Mechanical and Propagating Behaviors of Single-Flawed Rock Samples with Hydraulic Pressure and Uniaxial Compression Conditions
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18, Issue 7
Abstract
A large number of discontinuities is frequently encountered in geotechnical engineering that significantly influences the stability of engineering. Therefore, it is important to investigate the mechanical properties and failure modes of a flawed rock mass. For this study, a series of uniaxial compression experiments was carried out on yellow sandstone samples containing a single flaw and mechanical analyses were conducted accordingly. The experimental results suggested that hydraulic pressure can induce a relatively high peak axial strain in the samples. However, the hydraulic pressure had a different influence on the uniaxial compressive strength of samples with flaws at different inclination angles. Moreover, three new types of crack were observed: One was a tensile crack, and the others were lateral cracks that emerged in samples under hydraulic pressure. On the basis of the analytical method, the calculated results were verified by the experimental results. The findings indicated that the crack initiation position moved toward the flaw tip and the crack initiation angles were reduced when the hydraulic pressure acted on the flaw surface. Furthermore, the hydraulic pressure induced greater initiation strength and strain in the samples, except for the samples with inclination flaws greater than 75°.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The first author is thankful for the financial support from the program of the China Scholarship Council (CSC). All the authors acknowledge the financial support for the research from the State Key Research Development Program of China (2016YFC0600706); National Natural Science Foundation of China (Projects 51604299, 11772358, and 51274249); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2016M600636); Open Projects of State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, CUMT Project (SKLCRSM16KF11); Postdoctoral Science Foundation of Central South University; China Postdoctoral International Exchange and Introduction Project; and the independent innovation project of graduate students in Central South University (2014zzts055).
References
Ashby, M. F., and Hallam, S. D. (1986). “The failure of brittle solids containing small cracks under compressive stress states.” Acta Metall., 34(3), 497–510.
Basista, M., and Gross, D. (1998). “The sliding crack model of brittle deformation: An internal variable approach.” Int. J. Solids Struct., 35(Feb), 487–509.
Bobet, A. (1997). “Fracture coalescence in rock materials: Experimental observations and numerical predictions.” Sc.D. thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
Bobet, A. (2000). “The initiation of secondary cracks in compression.” Eng. Fract. Mech., 66(2), 187–219.
Brace, W. F., and Bombolakis, E. G. (1963). “A note on brittle crack growth in compression.” J. Geophys. Res., 68(12), 3709–3713.
Brace, W. F., and Byerlee, J. D. (1967). “Recent experimental studies of brittle fracture of rocks.” Proc., 8th U.S. Rock Mechanics Symp. (USRMS), Failure and Breakage of Rock, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Englewood, CO, 57–81.
Brian, P. E., and Andrew, H., Jr. (1992). “Change in quartz solubility and porosity due to effective stress: An experimental investigation of pressure solution.” Geology, 20(5), 451–454.
Cao, P., Liu, T. Y., Pu, C. Z., and Lin, H. (2015). “Crack propagation and coalescence of brittle rock-like specimens with pre-existing cracks in compression.” Eng. Geol., 187(Mar), 113–121.
Cheng, Y., Wong, L. N. Y., and Zou, C. J. (2015). “Experimental study on the formation of faults from en-echelon fractures in Carrara marble.” Eng. Geol., 195, 312–326.
Dey, T. N., and Wang, C. Y. (1981). “Some mechanisms of microcrack growth and interaction in compressive rock failure.” Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 18(3), 199–209.
Fairhurst, C. E., and Hudson, J. A. (1999). “Draft ISRM suggested method for the complete stress–strain curve for the intact rock in uniaxial compression.” Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 36(3), 281–289.
Fu, J.-W., Chen, K., Zhu, W.-s., Zhang, X.-z., and Li, X.-j. (2016). “Progressive failure of new modelling material with a single internal crack under biaxial compression and the 3-D numerical simulation.” Eng. Fract. Mech., 165(Oct), 140–152.
Griffith, A. A. (1921). “VI. The phenomena of rupture and flow in solids.” Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 221, 163–198.
Haeri, H., Shahriar, K., Marji, M. F., and Moarefvand, P. (2014a). “Cracks coalescence mechanism and cracks propagation paths in rock-like specimens containing pre-existing random cracks under compression.” J. Cent. South Univ., 21(6), 2404–2414.
Haeri, H., Shahriar, K., Marji, M. F., and Moarefvand, P. (2014b). “Experimental and numerical study of crack propagation and coalescence in pre-cracked rock-like disks.” Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 67(Apr), 20–28.
Horii, H., and Nemat-Nasser, S. (1985). “Compression-induced microcrack growth in brittle solids: Axial splitting and shear failure.” J. Geophys. Res., 90(B4), 3105–3125.
Horii, H., and Nemat-Nasser, S. (1986). “Brittle failure in compression: Splitting, faulting and brittle-ductile transition.” Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 319(1549), 337–374.
Inglis, C. E. (1913). “Stresses in a plate due to the presence of cracks and sharp corners.” Proc., 45th Session, Institution of Naval Architects, Institution of Naval Architects, London, 219–230.
Jin, J., Cao, P., Chen, Y., Pu, C., Mao, D., and Fan, X. (2017). “Influence of single flaw on the failure process and energy mechanics of rock-like material.” Comput. Geotech., 86(Jun), 150–162.
Kemeny, J. M., and Cook, N. G. W. (1991). “Micromechanics of deformation in rocks.” Toughening mechanisms in quasi-brittle materials, S. P. Shah, ed., Kluwer, Dordrecht, Netherlands.
Lajtai, E. Z. (1971). “A theoretical and experimental evaluation of the Griffith theory of brittle fracture.” Tectonophysics, 11(2), 129–156.
Lajtai, E. Z. (1974). “Brittle fracture in compression.” Int. J. Fract., 10(4), 525–536.
Lee, H., and Jeon, S. (2011). “An experimental and numerical study of fracture coalescence in pre-cracked specimens under uniaxial compression.” Int. J. Struct. Solids, 48(6), 979–999.
Li, Y.-P., Chen, L.-Z., and Wang, Y.-H. (2005). “Experimental research on pre-cracked marble under compression.” Int. J. Solids Struct., 42(May), 2505–2516.
Li, X., He, X., and Chen, H. (2012). “Crack initiation characteristics of opening-mode crack embedded in rock-like material under seepage pressure.” Chin. J. Rock Mech. Eng., 31(7), 1317–1324 (in Chinese).
Morrow, C. A., Moore, D. E., and Lockner, D. A. (2001). “Permeability reduction in granite under hydrothermal conditions.” J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 106(B12), 30551–30560.
Moss, W. C., and Gupta, Y. M. (1982). “A constitutive model describing dilatancy and cracking in brittle rocks.” J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 87(B4), 2985–2998.
Mughieda, O., and Alzo’ubi, A. K. (2004). “Fracture mechanisms of offset rock joints—A laboratory investigation.” Geotech. Geol. Eng., 22(4), 545–562.
Oda, M. (1986). “An equivalent continuum model for coupled stress and fluid flow analysis in jointed rock masses.” Water Resour. Res., 22(13), 1845–1856.
Park, C. H., and Bobet, A. (2009). “Crack coalescence in specimens with open and closed flaws: A comparison.” Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 46(5), 819–829.
Park, C. H., and Bobet, A. (2010). “Crack initiation, propagation and coalescence from frictional flaws in uniaxial compression.” Eng. Fract. Mech., 77(14), 2727–2748.
Petit, J.-P., and Barquins, M. (1988). “Can natural faults propagate under Mode II conditions?” Tectonics, 7(6), 1243–1256.
Polak, A., Elsworth, D., Liu, J., and Grader, A. S. (2004). “Spontaneous switching of permeability changes in a limestone fracture with net dissolution.” Water Resour. Res., 40(3), W03502.
Rahman, M. M., and Rahman, S. S. (2013). “Fully coupled finite-element–based numerical model for investigation of interaction between an induced and a preexisting fracture in naturally fractured poroelastic reservoirs: Fracture diversion, arrest, and breakout.” Int. J. Geomech., 390–401.
Sammis, C. G., and Ashby, M. F. (1986). “The failure of brittle porous solids under compressive stress states.” Acta Metall., 34(3), 511–526.
Shen, B. (1995). “The mechanism of fracture coalescence in compression—Experimental study and numerical simulation.” Eng. Fract. Mech., 51(1), 73–85.
Shen, L., Feng, X.-T., Pan, P., and Zhou, H. (2010). “Experimental research on mechano-hydro-chemical coupling of granite with single fracture.” Chin. J. Rock Mech. Eng., 29(7), 1379–1388 (in Chinese).
Sheng, J., Li, F., and Yao, D., and Zhan, M. (2012). “Experimental study of seepage properties in rocks fracture under coupled hydro-mechano-chemical process.” Chin. J. Rock Mech. Eng., 31(5), 1016–1025 (in Chinese).
Tang, C. A., Tham, L. G., Lee, P. K. K., Tsui, Y., and Liu, H. (2000). “Numerical studies of the influence of microstructure on rock failure in uniaxial compression—Part II: Constraint, slenderness and size effect.” Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 37(4), 571–583.
Wang, R., et al. (1987). “Experimental and finite simulation of X-type shear fractures from a crack in marble.” Tectonophysics, 144, 141–150.
Wong, R. H. C., Chau, K. T., Tang, C. A., and Lin, P. (2001). “Analysis of crack coalescence in rock-like materials containing three flaws—Part I: Experimental approach.” Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 38(7), 909–924.
Wong, L. N. Y., and Einstein, H. H. (2009a). “Crack coalescence in molded gypsum and Carrara marble: Part 1. Macroscopic observations and interpretation.” Rock Mech. Rock Eng., 42(3), 475–511.
Wong, L. N. Y., and Einstein, H. H. (2009b). “Crack coalescence in molded gypsum and Carrara marble: Part 2—Microscopic observations and interpretation.” Rock Mech. Rock Eng., 42(3), 513–545.
Wong, L. N. Y., and Einstein, H. H. (2009c). “Systematic evaluation of cracking behaviour in specimens containing single flaws under uniaxial compression.” Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 46(2), 239–249.
Xu, Z. L. (2006). Elastic mechanics, Higher Education, Beijing.
Yang, S.-Q., and Jing, H.-W. (2011). “Strength failure and crack coalescence behavior of brittle sandstone samples containing a single fissure under uniaxial compression.” Int. J. Fract., 168(2), 227–250.
Yang, S.-q., Lu, C.-h., and Qu, T. (2009). “Investigations of crack expansion in marble having a single pre-existing hole: Experiment and simulations.” J. China Univ. Min. Technol., 38(6), 774–781 (in Chinese).
Yang, S.-Q., Tian, W.-L., Huang, Y.-H., Ranjith, P. G., and Ju, Y. (2016). “An experimental and numerical study on cracking behavior of brittle sandstone containing two non-coplanar fissures under uniaxial compression.” Rock Mech. Rock Eng., 49(4), 1497–1515.
Yasuhara, H., et al. (2006). “Evolution of fracture permeability through fluid–rock reaction under hydrothermal conditions.” Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 244, 186–200.
Zhang, X.-P., Liu, Q., Wu, S., and Tang, X. (2015a). “Crack coalescence between two non-parallel flaws in rock-like material under uniaxial compression.” Eng. Geol., 199, 74–90.
Zhang, X.-P., and Wong, L. N. Y. (2014). “Choosing a proper loading rate for bonded-particle model of intact rock.” Int. J. Fract., 189(2), 163–179.
Zhang, X.-P., Wong, L. N. Y., and Wang, S. J. (2015b). “Effects of the ratio of flaw size to specimen size on cracking behavior.” Bull. Eng. Geol. Environ., 74(1), 181–193.
Zhao, Y., et al. (2017). “Hydromechanical coupling tests for mechanical and permeability characteristics of fractured limestone in complete stress–strain process.” Environ. Earth Sci., 76(1).
Zhao, Y., Cao, P., Lin, H., and Liu, Y. (2008). “Rheologic fracture mechanism and failure criterion of rock cracks under compressive-shear load with seepage pressure.” Chin. J. Geotech. Eng., 30(4), 511–517 (in Chinese).
Zhao, Y., Zhang, L., Wang, W., Pu, C., Wan, W., and Tang, J. (2016). “Cracking and stress–strain behavior of rock-like material containing two flaws under uniaxial compression.” Rock Mech. Rock Eng., 49(7), 2665–2687.
Zhao, X.-d., Zhang, H.-x., and Zhu, W.-c. (2014). “Fracture evolution around pre-existing cylindrical cavities in brittle rocks under uniaxial compression.” Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China, 24(3), 806–815.
Zhou, X.-P., and Bi, J. (2016). “3D numerical study on the growth and coalescence of pre-existing flaws in rocklike materials subjected to uniaxial compression.” Int. J. Geomech., 04015096.
Zhou, X. P., and Shou, Y. D. (2017). “Numerical simulation of failure of rock-like material subjected to compressive loads using improved peridynamic method.” Int. J. Geomech., 04016086.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18 • Issue 7 • July 2018
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 7, 2017
Accepted: Jan 2, 2018
Published online: May 9, 2018
Published in print: Jul 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Oct 9, 2018
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.