Mechanical Behaviour of Cyclically Heated Fine Grained Rock

Summary The most vital difference between rock and rock mass are fractures and fissures. They affect the behaviour and strength of rock masses. According to their origin, size, and shape, rock mass contains several types of weakness planes varying from microfissure to faults. Other parameters such as underground water, temperature, time and stress state affect the rock's behaviour in its natural environment. The frequency of discontinuities in fractured rock is one of the basic parameters for reducing its strength. However it is generally difficult to test undisturbed fractured rock in a laboratory environment. In this study it was tried to open and loosen the grain boundaries of fine-grained rock specimens by cyclical heating and cooling. This should serve as a physical simulation of fractures in the rock mass and enables a discussion of the changes in mechanical behaviour of fractured rock. For this reason, laboratory test specimens of Carrara marble and Buchberger sandstone were used. The heating cycles were varied from 0 to 16. From the results of uniaxial compression, Brazilian and “Continuous Failure State” triaxial tests, it was pointed out that all of the mechanical parameters decreased gradually with an increasing number of heating cycles. Uniaxial compressive strength was reduced to about 50%, while the tensile strength decreased to about 60% for both types of rock. It was also observed that the variations of strength parameters were higher after the first heating cycles. As a result of cyclical heating, the slopes of pre-failure and post-failure curves in the stress-strain plane changed similarly, but the variations of modulus of elasticity were higher than the slopes of the post-failure curves for sandstone. The ratio between compressive and indirect tensile strength rose to a value of 98 after the last heating cycle. For unheated specimens of Carrara marble this ratio is 20. The axial strain at the failure point increased suddenly after the first heating cycle and the failure developed entirely intergranular in cyclically heated specimens.     

Direct observation of microcrack development in marble caused by thermal weathering

One of the properties that makes marble such an excellent construction and ornamental material is its low porosity. It is very difficult for water or decay agents to penetrate the internal structure of materials with no or few pores, so enhancing the durability of these materials. However, environmental temperature fluctuations bring about significant physical changes in marbles that result in an increase in porosity, due to the appearance of new microcracks and the expansion of existing ones. These cracks offer new paths into the marble which make it easier for solutions containing pollutants to penetrate the material. Thermal expansion tests were performed on three different types of marble known as White, Tranco, and Yellow Macael (Almeria, Spain), after which an increase in porosity (from 17 to 73% depending on marble type) was observed, mainly due to crack formation. The structural changes occurring during thermal expansion tests were more significant in the case of White Macael samples, a fact that is not only related to its mineralogical composition but also to the morphology of the grains, grain boundaries and crystal size. Our research suggests that thermally weathered White Macael marble could be more susceptible to decay by other contaminant agents than Tranco or Yellow Macael. The use of hot-stage environmental scanning electron microscopy is proposed as a valid tool for observing, both in situ and at high magnification, changes in the fracture system of building stones induced by thermal stress.     

Influence of Marble’s Texture on its Mechanical Behavior

This research work studied the influence of texture on the mechanical properties of crystalline rocks at the scale of the laboratory sample. The experiments were performed on a marble varying in texture, so that the study was conducted on homogeneous (entirely xenoblastic or totally granoblastic) and heterogeneous (mix of the two textures) specimens. The mechanical behavior of the homogeneous and heterogeneous samples was investigated with static and dynamic, destructive and nondestructive tests, in natural conditions, at the laboratory temperature, and at higher temperatures. The specimens were heated to 100, 200, and 300 °C, in order to examine the effect of heating temperature on the elastic modulus and P-waves velocity. As a result, the pure granoblastic marble exhibits values of the elastic modulus, P-waves velocity, and strengths, both in natural conditions and on heated specimens, lower than xenoblastic samples. Such different behavior can be explained by a higher grain boundaries porosity of the granoblastic marble. On heterogeneous samples, only the Rock Impact Hardness Number (RIHN) appears able to highlight the dependence of the mechanical properties on the rock texture. In particular, the impact strength improves with increasing the percentage of xenoblastic texture inside the specimen.     

Near-surface foundation level assessment from seismic measurements: a case study of north Jeddah City,Saudi Arabia

In this study, a comprehensive assessment on the generation mechanism, distribution characteristics, and extension rules of structure cracks was conducted by in situ monitoring and field investigation in the Chengchao Iron Mine. Structure cracks are affected by many factors, e.g., surface deformation, structure strength, occurrence position, and machine vibration. They initially occur in a structure when the strength of the structure is not enough to resist the inner strain as surface deformation increases. In contrast, increases in width and length of structure crack exert stress release in the structure and thus decrease structure deformation surrounding the crack. A great ground crack may adversely aggravate structure cracking and release the stress of surrounding rock masses. In addition, micro cracks in rock masses provide favorable conditions for the generation and extension of cracks, resulting that cracks occur in shaft walls more easily and extend towards the deeper. The initial distribution of cracks is generally consistent with such micro cracks. Subsequently, cracks in deep rock masses will extend along the strike of the mined-out area as surface deformation increases. Sensibilities to cracking of structures are changed by their different strain resistances and become stronger from bolt-shotcrete shaft, bolt-shotcrete tunnel, and brick-concrete building to brick wall. Based on distribution characteristics of cracks and wave velocity in rock masses, the overlaying strata affected by underground mining can be divided into four zones: broken zone, broken transition zone, crack generation zone, and micro deformation zone.     

高温循环作用后大理岩裂纹扩展试验研究

利用偏光显微镜对经历不同高温循环作用后的细粒大理岩进行观测,通过统计微裂纹长度、开度、数量等参数,探讨不同加热循环次数后岩样内微裂纹的扩展规律。结果表明,（1）经历不同热循环次数作用的岩样,微裂纹的数量和长度均不同,未经热处理岩样内颗粒致密,胶结较好,内部无明显的微裂纹。经历4次热循环作用后岩样内微裂纹发育明显,以晶界裂纹为主,开度和长度均显著增加。岩样经历16次热循环作用后开度持续增大,为55 µm,是4次热循环的4倍;（2）对不同热循环处理后岩样内部发育微裂纹的方向进行了统计,发现微裂纹无明显的方向性,还表明细观切片的取样位置对微裂纹的发育影响不大;（3）线性裂纹密度随热循环次数的增加而增大,经历16次热循环作用后岩样的线性裂纹密度是没有经历热处理岩样的21倍。     

Relating experimental and geological rheology

This paper is concerned with the question of how to relate laboratory measurements of the rheology of rocks to the rheological assumptions that need to be made in geodynamic modelling. First, there is a brief resumé of the principal types of rheological behaviour that have been studied in the laboratory, both pressure-dependent, strain rate-independent and pressure-independent, strain-rate-dependent. Then, the generalization of the results from the relatively simple stress states of the experiments to general stress states is discussed, followed by consideration of the extrapolation of the experimental results to geological strains and strain rates. Finally, the problems associated with spatial scale are considered, leading to the question of how to model the rheological behaviour of large-scale rock masses, using the rheological measurements of laboratory specimens and taking into account the heterogeneity of geological-scale rock masses.     

Investigating the Effect of Cyclic Loading on the Indirect Tensile Strength of Rocks

This paper presents the results of laboratory experiments during the investigation of the stress–strain characteristics of Brisbane tuff disc specimens under diametral compressive cyclic loading. Two different cyclic loading methods were used: namely, sinusoidal cyclic loading and cyclic loading with increasing mean level. The first method applied the S–N curve approach to the indirect tensile strength (ITS) of rock specimens for the first time in the literature, and the second method investigated the effect of increasing cyclic loading on the ITS of rock specimens. The ITS of Brisbane tuff disc specimens was measured using the Brazilian tensile strength test. The reduction in ITS was found to be 33% with sinusoidal loading tests, whereas increasing cyclic loading caused a maximum reduction of 37%. It is believed that the fracturing under cyclic loading starts at contact points between strong grains and weak matrices, and that contact points at grain boundaries are the regions of stress concentration (i.e., indenters). Transgranular cracks emanate from these regions and intergranular cracks sometimes pass through the contact points. Once cracking begins, there is a steady progression of damage and a general ‘loosening’ of the rock, which is a precursor to the formation of intergranular cracks.     

基于核磁共振技术的大理岩三轴压缩损伤规律研究

岩样为大理岩,进行了围压20 MPa、不同轴压的常规三轴压缩试验和核磁共振测试试验,测得大理岩在三轴压缩后的应力-应变曲线、弛豫时间T2谱分布和孔隙度,建立了孔隙度与损伤度之间的函数关系。结果表明,（1）孔隙度和轴压比的拟合函数显示,随着轴压的增加,大理岩孔隙度呈指数增长;轴压比小于70%时,大理岩产生弹性变形,孔隙度增长较小,轴压比处于70%～90%阶段时,大理岩以塑性变形为主,孔隙度明显增大,轴压比大于90%时,大理岩产生强烈扩容,孔隙度成倍增长;（2）大理岩内部裂隙数量和裂纹开度均随着轴压的增大而不断增大;（3）损伤度与孔隙度或轴压比的函数关系表明,随着轴压比的增大,大理岩的损伤度不断增大,相同外荷载产生的有效应力也不断增大。     

Marble bowing: comparative studies of three different public building facades

The veneer cladding of the Oeconomicum (OEC, Göttingen), the State Theatre of Darmstadt (STD, Darmstadt) and of the State and University Library (SUB, Göttingen) is characterised by pronounced bowing after a short time of exposure. Direct comparison of bowing data related to measurements from 2000 to 2003 at the SUB clearly show that the amplitude in bowing had significantly increased. The bowing is different in intensity and orientation (concave, convex). The cladding material (Peccia marble, Rosa Estremoz marble and Carrara marble) are different in lattice preferred orientation, grain size distribution and grain interlocking. Depending on the bowing, panels may show cracks mostly initiated at the dowels. The percentage of visible cracks and breakouts increases with the amplitude of bowing except for the STD. Repetitive heating–cooling under dry conditions leads to considerable inelastic residual strain only after the first or second thermal cycle. The residual strain continuously increases again if water is present, whereby the moisture content after a thermal cycle has a certain impact on the decay rate. The water-enhanced thermal dilatation strongly correlates with the deterioration rate obtained from the laboratory bow test. Detailed petrophysical investigations provide evidence that with increasing bowing a decrease of mechanical properties (flexural strength or breaking load at dowel hole) occur. Marble degradation is also connected with the increase in porosity and a general shift of the maximum pore radii to larger pore sizes. On-site damage analyses were combined with laboratory tests of the bowing potential to constrain factors that may influence the risk failure. The experimental bowing data clearly demonstrate that after 40 heating cycles combined with the effect of moisture a certain impact on the decay rate is observed. In the case of demounted panels the bowing tests show that already strongly deformed panels from the building exhibit a lower bowing potential than those with lower amplitudes of bowing. This is not the general case for all marble types. Finally, the artificial bowing causes a significant reduction of the flexural strength and the breaking load at the dowel hole. The strength loss of the experimentally aged claddings combined with on-site damage analyses led to conclusions concerning risk assessment and the predicted lifetime of the investigated marble claddings.     

Mechanical Tests on Pervasively Jointed Rock Material: Insight into Rock Mass Behaviour

Summary In the exploration phase for the design of an underground cavern in a limestone formation a large number of triaxial compression tests were carried out on laboratory specimens which were characterized by a variable degree of fracturing. The data were analyzed to investigate the influence of fracture intensity and of confining stress on the mechanical parameters. In particular, investigations focused on the relationships between the parameters of the strength criteria, respectively in residual and peak conditions, on the decay of the Young modulus with stress level in the prepeak phase of the test, and on the brittleness of the rock in the postpeak phase. The tested rock can be considered as a small-scale model of a jointed rock mass, and the laboratory data therefore provide useful insight into the mechanical behaviour of rock masses, especially the relationships between residual and peak strength parameters, which are required in many analytical models and in numerical codes for the analysis of underground excavations.     

Marble decay induced by thermal strains: simulations and experiments

Thermoelastic behavior of different marble types was analyzed using computational modeling and experimental measurements. Eight marble samples with different composition, grain size, grain boundary geometry, and texture were investigated. Calcitic and dolomitic marbles were considered. The average grain size varies from 75 μm to 1.75 mm; grain boundary geometry differs from nearly equigranular straight grain boundaries to inequigranular-interlobate grain boundaries. Four typical marble texture types were observed by EBSD measurements: weak texture; strong texture; girdle texture and high-temperature texture. These crystallographic orientations were used in conjunction with microstructure-based finite element analysis to compute the thermoelastic responses of marble upon heating. Microstructural response maps highlight regions and conditions in the marble fabric that are susceptible to degradation phenomena. This behavior was compared to the measured thermal expansion behavior, which shows increasing residual strains upon repetitive heating–cooling cycles. The thermal expansion behavior as a function of temperature changes can be classified into four categories: (a) isotropic thermal expansion with small or no residual strain; (b) anisotropic thermal expansion with small or no residual strain; (c) isotropic thermal expansion with a residual strain; and (d) anisotropic thermal expansion with residual strain. Thermal expansion coefficients were calculated for both simulated and experimental data and also modeled from the texture using the MTEX software. Fabric parameters control the amount and directional dependence of the thermal expansion. Marbles with strong texture show higher directional dependence of the thermal expansion coefficients and have smaller microstructural values of the maximum principal stress and strain energy density, the main precursors of microcracking throughout the marble fabric. In contrast, marbles with weak texture show isotropic thermal expansion behavior, have a higher propensity to microcracking, and exhibit higher values of maximum principal stress and strain energy density. Good agreement between the experimental and computational results is observed, demonstrating that microstructure-based finite-element simulations are an excellent tool for elucidating influences of rock fabric on thermoelastic behavior.     

岩石受热后的强度,变形破坏特性的微观研究

本文对砂岩、灰岩、大理岩在不同温度条件下的单轴抗压强度进行了实验研究,并对岩石在各种温度下结构变化进行了镜下分析,探讨了岩石受热后的破裂机理,定性定量地分析了岩石裂纹随温度变化而发展的规律。研究和分析结果表明:在热应力和外应力的作用下,随着温度增加,砂岩单轴抗压强度有增加的趋势,而灰岩、大理石的强度则有所降低。温度对这几种岩石的变形和破坏特性也有很大影响。     

Bowing of dimensional granitic stones

Bowing is a well-known phenomenon seen in marbles used as building veneers. This form of rock weathering occurs as a result of external factors such as temperature, humidity, the system for anchoring the marble slabs or the panel dimensions. Under the same external conditions, many factors will determine the degree of deformation including petrography, thermal properties and residual locked stresses. The usual way to solve the problem of bowed marble slabs is to replace them with other materials, such as granites, in which the deformation still exists but is less common. In this study, eight ornamental granites with different mineralogy, grain size, grain shape, porosity and fabric were tested in a laboratory to assess their susceptibility to bowing. Three slabs of granite, each cut with a different orientation, were studied under different conditions of temperature (90 and 120°C) and water saturation (dry and wet) to investigate the influence of these factors together with that of anisotropy. At 90°C, only the granite with the coarsest grain size and low porosity exhibited deformation under wet conditions. At 120°C and wet conditions, three of the granites showed evident signs of bowing. Again, the granite with the coarsest grain size was the most deformed. It was concluded that the wide grain size distribution influences microcracking more than other expected factors, such as the quartz content of the rock. Also, mineral shape-preferred orientation and porosity play an important role in the bowing of the studied granites.     

An Experimental Study of Crack Coalescence Behaviour in Rock-Like Materials Containing Multiple Flaws Under Uniaxial Compression

Experiments on man-made flawed rock-like materials are applied extensively to study the mechanical behaviour of rock masses as well as crack initiation modes and crack coalescence types. A large number of experiments on specimens containing two or three pre-existing flaws were previously conducted. In the present work, experiments on rock-like materials (formed from a mixture of sand, plaster, limestone and water at mass ratio of 126:9:9:16) containing multiple flaws subjected to uniaxial compression were conducted to further research the effects of the layout of pre-existing flaws on mechanical properties, crack initiation modes and crack coalescence types. Compared with previous experiments in which only three types of cracks were found, the present experiments on specimens containing multiple flaws under uniaxial compression revealed five types of cracks, including wing cracks, quasi-coplanar secondary cracks, oblique secondary cracks, out-of-plane tensile cracks and out-of-plane shear cracks. Ten types of crack coalescence occurred through linkage among wing cracks, quasi-coplanar secondary cracks, oblique secondary cracks, out-of-plane shear cracks and out-of-plane tensile cracks. Moreover, the effects of the non-overlapping length and flaw angle on the complete stress–strain curves, the stress of crack initiation, the peak strength, the peak strain and the elastic modulus were also investigated in detail.     

温度周期作用下大理岩三轴蠕变试验与理论模型研究

为了解温度周期作用对大理岩蠕变力学特性的影响,采用温度-应力-渗流耦合的岩石力学三轴流变试验系统对大理岩进行了不同温度及温度周期变化下三轴压缩蠕变试验。基于试验结果,研究了大理岩试样在不同温度及温度周期变化下轴向应变随时间的变化规律,分析了不同温度及温度周期变化下蠕变的变形机制,掌握了温度对大理岩三轴蠕变影响的基本规律,并且建立了考虑温度及温度周期变化影响的改进的Burgers模型。理论值与试验结果非常接近,表明考虑温度及温度周期变化的改进Burgers模型适合描述大理岩的黏弹性蠕变特征。为长期暴露于外部环境下的岩质边坡的长期稳定性分析提供了重要的参考依据。     

Discovering the stone heritage of southern Italy: technical properties of the Mondragone marble from Campania region

The results of the geological characterization of an old stone building in southern Italy, are presented here. The Mondragone marble is a slightly metamorphosed carbonate rock, which was widely employed as monumental stone in the 18th century Royal Palaces of Naples and Caserta. In this paper, for the first time, this rock has been investigated with a thorough laboratory testing program, aimed at defining its mineralogical, physical and mechanical parameters. The two most important varieties of Mondragone marble were separately tested: the yellow and grey marbles (hereafter, YM and GM, respectively). The results obtained from physical tests (open porosity, dry density, specific gravity, water absorption coefficients, ultrasonic velocity) did not show marked differences between the two materials; in contrast, the mechanical strength tests (uniaxial compressive strength, point load strength, flexural strength) showed better behaviour of YM than for GM. After a tentative comparison with other well known carbonate rocks from Italy, some considerations on the response of Mondragone marble to local weathering were conducted. In particular, the weathering typologies were related to the particular texture of the brecciated marble and the different strength resistances displayed by the various constituents of the rock.     

时间对大理岩凯塞效应的影响

岩石的凯塞效应具有记忆历史最大应力和应变的能力,但时隔两月对大理岩样品进行再加载试验表明,尽管大理岩仍有凯塞效应出现,但凯塞效应记忆先前应力和先前应变的准确程度不高。笔者认为岩石声发射产生的原因在于其内部存在的裂纹,岩石凯塞效应的机理则在于对其先前损伤的记忆。按照笔者确定的损伤因子,凯塞效应具有记忆先前损伤的能力,时隔两个月对大理岩样品进行再加载试验,凯塞效应记忆先前损伤的准确程度仅损失3%。文章从时间因素证明了凯塞效应的机理在于对先前损伤的记忆。      

大理岩常规三轴压缩下强度和变形特性的试验研究

通过在伺服试验机上对中、粗颗粒大理岩进行常规三轴试验,基于试验结果,研究了两种颗粒大理岩的强度和变形特性。结果表明,低围压时岩样内部材料并未均匀化,岩石表现为应变软化特性;而高围压时岩样内部材料强度由低到高逐渐屈服,变形趋于均匀,岩石出现塑性流动特性。岩石的峰值应变与围压显著成正线性关系;中颗粒和粗颗粒岩样之间确实存在差异,但内摩擦系数可以表征材料力学性质,与粒径没有关系;岩石残余强度对围压的敏感性显著高于峰值强度。     

锦屏大理岩真三轴岩爆试验的渐进破坏过程研究

为了查明高储能岩体快速卸荷变形破坏机制,设计了锦屏大理岩岩爆试验,对岩爆试件的宏观破坏特征、声发射过程等进行研究。根据以往真三轴岩爆试验特征进行了全程和非全程试验,记录其过程及声发射特征。对比分析两者的宏观破坏特征,解释了岩爆试验的渐进破坏过程。试验结果表明：在大理岩岩爆试验中,岩石试件的宏观破坏是由表及里的;张性裂纹的出现要早于剪切裂纹,剪切裂纹搭接相邻的张性裂纹（或临空面）形成圈闭,圈闭内的岩石碎块出现剥离或以一定初速度弹射;剪切面上岩粉的存在意味着剪切裂纹萌生扩展过程伴随着大量弹性应变能的释放;与其他的岩爆分类和机制相比,岩爆渐进破坏观点能够较好地解释岩爆机制。     

Mechanical behaviors of conjugate-flawed rocks subjected to coupled static–dynamic compression

Conjugate flaws widely exist in rock masses and play a significant role in their deformation and strength properties. Understanding the mechanical behaviors of rock masses containing conjugate flaws is conducive to rock engineering stability assessment and the related supporting design. This study experimentally investigates the mechanical properties of conjugate-flawed sandstone specimens under coupled static–dynamic compression, thereby providing insight into how conjugate fractures interact to produce tracing tensional joints. Results indicate that the coupled compressive strength and the dynamic elastic modulus of conjugate-flawed rock specimens show remarkable loading rate dependence. For a fixed strain rate, the specimen with a static pre-stress equal to 60% of its uniaxial compressive strength has the highest coupled strength. Besides, both higher static pre-stress and strain rate can induce smaller mean fragment size and greater fractal dimension of the specimen, corresponding to a more uniform distribution of the broken fragments with smaller sizes. When the static pre-stress is lower than 80%UCS, the flawed specimen under a higher strain rate is characterized by higher absorbed energy. However, when the pre-stress equals 80%UCS, the value of the energy absorbed by the specimen in the dynamic loading process is negative due to the release of the preexisting considerable elastic strain energy input from the static pre-loading. As for the failure modes, cracks always penetrate the preexisting ipsilateral flaw tips to form anti-wing cracks. Under dynamic loading, the conjugate-flawed specimen generally shows tensile failure at a low strain rate, while the shear failure dominates at a high strain rate. In addition, based on progressive failure processes of the conjugate-flawed rock specimens, the evolution of tracing tensional joints in the field is discussed.