Mechanical Properties of Rock Specimens Containing Pre-Existing Cracks with Different Dip Angles Based on Energy Theory and Cohesive Element Method

To investigate the influence of the crack dip angle on the strength of rock specimens, uniaxial compression tests were conducted on granite specimens containing pre-existing cracks. The strain energy evolution during the loading process was analyzed, and the loading-induced cracking process was simu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inApplied sciences Vol. 14; no. 4; p. 1484
Main Authors Tian, Limei, Feng, Zhiming, Wu, Zhide, Liu, Bingbing, Zhang, Jinghua, Pan, Jiliang
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.02.2024
Subjects
Analysis
cohesive element method
Crack initiation
Discrete element method
Energy
energy evolution
Engineering
Fracture mechanics
Geology
Geotechnology
Heat treating
Load
Mechanical properties
Methods
pre-existing crack
Propagation
Shear strength
Simulation
strength characteristic
Stress concentration
uniaxial compression test
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Summary:To investigate the influence of the crack dip angle on the strength of rock specimens, uniaxial compression tests were conducted on granite specimens containing pre-existing cracks. The strain energy evolution during the loading process was analyzed, and the loading-induced cracking process was simulated using the cohesive element method. Both the experimental and numerical results indicate that cracks significantly impact the plastic-yielding stage of the stress–strain curve more than the initial and elastic deformation stages. When the crack dip angle is less than 45°, the stress concentration near the crack is significant, which is an important factor affecting the strength and elastic strain energy distribution of rock specimens. When the crack dip angle is greater than 45°, the degree of stress concentration decreases, and the uniformity of the elastic strain energy distribution and the possibility of crack bifurcation increase. Combining the energy theory with the cohesive element method helps comprehensively understand the initiation, propagation, and coalescence of microcracks near pre-existing crack tips. These research results can provide a reference for geotechnical engineering design and structural stability assessment.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app14041484