Fractures exert a significant influence on rock mass deformation and seepage pathways, thereby posing a serious challenge to the safe and efficient extraction of deep mines. This problem is particularly evident in deep mines located near the sea, where fractures are extensively developed. For such mines, the overlying seawater represents a considerable potential risk to mining safety. Therefore, investigating the distribution characteristics of deep fractures and clarifying the coupling relationships among the fracture, stress, seepage, and temperature fields are important for ensuring safe and efficient production in deep mines near the sea. Taking the auxiliary shaft of the Sanshandao Gold Mine as the engineering case, this study uses extensive measured fracture data, determines fracture locations by their centroids, and adopts kernel density estimation to non-parametrically characterize the fracture spatial distribution. Fourier convolution is then employed to rapidly reconstruct fracture positions in the discrete fracture network (DFN) model. The results demonstrate that the proposed kernel density estimation method can effectively identify the spatial distribution characteristics of fractures. Subsequently, the fracture field of the underground rock mass is reconstructed by the Monte Carlo method, and a thermal–hydro–mechanical multi-field coupling model incorporating the fracture field is established. The numerical results indicate that fluid flow is primarily concentrated along fractures, and that heat transfer within fractures is markedly faster than that in the rock matrix. The presence of fractures significantly affects the stress field of the underground rock mass, and their influence on the stress distribution increases as fracture length becomes greater. Accordingly, the effects of fractures should not be neglected in numerical analyses. The findings provide reliable support for mine stability calculations and safety evaluations.
Guoyuan Wang, Wenbo Fan, Yinhe Sun et al.· Modelling· 0 citations
Water significantly modifies rock mechanical performance and fracture characteristics through water content and water distribution. Nevertheless, the evolution laws of rock mechanical properties and underlying fracture mechanisms under variable water conditions remain incompletely clarified. In this study, uniaxial compression tests were carried out on sandstone samples with diverse water immersion durations. Experimental observations reveal that the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and elastic modulus of sandstone follow negative exponential attenuation with prolonged immersion time, with maximum reductions of 50.1% and 25.6%, respectively. Under equivalent water contents, samples featuring dry exteriors and wet interiors possess lower strength than those with wet exteriors and dry interiors. A self-developed numerical code incorporating humidity diffusion effects was subsequently adopted to interpret water-controlled sandstone fracture behaviors. Numerical outputs verify that water-induced softening and heterogeneous water distribution exacerbate rock material heterogeneity and internal stress non-uniformity, triggering tensile microcracks along dry–wet interfaces. As the immersion duration rises, the rock failure mode transitions from shear-dominated mixed failure to tension-dominated failure, and finally reverts to shear-dominated mixed failure. Macroscopic rupture is predominantly governed by the gradual coalescence of tension-generated microcracks. This study offers a theoretical foundation to advance the understanding of water-triggered mechanical degradation and fracture mechanisms in sandstone.