuclear waste repositories. The equipment being requested here will form a critical cornerstone in the experimental work related to excavation damage around shafts, tunnels and caverns designed for long term storage of nuclear waste in sedimentary rock where planar fabric and bedding dominate behaviour. The long term stability and limiting permeability of the host rocks for such a repository depend on controlling the levels of damage development around the excavations during construction, operation and over the long term life of the repository. This research is aimed at quantifying the role of shear stiffness and strength of laminations within the host rock and the impact on Excavation Damage Zone (EDZ) development. The primary research of Dr. Hutchinson in collaboration with Dr. Diederichs is the integration of filled structures such as veins into rockmass strength estimation yield prediction in deep mining. Modern numerical tools can accommodate discrete features such as veins but the validity of behavioural properties incorporated in these models are not well understood. This equipment will allow determination of shear and normal mechanical properties for a wide range of structures and defects in the rock. The tests to be performed during the course of this research require a full time dedicated self-contained actuator/load frame with a high level of customizable control and flexible physical configuration for innovative direct shear and fracture testing. The equipment requested here is a servo-controlled shear loading frame with high-stiffness and state-of-the-art digital control technology that makes it possible to conduct pre and post-peak direct shear tests in combination with strain, acoustic and other measurements. Within the next 4 years 6-8 graduate students will use the system in a variety of projects including those discussed but also in a secondary capacity in a number of other projects.