Locked segments are recognized as a critical role that controls the stability of rock slopes but remain an unclear and challenging problem with respect to their role incorporated into the failure mechanism.In order to...Locked segments are recognized as a critical role that controls the stability of rock slopes but remain an unclear and challenging problem with respect to their role incorporated into the failure mechanism.In order to study the effect of the locked segments on the initial failure process of rockslides,thirty-six groups of locked segment specimens with three different lithologies were prepared,direct shear tests were carried out to obtain the accelerations caused by brittle failure of the locked segment specimens.Experiment results showed that the maximum accelerations caused by the brittle failure of locked segment specimens was 2.91 g in the horizontal direction,and 3.18 g in the vertical direction.We took the Wangjiayan rockslide in 2008 Wenchuan earthquake as an example,the critical balance condition of the sliding mass under combined effect of gravity and accelerations induced by brittle failure of locked segment was analyzed,which indicated that the initial failure process of the Wangjiayan rockslides was notably influenced by the existence of the locked segment.The departure acceleration and direction of the Wangjiayan rockslide were proposed.The study results can provide a new insight into the understanding of the initial failure mechanism of rockslides with locked segments.展开更多
Rockburst, an unstable failure of brittle rocks, has been greatly concerned in rock mechanics and rock engineering for more than 100 years. The current understanding on the mechanical mechanism of rockburst is based o...Rockburst, an unstable failure of brittle rocks, has been greatly concerned in rock mechanics and rock engineering for more than 100 years. The current understanding on the mechanical mechanism of rockburst is based on the Coulomb theory, i.e. compressive-shear failure theory. This paper illustrates a series of tensile and tensile-shear fracture phenomena of rockburst, and proposes a methodology for the analysis of fracture mode and its energy dissipation process based on Griffith theory. It is believed that: (1) the fracture modes of rockburst should include compressive-shear, tensile-shear and pure tensile failures; (2) the rupture angle of rock mass decreases with the occurrence of tensile stress; (3) the proportion of kinetic energy in the released strain energy from a rockburst may be much larger than that transferred into surface energy; and (4) the understanding on the tensile and tensile-shear failure modes of rockburst may change the basic thinking of rockburst control, i.e. from keeping the reduction in initial compressive stress σ3 to restricting the creation of secondary tensile stress.展开更多
As underground excavations are getting deeper and field stresses increase, the behavior of intact rock blocks plays an increasingly important role in understanding and estimating the overall rock mass strength. To mod...As underground excavations are getting deeper and field stresses increase, the behavior of intact rock blocks plays an increasingly important role in understanding and estimating the overall rock mass strength. To model the brittle behavior of intact rock blocks, the stress–strain curve is usually idealized considering a linear strength mobilization approach(cohesion-weakening-friction-strengthening, CWFS),however, it is well recognized that rock presents a nonlinear behavior in terms of the confining stress.This study extends the strength mobilization in brittle failure of rock using nonlinear criteria. To determine the model parameters, a standard statistical method that uses the complete laboratory stress–strain curves of the intact rock is employed. Several hypotheses of linear and nonlinear models are statistically compared for different types of rock and confining stress levels. Results demonstrate that the best approach to model the brittle failure of rock is to consider a nonlinear strength envelope, such as the Hoek-Brown criterion assuming a residual uniaxial compressive strength different from zero and a mi parameter that increases, both with simultaneous mobilization. This model helps to recreate highconfining conditions and a more realistic transition between peak and post-peak strength. The obtained parameters are discussed and compared with literature values to verify the validity and to develop guidelines for the estimation of parameters, providing an objective mobilization criterion. Finally, the nonlinear model was applied to a finite element code and extended to a tunnel scale in the brittle rock under high-stress conditions. A reasonable fit between the simulations and the in-situ overbreak measurements was found.展开更多
A non-cooperative game model based on brittleness entropy is formulated for preventing cascading failure of complex systems.Subsystems of a complex system are mapped to the players of the game.The influence of collaps...A non-cooperative game model based on brittleness entropy is formulated for preventing cascading failure of complex systems.Subsystems of a complex system are mapped to the players of the game.The influence of collapsed subsystems to other subsystems is also taken into account in the definition of payoff function except for their own entropy increase.This influence is named brittleness entropy.Each player has two optional strategies;rational for negative entropy and irrational for negative entropy.The model is designed to identify the players who select an irrational strategy for negative entropy.The players who select the irrational strategy for negative entropy continue to compete for negative entropy after the recovery of ordered state and make other subsystems can' t get enough negative entropy to reduce entropy increase.It leads to cascading failure of the complex system in the end.Genetic algorithm is used to seek the solution of game model,and the simulation result verifies the effectiveness of the proposed model.The model provides a new way to prevent cascading failure of complex systems.展开更多
In this study,the micro-failure process and failure mechanism of a typical brittle rock under uniaxial compression are investigated via continuous real-time measurement of wave velocities.The experimental results indi...In this study,the micro-failure process and failure mechanism of a typical brittle rock under uniaxial compression are investigated via continuous real-time measurement of wave velocities.The experimental results indicate that the evolutions of wave velocities became progressively anisotropic under uniaxial loading due to the direction-dependent development of micro-damage.A wave velocity model considering the inner anisotropic crack evolution is proposed to accurately describe the variations of wave velocities during uniaxial compression testing.Based on which,the effective elastic parameters are inferred by a transverse isotropic constitutive model,and the evolutions of the crack density are inversed using a self-consistent damage model.It is found that the propagation of axial cracks dominates the failure process of brittle rock under uniaxial loading and oblique shear cracks develop with the appearance of macrocrack.展开更多
The brittleness generation mechanism of high strength lightweight aggregate con-crete(HSLWAC) was presented, and it was indicated that lightweight aggregate was the vulnerable spot, initiating brittleness. Based on th...The brittleness generation mechanism of high strength lightweight aggregate con-crete(HSLWAC) was presented, and it was indicated that lightweight aggregate was the vulnerable spot, initiating brittleness. Based on the analysis of the brittleness failure by the load-deflection curve, the brittleness presented by HSLWAC was more prominent compared with ordinary lightweight aggregate concrete of the same strength grade. The model of brittleness failure was also established.展开更多
For the compressive stress-induced failure of tunnels at depth, rock fracturing process is often closely associated with the generation of surface parallel fractures in the initial stage, and shear failure is likely t...For the compressive stress-induced failure of tunnels at depth, rock fracturing process is often closely associated with the generation of surface parallel fractures in the initial stage, and shear failure is likely to occur in the final process during the formation of shear bands, breakouts or V-shaped notches close to the excavation boundaries. However, the perfectly elastoplastic, strain-softening and elasto-brittle-plastic models cannot reasonably describe the brittle failure of hard rock tunnels under high in-situ stress conditions. These approaches often underestimate the depth of failure and overestimate the lateral extent of failure near the excavation. Based on a practical case of the mine-by test tunnel at an underground research laboratory (URL) in Canada, the influence of rock mass dilation on the depth and extent of failure and deformation is investigated using a calibrated cohesion weakening and frictional strengthening (CWFS) model. It can be found that, when modeling brittle failure of rock masses, the calibrated CWFS model with a constant dilation angle can capture the depth and extent of stress-induced brittle failure in hard rocks at a low confinement if the stress path is correctly represented, as demonstrated by the failure shape observed in the tunnel. However, using a constant dilation angle cannot simulate the nonlinear deformation behavior near the excavation boundary accurately because the dependence of rock mass dilation on confinement and plastic shear strain is not considered. It is illustrated from the numerical simulations that the proposed plastic shear strain and confinement-dependent dilation angle model in combination with the calibrated CWFS model implemented in FLAC can reasonably reveal both rock mass failure and displacement distribution in vicinity of the excavation simultaneously. The simulation results are in good agreement with the field observations and displacement measurement data.展开更多
Constitutive models play an essential role in numerical modeling and simulation of nonlinear deformation, progressive damage and failure of rock-like materials and structures. Recent advances in the quasi-brittle fiel...Constitutive models play an essential role in numerical modeling and simulation of nonlinear deformation, progressive damage and failure of rock-like materials and structures. Recent advances in the quasi-brittle field show that upscaling methods by homogenization have provided a new efficient way to derive macroscopic formulations of rocks from their microstructure information and local properties and then to model nonlinear mechanical behaviors identified at laboratory. This paper aims first at relating the mechanical phenomena on sample scale to their respective mechanisms on microscale. Main focus is put on unilateral effects due to crack’s opening/closure transition, material anisotropy induced by crack growth in some preferred directions and multiphysical coupling at microcracks. After a brief introduction to the linear homogenization method and its application to crack problems, we present some recent advances achieved in the combined homogenization/thermodynamics framework, including anisotropic unilateral damage-friction coupling, theoretical failure prediction in conjunction with deformation analyses, poromechanical coupling, analytical solutions and numerical implementation with application to typical brittle rocks.展开更多
As an estimate for the in-situ spalling strength around massive underground excavations to moderately jointed brittle rocks, crack initiation stress marks the initiation of rock micro fracturing. It is crucial to accu...As an estimate for the in-situ spalling strength around massive underground excavations to moderately jointed brittle rocks, crack initiation stress marks the initiation of rock micro fracturing. It is crucial to accurately identify crack initiation stress level by proper method. In this study, confined compression tests of sandstone samples are used to examine the validity/applicability of proposed axial strain stiffness method. The results show that by highlighting the minuscule changes in stress-strain curve, the axial strain stiffness curve provided further insight into rock failure process and revealed five stages:(a) irregular fluctuation,(b) nearly horizontal regular fluctuation,(c) irregular fluctuation gradually decreasing to zero,(d) extreme fluctuation, and(e) near zero, which mainly correspond to five stages of stress–strain curve. The ratio of crack-initiation stress to peak strength determined using this approach is 0.44–0.51, similar to the ranges previously reported by other researchers. In this method, the key is to accurately detect the end point of the stage(b), "nearly horizontal regular fluctuation" characterized by a sudden change in axial strain stiffness curve, and the sudden change signifies crack initiation in rock sample. Finally, the research indicates that the axial strain stiffness curve can provide a mean to identify the crack-initiation stress thresholds in brittle rocks.展开更多
The understanding of the rock deformation and failure process and the development of appropriate constitutive models are the basis for solving problems in rock engineering. In order to investigate progressive failure ...The understanding of the rock deformation and failure process and the development of appropriate constitutive models are the basis for solving problems in rock engineering. In order to investigate progressive failure behavior in brittle rocks, a modified constitutive model was developed which follows the principles of the continuum damage mechanics method. It incorporates non-linear Hoek-Brown failure criterion, confining pressure-dependent strength degradation and volume dilation laws, and is able to represent the nonlinear degradation and dilation behaviors of brittle rocks in the post-failure region. A series of triaxial compression tests were carried out on Eibenstock(Germany) granite samples. Based on a lab data fitting procedure, a consistent parameter set for the modified constitutive model was deduced and implemented into the numerical code FLAC3 D. The good agreement between numerical and laboratory results indicates that the modified constitutive law is well suited to represent the nonlinear mechanical behavior of brittle rock especially in the post-failure region.展开更多
In this paper, several mechanical deformation curves of limestone are reviewed, and the effects of temperature, confining pressure, and fluid are discussed. Generally, Mohr–Coulomb is used for limestone brittle fract...In this paper, several mechanical deformation curves of limestone are reviewed, and the effects of temperature, confining pressure, and fluid are discussed. Generally, Mohr–Coulomb is used for limestone brittle fracture. The characteristic of low temperature cataclastic flow and the conditions and constitutive equations of intracrystal plastic deformation such as dislocation creep,diffusion creep, and superplastic flow are discussed in detail. Specifically, from the macroscopic and microscopic view, inelastic compression deformation(shear-enhanced compaction) of large porosity limestone is elaborated.Compared with other mechanics models and strength equations, the dual porosity(macroporosity and microporosity) model is superior and more consistent with experimental data. Previous research has suffered from a shortage of high temperature and high pressure limestone research; we propose several suggestions to avoid this problem in the future:(1) fluid-rock interaction research;(2) mutual transition between natural conditions and laboratory research;(3) the uniform strength criterion forshear-enhanced compaction deformation;(4) test equipment; and(5) superplastic flow mechanism research.展开更多
In this paper,the damage state of a torsional prestrained steel is examined by means of the concepts of continuum damage mechanics and then the tensile properties and fracture ductility of two kinds of steels under va...In this paper,the damage state of a torsional prestrained steel is examined by means of the concepts of continuum damage mechanics and then the tensile properties and fracture ductility of two kinds of steels under various torsional prestrained conditions are investigated from both macroscopic and microscopic points of very slight as contrasted with tensile damage;(2)after torsional prestraining,both yielding strength and ultimate tensile strength become higher for 20 steel and lower for 40Cr steel;(3)when the torsional prestrain exceeds a critical value,that is about 70% of pure torsional shear fracture strain,the ductile-brittle transition of tensile fracture behavior may initiates.Moreover,the advantages and applicable conditions of torsional prestrain strengthening technique are also discussed.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41672295)
文摘Locked segments are recognized as a critical role that controls the stability of rock slopes but remain an unclear and challenging problem with respect to their role incorporated into the failure mechanism.In order to study the effect of the locked segments on the initial failure process of rockslides,thirty-six groups of locked segment specimens with three different lithologies were prepared,direct shear tests were carried out to obtain the accelerations caused by brittle failure of the locked segment specimens.Experiment results showed that the maximum accelerations caused by the brittle failure of locked segment specimens was 2.91 g in the horizontal direction,and 3.18 g in the vertical direction.We took the Wangjiayan rockslide in 2008 Wenchuan earthquake as an example,the critical balance condition of the sliding mass under combined effect of gravity and accelerations induced by brittle failure of locked segment was analyzed,which indicated that the initial failure process of the Wangjiayan rockslides was notably influenced by the existence of the locked segment.The departure acceleration and direction of the Wangjiayan rockslide were proposed.The study results can provide a new insight into the understanding of the initial failure mechanism of rockslides with locked segments.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41030749)Ministry of Railways (2009G005-A)Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YX-109)
文摘Rockburst, an unstable failure of brittle rocks, has been greatly concerned in rock mechanics and rock engineering for more than 100 years. The current understanding on the mechanical mechanism of rockburst is based on the Coulomb theory, i.e. compressive-shear failure theory. This paper illustrates a series of tensile and tensile-shear fracture phenomena of rockburst, and proposes a methodology for the analysis of fracture mode and its energy dissipation process based on Griffith theory. It is believed that: (1) the fracture modes of rockburst should include compressive-shear, tensile-shear and pure tensile failures; (2) the rupture angle of rock mass decreases with the occurrence of tensile stress; (3) the proportion of kinetic energy in the released strain energy from a rockburst may be much larger than that transferred into surface energy; and (4) the understanding on the tensile and tensile-shear failure modes of rockburst may change the basic thinking of rockburst control, i.e. from keeping the reduction in initial compressive stress σ3 to restricting the creation of secondary tensile stress.
基金the financial support from basal CONICYT project AFB-180004 of the Advanced Mining Technology Center (AMTC) - University of Chile。
文摘As underground excavations are getting deeper and field stresses increase, the behavior of intact rock blocks plays an increasingly important role in understanding and estimating the overall rock mass strength. To model the brittle behavior of intact rock blocks, the stress–strain curve is usually idealized considering a linear strength mobilization approach(cohesion-weakening-friction-strengthening, CWFS),however, it is well recognized that rock presents a nonlinear behavior in terms of the confining stress.This study extends the strength mobilization in brittle failure of rock using nonlinear criteria. To determine the model parameters, a standard statistical method that uses the complete laboratory stress–strain curves of the intact rock is employed. Several hypotheses of linear and nonlinear models are statistically compared for different types of rock and confining stress levels. Results demonstrate that the best approach to model the brittle failure of rock is to consider a nonlinear strength envelope, such as the Hoek-Brown criterion assuming a residual uniaxial compressive strength different from zero and a mi parameter that increases, both with simultaneous mobilization. This model helps to recreate highconfining conditions and a more realistic transition between peak and post-peak strength. The obtained parameters are discussed and compared with literature values to verify the validity and to develop guidelines for the estimation of parameters, providing an objective mobilization criterion. Finally, the nonlinear model was applied to a finite element code and extended to a tunnel scale in the brittle rock under high-stress conditions. A reasonable fit between the simulations and the in-situ overbreak measurements was found.
基金Basic Research Foundation from State Administration of Science,Technology and Industry for National Defence,PRC(No.Z192011B001)Science Foundation for Youths of Heilongjiang Province(No.QC2009C87)
文摘A non-cooperative game model based on brittleness entropy is formulated for preventing cascading failure of complex systems.Subsystems of a complex system are mapped to the players of the game.The influence of collapsed subsystems to other subsystems is also taken into account in the definition of payoff function except for their own entropy increase.This influence is named brittleness entropy.Each player has two optional strategies;rational for negative entropy and irrational for negative entropy.The model is designed to identify the players who select an irrational strategy for negative entropy.The players who select the irrational strategy for negative entropy continue to compete for negative entropy after the recovery of ordered state and make other subsystems can' t get enough negative entropy to reduce entropy increase.It leads to cascading failure of the complex system in the end.Genetic algorithm is used to seek the solution of game model,and the simulation result verifies the effectiveness of the proposed model.The model provides a new way to prevent cascading failure of complex systems.
基金Projects(41502283,41772309)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(2017YFC1501302)supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of ChinaProject(2017ACA102)supported by the Major Program of Technological Innovation of Hubei Province,China。
文摘In this study,the micro-failure process and failure mechanism of a typical brittle rock under uniaxial compression are investigated via continuous real-time measurement of wave velocities.The experimental results indicate that the evolutions of wave velocities became progressively anisotropic under uniaxial loading due to the direction-dependent development of micro-damage.A wave velocity model considering the inner anisotropic crack evolution is proposed to accurately describe the variations of wave velocities during uniaxial compression testing.Based on which,the effective elastic parameters are inferred by a transverse isotropic constitutive model,and the evolutions of the crack density are inversed using a self-consistent damage model.It is found that the propagation of axial cracks dominates the failure process of brittle rock under uniaxial loading and oblique shear cracks develop with the appearance of macrocrack.
文摘The brittleness generation mechanism of high strength lightweight aggregate con-crete(HSLWAC) was presented, and it was indicated that lightweight aggregate was the vulnerable spot, initiating brittleness. Based on the analysis of the brittleness failure by the load-deflection curve, the brittleness presented by HSLWAC was more prominent compared with ordinary lightweight aggregate concrete of the same strength grade. The model of brittleness failure was also established.
基金supported by China Scholarship Council and GRC/MIRARCO-Mining Innovation of Laurentian University, Canada
文摘For the compressive stress-induced failure of tunnels at depth, rock fracturing process is often closely associated with the generation of surface parallel fractures in the initial stage, and shear failure is likely to occur in the final process during the formation of shear bands, breakouts or V-shaped notches close to the excavation boundaries. However, the perfectly elastoplastic, strain-softening and elasto-brittle-plastic models cannot reasonably describe the brittle failure of hard rock tunnels under high in-situ stress conditions. These approaches often underestimate the depth of failure and overestimate the lateral extent of failure near the excavation. Based on a practical case of the mine-by test tunnel at an underground research laboratory (URL) in Canada, the influence of rock mass dilation on the depth and extent of failure and deformation is investigated using a calibrated cohesion weakening and frictional strengthening (CWFS) model. It can be found that, when modeling brittle failure of rock masses, the calibrated CWFS model with a constant dilation angle can capture the depth and extent of stress-induced brittle failure in hard rocks at a low confinement if the stress path is correctly represented, as demonstrated by the failure shape observed in the tunnel. However, using a constant dilation angle cannot simulate the nonlinear deformation behavior near the excavation boundary accurately because the dependence of rock mass dilation on confinement and plastic shear strain is not considered. It is illustrated from the numerical simulations that the proposed plastic shear strain and confinement-dependent dilation angle model in combination with the calibrated CWFS model implemented in FLAC can reasonably reveal both rock mass failure and displacement distribution in vicinity of the excavation simultaneously. The simulation results are in good agreement with the field observations and displacement measurement data.
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51679068)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant Nos. 2014B06914 and 2016B20214)
文摘Constitutive models play an essential role in numerical modeling and simulation of nonlinear deformation, progressive damage and failure of rock-like materials and structures. Recent advances in the quasi-brittle field show that upscaling methods by homogenization have provided a new efficient way to derive macroscopic formulations of rocks from their microstructure information and local properties and then to model nonlinear mechanical behaviors identified at laboratory. This paper aims first at relating the mechanical phenomena on sample scale to their respective mechanisms on microscale. Main focus is put on unilateral effects due to crack’s opening/closure transition, material anisotropy induced by crack growth in some preferred directions and multiphysical coupling at microcracks. After a brief introduction to the linear homogenization method and its application to crack problems, we present some recent advances achieved in the combined homogenization/thermodynamics framework, including anisotropic unilateral damage-friction coupling, theoretical failure prediction in conjunction with deformation analyses, poromechanical coupling, analytical solutions and numerical implementation with application to typical brittle rocks.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants No.41772329,41572283 and 41230635)the funding of State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection(Nos.SKLGP2017Z001 and SKLGP2013Z004)supported by the Funding of Science and Technology Office of Sichuan Province(Grants No.2015JQ0020 and 2017TD0018)
文摘As an estimate for the in-situ spalling strength around massive underground excavations to moderately jointed brittle rocks, crack initiation stress marks the initiation of rock micro fracturing. It is crucial to accurately identify crack initiation stress level by proper method. In this study, confined compression tests of sandstone samples are used to examine the validity/applicability of proposed axial strain stiffness method. The results show that by highlighting the minuscule changes in stress-strain curve, the axial strain stiffness curve provided further insight into rock failure process and revealed five stages:(a) irregular fluctuation,(b) nearly horizontal regular fluctuation,(c) irregular fluctuation gradually decreasing to zero,(d) extreme fluctuation, and(e) near zero, which mainly correspond to five stages of stress–strain curve. The ratio of crack-initiation stress to peak strength determined using this approach is 0.44–0.51, similar to the ranges previously reported by other researchers. In this method, the key is to accurately detect the end point of the stage(b), "nearly horizontal regular fluctuation" characterized by a sudden change in axial strain stiffness curve, and the sudden change signifies crack initiation in rock sample. Finally, the research indicates that the axial strain stiffness curve can provide a mean to identify the crack-initiation stress thresholds in brittle rocks.
基金Project(2015M570678)supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project
文摘The understanding of the rock deformation and failure process and the development of appropriate constitutive models are the basis for solving problems in rock engineering. In order to investigate progressive failure behavior in brittle rocks, a modified constitutive model was developed which follows the principles of the continuum damage mechanics method. It incorporates non-linear Hoek-Brown failure criterion, confining pressure-dependent strength degradation and volume dilation laws, and is able to represent the nonlinear degradation and dilation behaviors of brittle rocks in the post-failure region. A series of triaxial compression tests were carried out on Eibenstock(Germany) granite samples. Based on a lab data fitting procedure, a consistent parameter set for the modified constitutive model was deduced and implemented into the numerical code FLAC3 D. The good agreement between numerical and laboratory results indicates that the modified constitutive law is well suited to represent the nonlinear mechanical behavior of brittle rock especially in the post-failure region.
基金supported by Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under Grant XDB18010401135 Program of the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘In this paper, several mechanical deformation curves of limestone are reviewed, and the effects of temperature, confining pressure, and fluid are discussed. Generally, Mohr–Coulomb is used for limestone brittle fracture. The characteristic of low temperature cataclastic flow and the conditions and constitutive equations of intracrystal plastic deformation such as dislocation creep,diffusion creep, and superplastic flow are discussed in detail. Specifically, from the macroscopic and microscopic view, inelastic compression deformation(shear-enhanced compaction) of large porosity limestone is elaborated.Compared with other mechanics models and strength equations, the dual porosity(macroporosity and microporosity) model is superior and more consistent with experimental data. Previous research has suffered from a shortage of high temperature and high pressure limestone research; we propose several suggestions to avoid this problem in the future:(1) fluid-rock interaction research;(2) mutual transition between natural conditions and laboratory research;(3) the uniform strength criterion forshear-enhanced compaction deformation;(4) test equipment; and(5) superplastic flow mechanism research.
文摘In this paper,the damage state of a torsional prestrained steel is examined by means of the concepts of continuum damage mechanics and then the tensile properties and fracture ductility of two kinds of steels under various torsional prestrained conditions are investigated from both macroscopic and microscopic points of very slight as contrasted with tensile damage;(2)after torsional prestraining,both yielding strength and ultimate tensile strength become higher for 20 steel and lower for 40Cr steel;(3)when the torsional prestrain exceeds a critical value,that is about 70% of pure torsional shear fracture strain,the ductile-brittle transition of tensile fracture behavior may initiates.Moreover,the advantages and applicable conditions of torsional prestrain strengthening technique are also discussed.