Experimental study on the slip evolution of planar fractures subjected to cyclic normal stress

The frictional rupture mechanisms of rock discontinuities considering the dynamic load disturbance still remain unclear.This paper investigates the transitional behaviors of slip events happened on a planar granite fracture under cyclic normal stress with diferent oscillation amplitudes.The experimental results show that the activations of fast slips always correlate with unloading of normal stress.Besides,the intensive normal stress oscillation can weaken the shear strength which is recoverable when the normal stress return to constant.The rupture patterns are quantifed by stress drop,slip length and slip velocity.With the efect of small oscillation amplitudes,the slip events show chaotic shapes,compared to the regular and predictable style under constant normal stress.When the amplitude is large enough,the big and small slip events emerge alternately,showing a compound slip style.Large amplitude of the cyclic normal stress also widens the interval diferences of the slip events.This work provides experimental supports for a convincible link between the dynamic stress disturbance and the slip behavior of rock fractures.

Frictional sliding of infilled planar granite fracture under oscillating normal stress

This paper investigates the frictional behavior of the infilled rock fracture under dynamic normal stress.A series of direct shear tests were conducted on saw-cut granite fractures infilled with quartz using a selfdeveloped dynamic shear apparatus,and the effects of normal load oscillation amplitude,normal load oscillation period and sliding velocity were studied.The test results reveal that the shear response can be divided into three stages over a whole loading-unloading process,characterized by different time spans and stress variations.Generally,a smaller oscillation amplitude,a longer oscillation period and a fast shear velocity promote the stability of the friction system,which is also confirmed by the Coulomb failure criterion calculated based on the observed periodic apparent friction coefficient.The dynamic strengthening/weakening phenomenon is dependent on the oscillation amplitude and product of sliding velocity and oscillation period(vT).Also,the rate and state friction law incorporating the parameter a that characterizes the normal stress variation is employed to describe the dynamic friction coefficient but exhibits an incompetent performance when handling intensive variation in normal stress.Finally,the potential seismicity induced by oscillating normal stress based on the observed stress drop is analyzed.This work helps us understand the sliding process and stability evolution of natural faults,and its benefits for relative hazard mitigation.