Damage assessment of basaltic rock mass due to repeated blasting in a railway tunnelling project - A case study

The demand for tunnelling and underground space creation is rapidly growing due to the requirement of civil infrastructure projects and urbanisation. Blasting remains the most inexpensive method of underground excavations in hard rock. Unfortunately, there are no specific safety guidelines available for the blasted tunnels with regards to the threshold limits of vibrations caused by repeated blasting activity in the close proximity. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study conducted to find out the effect of repeated blast loading on the damage experienced by jointed basaltic rock mass during tunnelling works. Conducting of multiple rounds of blasts for various civil excavations in a railway tunnel imparted repeated loading on rock mass of sidewall and roof of the tunnel. The blast induced damage was assessed by using vibration attenuation equations of charge weight scaling law and measured by borehole extensometers and borehole camera. Ground vibrations of each blasting round were also monitored by triaxial geophones installed near the borehole extensometers. The peak particle velocity (V-max) observations and plastic deformations from borehole extensometers were used to develop a site specific damage model. The study reveals that repeated dynamic loading imparted on the exposed tunnel from subsequent blasts, in the vicinity, resulted in rock mass damage at lesser vibration levels than the critical peak particle velocity (V-cr). It was found that, the repeated blast loading resulted in the near-field damage due to high frequency waves and far-field damage due to low frequency waves. The far field damage, after 45-50 occurrences of blast loading, was up to 55% of the near-field damage in basaltic rock mass. The findings of the study clearly indicate that the phenomena of repeated blasting with respect to number of cycles of loading should be taken into consideration for proper assessment of blast induced damage in underground excavations.

Damage assessment of structures with uncertainty by using mode-shape curvatures and fuzzy logic

Uncertainties associated with the structural model and measured vibration data may lead to unreliable damage detection. In this paper, we show that geometric and measurement uncertainty cause considerable problem in damage assessment which can be alleviated by using a fuzzy logic-based approach for damage detection. Curvature damage factor (CDF) of a tapered cantilever beam are used as damage indicators. Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) is used to study the changes in the damage indicator due to uncertainty in the geometric properties of the beam. Variation in these CDF measures due to randomness in structural parameter, further contaminated with measurement noise, are used for developing and testing a fuzzy logic system (FLS). Results show that the method correctly identifies both single and multiple damages in the structure. For example, the FLS detects damage with an average accuracy of about 95 percent in a beam having geometric uncertainty of 1 percent COV and measurement noise of 10 percent in single damage scenario. For multiple damage case, the FLS identifies damages in the beam with an average accuracy of about 94 percent in the presence of above mentioned uncertainties. The paper brings together the disparate areas of probabilistic analysis and fuzzy logic to address uncertainty in structural damage detection.

Genetic Algorithm for Damage Assessment

Genetic Algorithms (GAs) are recognized as an alternative class of computational model, which mimic natural evolution to solve problems in a wide domain including machine learning, music generation, genetic synthesis etc. In the present study Genetic Algorithm has been employed to obtain damage assessment of composite structural elements. It is considered that a state of damage can be modeled as reduction in stiffness. The task is to determine the magnitude and location of damage. In a composite plate that is discretized into a set of finite elements, if a jth element is damaged, the GA based technique will predict the reduction in Ex and Ey and the location j. The fact that the natural frequency decreases with decrease in stiffness is made use of in the method. The natural frequency of any two modes of the damaged plates for the assumed damage parameters is facilitated by the use of Eigen sensitivity analysis. The Eigen value sensitivities are the derivatives of the Eigen values with respect to certain design parameters. If ωiu is the natural frequency of the ith mode of the undamaged plate and ωid is that of the damaged plate, with δωi as the difference between the two, while δωk is a similar difference in the kth mode, R is defined as the ratio of the two. For a random selection of Ex,Ey and j, a ratio Ri is obtained. A proper combination of Ex,Ey and j which makes Ri−R=0 is obtained by Genetic Algorithm.

Fatigue damage assessment in cracked RC beams

In this work, an attempt has been made to assess the fatigue life of reinforced concrete beams, by proposing a crack propagation law which accounts for parameters such as fracture toughness, crack length, loading ratio and structural size. A numerical procedure is developed to compute fatigue life of RC beams. The predicted results are compared with the available experimental data in the literature and seen to agree reasonably well. Further, in order to assess the remaining life of an RC member, the moment carrying capacity is determined as a function of crack extension, based on the crack tip opening displacement and residual strength of the member is computed at an event of unstable fracture.

Kaiser effect observation in reinforced concrete structures and its use for damage assessment

Reinforced concrete (RC) beams of span 3 m were tested under incremental cyclic load at different loading rates and simultaneously during the fracture process in the RC beams acoustic emissions (AE) were recorded. An attempt has been made to study the Kaiser effect as a measure of damage in RC beams. It was observed that RC beams made with high strength concrete under incremental cyclic loading showed an obvious Kaiser effect before the failure load. The results may be useful to study the damage in concrete structures and provide a reference for the application of Kaiser effect in engineering practice. (C) 2014 Politechnika Wroclawska. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z.o.o. All rights reserved.

Damage assessment of composite plate structures with material and measurement uncertainty

Composite materials are very useful in structural engineering particularly in weight sensitive applications. Two different test models of the same structure made from composite materials can display very different dynamic behavior due to large uncertainties associated with composite material properties. Also, composite structures can suffer from pre-existing imperfections like delaminations, voids or cracks during fabrication. In this paper, we show that modeling and material uncertainties in composite structures can cause considerable problein in damage assessment. A recently developed C-0 shear deformable locking free refined composite plate element is employed in the numerical simulations to alleviate modeling uncertainty. A qualitative estimate of the impact of modeling uncertainty on the damage detection problem is made. A robust Fuzzy Logic System (FLS) with sliding window defuzzifier is used for delamination damage detection in composite plate type structures. The FLS is designed using variations in modal frequencies due to randomness in material properties. Probabilistic analysis is performed using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) on a composite plate finite element model. It is demonstrated that the FLS shows excellent robustness in delamination detection at very high levels of randomness in input data. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Damage limit states of reinforced concrete beams subjected to incremental cyclic loading using relaxation ratio analysis of AE parameters

This paper presents an experimental study on damage assessment of reinforced concrete (RC) beams subjected to incremental cyclic loading. During testing acoustic emissions (AEs) were recorded. The analysis of the AE released was carried out by using parameters relaxation ratio, load ratio and calm ratio. Digital image correlation (DIC) technique and tracking with available MATLAB program were used to measure the displacement and surface strains in concrete. Earlier researchers classified the damage in RC beams using Kaiser effect, crack mouth opening displacement and proposed a standard. In general (or in practical situations), multiple cracks occur in reinforced concrete beams. In the present study damage assessment in RC beams was studied according to different limit states specified by the code of practice IS-456:2000 and AE technique. Based on the two ratios namely load ratio and calm ratio and when the deflection reached approximately 85% of the maximum allowable deflection it was observed that the RC beams were heavily damaged. The combination of AE and DIC techniques has the potential to provide the state of damage in RC structures.

Structural sensitivity as a measure of redundancy

The conventional definition of redundancy is applicable to skeletal structural systems only, whereas the concept of redundancy has never been discussed in the context of a continuum. Generally, structures in civil engineering constitute a combination of both skeletal and continuum segments. Hence, this gaper presents a generalized definition of redundancy that has been defined in terms of structural response sensitivity, which is applicable to both continuum and discrete structures. In contrast to the conventional definition of redundancy, which is assumed to be fixed for a given structure and is believed to be independent of loading and material properties, the new definition would depend on strength and response of the structure at a given stage of its service life. The redundancy measure proposed in this paper is linked to the structural response sensitivities. Thus, the structure can have different degrees of redundancy during its lifetime, depending on the response sensitivity under consideration It is believed that this new redundancy measure would be more relevant in structural evaluation, damage assessment, and reliability analysis of structures at large.

Experimental assessment of concrete damage due to exposure to high temperature and efficacy of the repair system

The present study experimentally evaluates the performance of control (standard cylinder specimen), damaged (mechanical loading after thermal exposure) and repaired / retrofitted normal plain concrete cylinders using different repair schemes such as on use of FRP wraps, Geo-polymers, etc., to restore the capacity of damaged structural concrete elements. The control-companion specimen in the series provides the reference frame against which both, specimen damage levels were quantified and the benefits of a specimen repaired subsequent to damage were assessed.

Assessment of seismic hazard and liquefaction potential of Gujarat based on probabilistic approaches

Gujarat is one of the fastest-growing states of India with high industrial activities coming up in major cities of the state. It is indispensable to analyse seismic hazard as the region is considered to be most seismically active in stable continental region of India. The Bhuj earthquake of 2001 has caused extensive damage in terms of causality and economic loss. In the present study, the seismic hazard of Gujarat evaluated using a probabilistic approach with the use of logic tree framework that minimizes the uncertainties in hazard assessment. The peak horizontal acceleration (PHA) and spectral acceleration (Sa) values were evaluated for 10 and 2 % probability of exceedance in 50 years. Two important geotechnical effects of earthquakes, site amplification and liquefaction, are also evaluated, considering site characterization based on site classes. The liquefaction return period for the entire state of Gujarat is evaluated using a performance-based approach. The maps of PHA and PGA values prepared in this study are very useful for seismic hazard mitigation of the region in future.

In Vivo Genotoxicity Assessment of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles by Allium cepa Root Tip Assay at High Exposure Concentrations

The industrial production and commercial applications of titanium dioxide nanoparticles have increased considerably in recent times, which has increased the probability of environmental contamination with these agents and their adverse effects on living systems. This study was designed to assess the genotoxicity potential of TiO2 NPs at high exposure concentrations, its bio-uptake, and the oxidative stress it generated, a recognised cause of genotoxicity. Allium cepa root tips were treated with TiO2 NP dispersions at four different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 100 mu g/mL). A dose dependant decrease in the mitotic index (69 to 21) and an increase in the number of distinctive chromosomal aberrations were observed. Optical, fluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed chromosomal aberrations, including chromosomal breaks and sticky, multipolar, and laggard chromosomes, and micronucleus formation. The chromosomal aberrations and DNA damage were also validated by the comet assay. The bio-uptake of TiO2 in particulate form was the key cause of reactive oxygen species generation, which in turn was probably the cause of the DNA aberrations and genotoxicity observed in this study.

Seismotectonics of the April-May 2015 Nepal earthquakes: An assessment based on the aftershock patterns, surface effects and deformational characteristics

Occurrence of the April 25, 2015 (Mw 7.8) earthquake near Gorkha, central Nepal, and another one that followed on May 12 (Mw 7.3), located similar to 140 km to its east, provides an exceptional opportunity to understand some new facets of Himalayan earthquakes. Here we attempt to assess the seismotectonics of these earthquakes based on the deformational field generated by these events, along with the spatial and temporal characteristics of their aftershocks. When integrated with some of the post-earthquake field observations, including the localization of damage and surface deformation, it became obvious that although the mainshock slip was mostly limited to the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT), the rupture did not propagate to the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT). Field evidence, supported by the available InSAR imagery of the deformation field, suggests that a component of slip could have emerged through a previously identified out-of-sequence thrust/active thrust in the region that parallels the Main Central Thrust (MCT), known in the literature as a co-linear physiographic transitional zone called PT2. Termination of the first rupture, triggering of the second large earthquake, and distribution of aftershocks are also spatially constrained by the eastern extremity of PT2. Mechanism of the 2015 sequence demonstrates that the out-of-sequence thrusts may accommodate part of the slip, an aspect that needs to be considered in the current understanding of the mechanism of earthquakes originating on the MHT. (c) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.