Test of subcritical crack growth and fracture toughness under water-rock interaction in three types of rocks

The subcritical crack growth and fracture toughness in peridotite, lherzolite and amphibolite were investigated with double torsion test. The results show that water-rock interaction has a significant influence on subcritical crack growth. With water-rock interaction, the crack velocity increases, while the stress intensity factor declines, which illustrates that water-rock interaction can decrease the strength of rocks and accelerate the subcritical crack growth. Based on Charlse theory and Hilling & Charlse theory, the test data were analyzed by regression and the correlation coefficients were all higher than 0.7, which shows the correlation is significant. This illustrates that both theories can explain the results of tests very well. Therefore, it is believed that the subcritical crack growth attributes to the breaking of chemical bond, which is caused by the combined effect of the tensile stress and the chemical reaction between the material at crack tip and the corrosive agent. Meanwhile, water-rock interaction has a vital effect on fracture toughness. The fracture toughness of samples under atmospheric environment is higher than that of samples immersed in water. And water-rock interaction has larger influence on fracture toughness in amphibolite than that in peridotite and lherzolite.

Analytical study of subcritical crack growth under mode I loading to estimate the roof durability in underground excavation

The long-term stability of the roof is particularly important in designing underground rock structures.To estimate the durability of roof strata in underground excavation,a computation scheme of subcritical crack growth is proposed in this study.By adopting the proposed method,the potential collapse location of strata is derivable in accordance with a static model,the durability of roof strata can be estimated,a dynamic time step control strategy is achieved to balance the accuracy and speed of computing,and the initial crack size of rock can be estimated.In addition to the above,a mechanical model of underground excavation with non-uniformly distributed loads and partially yielded foundation is presented as the prototypical case.A set of case studies is carried out that showcase a power correlation between applied stress and roof durability.The allowable applied tensile stress for a 100-year life cycle is about 76%of the tensile strength.By using the proposed subcritical crack growth computation scheme,the roof stability in an underground excavation can be identified not only from the spatial view but also from the temporal perspective.

Testing study of subcritical crack growth velocity and fracture toughness of marble

Subcritical crack growth of double torsion specimens made of marble was studied using Instron1342 type electro hydraulic servo test machine. The relations of the mode-I stress intensity factor KI versus the subcritical crack growth velocity V and the fracture toughness KIC were obtained by the double torsion constant displacement load relaxation method. The behavior of subcritical crack growth was analyzed. The results show that lgKI-lgV relations of marble measured by this method accord with linear rule, i.e. the relations between subcritical crack growth velocity V and stress intensity factor KI have a power law, which is in good agreement with Charles theory. The testing results provide a basis for time-dependency of rock engineering stability.

Numerical simulation on effect of heterogeneity on modeΙfracture characteristics of rock

Rock is more sensitive to tensile loading than compressive loading,since the tensile strength of rock is much lower than compressive strength.The fracture characteristics of rock in the tensile state are of great significance to the understanding of rock failure mechanisms.To this end,we have conducted numerical simulation researches on modeⅠcracking process of rock with varying homogeneity,using the Realistic Failure Process Analysis program.With the increase of homogeneity,cracks are concentrating to the ligament area with a decreasing number of crack bifurcations,and the main crack path is becoming smooth.Crack behaviors and mechanical properties are influenced significantly when the homogeneity index is in the range of 1.5 to 5.When the homogeneity index is greater than 30,they are not affected by rock homogeneity and the rock can be considered as essentially homogeneous.It is considered that the global and local strengths are affected by the distribution of rock mechanical properties at mesoscale,which influence the crack behaviors and mechanical characteristics.

Seismicity acceleration model and its application to several earthquake regions in China

With the theory of subcritical crack growth, we can deduce the fundamental equation of regional seismicity acceleration model. Applying this model to intraplate earthquake regions, we select three earthquake subplates: North China Subplate, Chuan Dian Block and Xinjiang Subplate, and divide the three subplates into seven researched regions by the difference of seismicity and tectonic conditions. With the modified equation given by Sornette and Sammis (1995), we analysis the seismicity of each region. To those strong earthquakes already occurred in these region, the model can give close fitting of magnitude and occurrence time, and the result in this article indicates that the seismicity acceleration model can also be used for describing the seismicity of intraplate. In the article, we give the magnitude and occurrence time of possible strong earthquakes in Shanxi, Ordos, Bole Tuokexun, Ayinke Wuqia earthquake regions. In the same subplate or block, the earthquake periods for each earthquake region are similar in time interval. The constant α in model can be used to describe the intensity of regional seismicity, and for the Chinese Mainland, α is 0.4 generally. To the seismicity in Taiwan and other regions with complex tectonic conditions, the model does not fit well at present.

Time-dependent dilatancy for brittle rocks

This paper presents a theoretical study on time-dependent dilatancy behaviors for brittle rocks. The theory employs a well-accepted postulation that macroscopically observed dilatancy originates from the expansion of microcracks. The mechanism and dynamic process that microcracks initiate from local stress concentration and grow due to localized tensile stress are analyzed. Then, by generalizing the results from the analysis of single cracks, a parameter and associated equations for its evolution are developed to describe the behaviors of the microcracks. In this circumstance, the relationship between microcracking and dilatancy can be established, and the theoretical equations for characterizing the process of rock dilatancy behaviors are derived. Triaxial compression and creep tests are conducted to validate the developed theory. With properly chosen model parameters, the theory yields a satisfactory accuracy in comparison with the experimental results.