MODE II AND MIXED MODE I-II ROCK FRACTURE RESEARCH

of PhD thesis For the mode I rock fracture toughness measurement,three standard methods have been recommended by the ISRM,but there has not been a standard method for the determination of mode II and mixed mode I-II rock fracture toughness. However mode II and mixed mode I-II fracturing of rock structures is more commonly observed than mode I in various geological and structural engineering settings. So it is of great important to thoroughly research these rock fracture problems and establish a standard method for determining the mode II or mixed mode I-II fracture toughness for rock materials. Based on the progress made for mode I rock fracture research,the cracked chevron notched Brazilian disk (CCNBD) specimen was also introduced for mode II and mixed mode I-II rock fracture toughness measurement. When the crack is orientated at an angle with respect to the diametrical loading,the crack of the CCNBD specimen is exposed to the mode II or mixed mode I-II stress distribution conditions. The solutions for stress intensity factors in the vicinity of the crack tip have been evaluated by the stepwise superimposition technique. In order to make sure that the theoretical analysis is correct,numerical calculation method has been employed to calibrate the theoretical results. It has been proved that the theoretical results yielded by the dislocation method are correct and reliable. According to the characteristic that the propagation of the crack in the CCNBD specimen is in its own plane and application of the energy superposition principle,the stress intensity factor of the mixed mode I-II has been defined in dimensionless terms as 212II2Imix])()[(***+=YYY. It was found that the curve of *mixY was concave. There exists a lowest point which corresponds to the maximum external load and indicates the crack has reached its critical state. Since the values of ***IIImix and YYY, are only dependent on the specimen geometry (qaaa and 10B,,),the critical values of ***IIImix and YYY, can be to known as long as the CCNBD specimen is prepared ready. It is only necessary to record the maximum load during the fracture tests. The fracture locus is very useful to know whether the crack in a rock structure has reached its critical condition. According to the amount of practical fracture testing data obtained,the rock fracturing locus was found to be 123IICII23ICI=+KKKK and the S-critical criterion was found to be more suitable for rock mixed mode I-II fracturing assessment.