Crack Initiation and Coalescence Behavior of Two Non-parallel Flaws

Crack initiation and coalescence behavior of rock or rock-like specimens containing artificial flaws under uniaxial compression have been subjects of intensive investigation in the past. Most of these investigations however focused on crack initiation and coalescence between two or more parallel flaws. Although there have been few experimental studies on non-parallel flaws, these studies did not address the influence of geometrical factors such as ligament length and ligament angle on the crack initiation and coalescence behavior of non-parallel flaws. To investigate whether the individual geometrical factors have similar effects on the crack initiation and coalescence behavior of both parallel and non-parallel flaws, we conducted uniaxial compression tests to investigate crack cracking and coalescence processes in rock like material containing two non-parallel flaws. The paper presents the influence of individual geometrical factors on the crack initiation process and coalescence pattern of non-parallel flaws. Initiation of primary first cracks from all the tips of the two flaws did not occur simultaneously in all the flaw configurations. The flaw configuration of the non-parallel flaws influences the crack initiation, crack trajectories and coalescence behavior. The crack coalescence pattern changes with an increasing ligament angle from indirect to shear crack or mixed tensile-shear crack to tensile crack coalescence. The chance of direct coalescence is reduced with an increase in ligament length. In conclusion, the crack initiation and coalescence behavior of prismatic rock-like specimens with non-parallel flaws, as influenced by the geometrical factors, are analogous to the cracking and coalescence pattern observed in specimens with parallel flaws.     

Morphological aspects of crack growth in rock materials with various flaws

Crack evolution is initiated by the occurrence of tensile wing cracks and is then further promoted due to the crack coalescence caused by the extension of a central tensile crack segment between two relatively adjacent flaws. To understand such progressive failures in rock, a parallelized peridynamics coupled with a finite element method is utilized. Through this method, the initiation position of tensile wing cracks is observed with respect to varying inclination angles of a flaw, and then its corresponding shifting mechanism is investigated. In addition, the phenomenon of the position shifting being sensitive to various flaw shapes is discussed. Moreover, it is observed that the inclination angle of a central flaw affects the initiation position of other flaws; therefore, the initiation positions of tensile wing crack emanating from other neighboring flaws are analyzed with their angles. Following tensile wing cracks, a central tensile crack segment occurs in the bridging region between a central flaw and other neighboring flaws; the developmental patterns caused by the crack segment are discussed as well. Finally, the role a central tensile crack segment plays in the formation of crack coalescence and specimen failure is investigated in detail. The numerical results in this paper demonstrate good fidelity with established physical test results and complement them, thereby expanding the understanding of fracturing morphology in rock specimens with various flaws.     

Crack Coalescence in Molded Gypsum and Carrara Marble: Part 1. Macroscopic Observations and Interpretation

Cracking and coalescence behavior has been studied experimentally with prismatic laboratory-molded gypsum and Carrara marble specimens containing two parallel pre-existing open flaws. This was done at both the macroscopic and the microscopic scales, and the results are presented in two separate papers. This paper (the first of two) summarizes the macroscopic experimental results and investigates the influence of the different flaw geometries and material, on the cracking processes. In the companion paper (also in this issue), most of the macroscopic deformation and cracking processes shown in this present paper will be related to the underlying microscopic changes. In the present study, a high speed video system was used, which allowed us to precisely observe the cracking mechanisms. Nine crack coalescence categories with different crack types and trajectories were identified. The flaw inclination angle (β), the ligament length (L), that is, intact rock length between the flaws, and the bridging angle (α), that is, the inclination of a line linking up the inner flaw tips, between two flaws, had different effects on the coalescence patterns. One of the pronounced differences observed between marble and gypsum during the compression loading test was the development of macroscopic white patches prior to the initiation of macroscopic cracks in marble, but not in gypsum. Comparing the cracking and coalescence behaviors in the two tested materials, tensile cracking generally occurred more often in marble than in gypsum for the same flaw pair geometries.

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.     

Numerical Study on Coalescence of Pre-Existing Flaw Pairs in Rock-Like Material

The present numerical study, which is an extension of our previous numerical analysis on cracking processes of a single pre-existing flaw, focuses on the coalescence of two pre-existing parallel open flaws in rock subjected to a uniaxial compressive loading. To facilitate a systematic investigation, the arrangements of the flaw pair are classified into 11 categories. Simulations engaging AUTODYN are conducted on each category. The numerical results are compared with some published physical experimental test results. Eleven typical coalescence patterns are obtained, which are in good agreement with the experimental results, which include two coalescence patterns obtained in flaw pair arrangements (II) and (VIII″) not being reported in previous studies. The information gathered in the simulations helps identify the type (tensile/shear) of each crack segment involved in the coalescence. Most of the coalescence cracks initiate at or around the flaw tips, except those in flaw pair arrangements (II) and (IX′) with a very short ligament length, in which the coalescence cracks initiate on the flaw surfaces away from the flaw tip regions. Based on the numerical simulation results, the properties of the 11 coalescence patterns are obtained. Except those in flaw pair arrangements (II) and (IX′), the other coalescence patterns can be interpreted with respect to the basic crack types—tensile wing crack, horsetail crack and anti-wing crack. In addition, based on the type of crack segments involved in coalescence, namely tensile and shear, the coalescence can be classified into T mode (tensile mode), S mode (shear mode) and TS mode (mixed tensile–shear mode).     

Cracking Processes in Rock-Like Material Containing a Single Flaw Under Uniaxial Compression: A Numerical Study Based on Parallel Bonded-Particle Model Approach

Cracking processes have been extensively studied in brittle rock and rock-like materials. Due to the experimental limitations and the complexity of rock texture, details of the cracking processes could not always be observed and assessed comprehensively. To contribute to this field of research, a numerical approach based on the particle element model was used in present study. It would give us insights into what is happening to crack initiation, propagation and coalescence. Parallel bond model, a type of bonded-particle model, was used to numerically simulate the cracking process in rock-like material containing a single flaw under uniaxial vertical compression. The single flaw’s inclinations varied from 0° to 75° measured from the horizontal. As the uniaxial compression load was increased, multiple new microcracks initiated in the rock, which later propagated and eventually coalesced into longer macrocracks. The inclination of the pre-existing flaw was found to have a strong influence on the crack initiation and propagation patterns. The simulations replicated most of the phenomena observed in the physical experiments, such as the type, the initiation location and the initiate angle of the first cracks, as well as the development of hair-line cracks, which later evolved to macrocracks. Analyses of the parallel bond forces and displacement fields revealed some important mechanisms of the cracking processes. The first cracks typically initiated from the tensile stress concentration regions, in which the tensile stress was partially released after their initiation. The tensile stress concentration regions subsequently shifted outwards close to the propagating tips of the first cracks. The initiation and propagation of the first cracks would not significantly influence the compressive stress singularity at the flaw tips, which was the driving force of the initiation of secondary cracks. The initiation of microcracking zone consisting almost exclusively of micro-tensile cracks, and that of microcracking zone consisting of micro-tensile cracks and mixed micro-tensile and shear cracks, were found to be correlated with two distinct types of displacement fields, namely type I (DF_I) and type II (DF_II), respectively.     

Influence of single flaw on the failure process and energy mechanics of rock-like material

This paper investigates the influence of a flaw on crack initiation, the failure mode, deformation field and energy mechanism of the rock-like material under uniaxial compression. The results of laboratory test and numerical simulation demonstrate the flaw inclination effect can be classified into three groups: 0–30°, 30–60° and 75–90°. The characteristic stresses increase as the flaw angle increases. The tensile cracks initiate from gentle flaws (α ⩽ 30°) and shear cracks appear at tips of steep flaws (α ⩾ 45°). The input energy, strain energy and dissipation energy of a specimen show approximate increasing trends as the flaw angle increases.     

Coalescence of offset rock joints under biaxial loading

Crack coalescence in rock masses was studied by performing a series of biaxial compresion tests on specimens made of rock-like material. Specimens of size 63.5 × 27.9 × 20.3 cm, made of 72% silica sand, 16% cement (Type I) and 12% water by weight were tested. The joint inclination angle was maintained at 45°, while the offset angle i.e. angle between the plane of the joint and the line that connects the two inner tips of the joints, was changed from 0° to 90° with an increment of 15°. Three levels of lateral stress were used; 0.35 MPa, 0.7 MPa and 1.5 MPa on each sample. HP data acquisition system was used to record the data for each sample. In each sample, four LVDTs were fixed to measure the axial and lateral displacement along the sample. The failure mechanisms were monitored by eye inspection and a magnifier to detect crack initiation and propagation. For each test, the failure surfaces were investigated to determine the characteristics of each surface. Wing cracks initiated at the tip of the joint for the low confining stress applied, while at higher confining stresses wing cracks also initiated at the middle of the joint. Secondary cracks initiated at the tip of the joint due to shear stress. Three modes of failure took place due to coalescence of the secondary and wing cracks. The bridge inclination was the main variable that controlled the mode of failure. For bridge inclination of 0°, the coalescence occured due to shear failure and for bridge inclination of 90° the coalescence occurred due to tensile failure while for the other bridge inclinations coalescence occured due to mixed tensile and shear failure.     

A three-dimensional numerical investigation of the fracture of rock specimens containing a pre-existing surface flaw

Three-dimensional surface crack initiation and propagation in two kinds of heterogeneous rocks were numerically investigated via parallel finite element analysis using a supercomputer. Numerically simulated rock specimens containing a pre-existing flaw were subjected to uniaxial compression until failure. The initiation and propagation of wing cracks, anti-wing cracks, and shell-like cracks were reproduced by numerical simulations. The numerically simulated results demonstrate that the further propagation of wing cracks and shell-like cracks stop due to their wrapping (curving) behavior in three-dimensional spaces, even if the applied loads continue to increase. Furthermore, rock heterogeneity could significantly influence crack propagation patterns and the peak uniaxial compressive strengths of rock specimens. Moreover, anti-wing cracks only appeared in relatively heterogeneous rocks, and the peak uniaxial compressive strengths of the specimens were observed to depend on the inclination of the pre-existing flaw. Finally, the mechanism of surface crack propagation is discussed in the context of numerically simulated anti-plane loading tests, wherein it was identified that Mode III loading (anti-plane loading) does not lead to Mode III fracture in rocks due to their high ratio of uniaxial compressive strength to tensile strength. This finding could explain the lateral growth of an existing flaw in its own plane, which is a phenomenon that has not been observed in laboratory experiments.     

Influence of crack surface friction on crack initiation and propagation: A numerical investigation based on extended finite element method

Rock strengths are directly influenced by the open or closed flaws widely distributed in rock masses. Extensive studies have been conducted on the propagations of open flaws in rocks. However, few concerns are paid on the propagation of closed flaws, the influence of the surface friction on the initiation and propagation of closed flaws should be investigated systematically. In present article, the crack initiation and propagation in rock like material subjected to compressive loads have been investigated. The effects of crack surface friction on crack initiation and propagation have been quantified with the help from extended finite element method which is efficient and accurate. Based on the analysis on stress distribution and propagation patterns, following results are obtained: Firstly, minor effects are exerted by crack surface friction on the stress distribution around the flaws when the flaws inclination angle is 30° and 45°. However, as the inclination angle increases to 60°, the effects are much more significant. Secondly, as the inclination angle ranges from 30° to 60°, the most favorable angle for crack propagation is 45°. Thirdly, the initiation location and angle of the wing cracks will not be influenced by the frictions. However, the propagation length will be greatly influenced by the friction and the inclination angle.     

Three-dimensional numerical study on the failure characteristics of intermittent fissures under compressive-shear loads

A 3-D conjugated bond-pair-based peridynamic model is developed to comprehensively investigate failure characteristics of rock-like materials with intermittent fissures in the compressive-shear loading tests. Rock-like specimens containing one single central fissure are first simulated. Numerical results indicate that the 3-D conjugated bond-pair-based peridynamic model can faithfully reproduce failure characteristics of rock-like materials under compressive-shear loads. Then, the failure characteristics of rock-like specimens containing two parallel central intermittent fissures are numerically investigated. Effects of fissure inclination angle, fissure ligament length and rock bridge angle on fracturing behaviors, such as crack coalescence patterns, are also studied as well as crack initiation stress and coalescence stress.

     

注浆材料和预制裂纹缺陷角度对类岩石试件单轴抗压强度及破坏模式的影响

选用环氧树脂和纯水泥浆作为注浆材料,对含不同角度和不同注浆材料裂隙试样进行单轴压缩试验。试验结果表明,注浆材料和裂纹缺陷角度对类岩石试件单轴抗压强度及破坏模式具有重要影响;环氧树脂加固效果优于纯水泥浆,环氧树脂可以有效地消除预制裂纹尖端的应力集中;在裂纹缺陷角度很小( <30°)和角度很大( =90°)的情况下无论裂隙是注环氧树脂还是纯水泥浆,注浆效果都不明显,当 =60°时两种注浆材料的加固效果都很好。提出滑动裂纹模型,对注浆裂隙进行力学分析发现,含注浆裂隙试样的抗压强度随着注浆材料和完整材料胶结面摩擦系数和黏聚力的增大而增大,不同注浆材料和完整材料胶结面的摩擦系数和黏聚力不同,解释了为什么不同的注浆材料对注浆试样强度提升作用不同。研究成果为分析工程中注浆材料和裂纹缺陷角度对岩体强度的影响提供了一定的理论基础。     

静动载下共面非贯通裂隙贯通机制分析

共面非贯通裂隙的贯通机制对于确定外载下岩质边坡的滑动面位置及滑动面综合抗剪强度至关重要。采用预制共面非贯通裂隙石膏模型试样单轴静动载对比试验,对不同裂隙倾角共面排列裂隙的扩展、贯通过程进行了观测,研究显示：共面非贯通裂隙不同倾角下的贯通模式存在较大差异,裂隙倾角为0o～35o时以裂隙面发生闭合变形为主;45o～65o时裂隙间较易出现剪切型破坏模式;75o～90o预制裂隙面较难产生滑动,裂隙试样主要产生劈裂形式的破坏。动载下预制裂隙试样裂尖翼裂纹及次生共面裂纹起裂后易朝原起裂方向快速发展;易在两预制裂隙内端部产生直接贯通,这与静载下岩桥处的贯通常通过分支裂纹拐折扩展、相连不同。含共面非贯通裂隙试样在裂隙倾角为35o左右时强度呈现最小值,这与贯通性裂隙试样裂隙倾角为60o左右呈现最小值相差较大,这是因为裂隙面摩擦强度没来得及发挥作用所致。因此,含非贯通节理裂隙岩体的综合抗剪强度公式应引入强度发挥系数,以充分考虑岩桥胶结强度与裂隙面摩擦强度不能同步发挥作用的破坏本质。     

Strength,fragmentation and fractal properties of mixed flaws

Experiments on Portland cement samples containing mixed flaws are conducted to investigate the strength, fragmentation and fractal properties. Flaw geometry is a new combination of two edge-notched flaws and an imbedded flaw, which is different from those in the previous studies, where parallel or coplanar flaws are used. The physical implications of the shear-box test applied to result to rock slopes are studied. The physical and analytical fragmentation characteristics of preflawed samples are analyzed through the sieve test and fractal theory, respectively. Three different patterns of tensile cracks and shear cracks are observed. A sliding crack model is presented to elucidate the brittle failure flaws. In all of the cases of the shear-box tests, the coalescence is produced by the linkage of shear cracks, and two types of coalescence (Type C1 and Type C2) have been classified, which tend to confirm the observations from the numerical model and field of jointed rock slopes. The shear strength is a function of the flaw geometry and the shear–normal stress ratio. The result of sieve tests indicates that the fragment size distribution of fragments has the fractal property, providing a physical understanding of the fragmentation mechanism. The fragments under the shear-box test have fractal dimensions between 2.2 and 2.6, which are larger than those under the compression test but similar to those in the fault cores. The fragmentation in the case of Type C2 has a smaller fractal dimension, corresponding to a larger shear strength.     

交叉裂隙岩体裂纹扩展试验及混合有限-离散元数值模拟研究

对预制交叉裂隙岩石试样进行裂纹扩展试验,研究了裂纹萌生、扩展、聚合过程,分析了主裂隙和轴向载荷夹角及主次裂隙夹角对裂纹起裂应力和聚合应力的影响,并用混合有限元-离散元程序,即图形处理器并行化的3D Y-HFDEM代码对试验进行了仿真计算,实现了岩石破坏从连续介质向非连续介质的过渡,对裂纹类及损伤破坏模式进行了识别,捕捉到了试验中难以发现的现象。研究表明：随主裂隙与轴向载荷夹角增加,裂纹聚合区的拉伸裂纹数量增加;裂纹起裂和聚合应力与主裂隙与轴向载荷夹角成正比;主次裂隙夹角增加,岩石的破坏模式由拉伸破坏转为剪切破坏,交叉裂隙加剧岩石破碎程度;主裂隙尖端萌生扩展的拉伸-剪切混合裂缝引起的破坏在岩石破坏中占主导地位,是导致岩体失去承载能力的主控裂纹;混合有限元-离散元仿真软件GPGPU并行化的3D Y-HFDEM IDE在岩石裂纹扩展研究中具有优势,可以捕捉实验室难以发现的损伤断裂类型,可以作为岩石裂纹扩展研究的有力工具。     

Influence of inclination angles and confining pressures on mechanical behavior of rock materials containing a preexisting crack

To deeply understand the cracking mechanical behavior of brittle rock materials, numerical simulations of a rock specimen containing a single preexisting crack were carried out by the expanded distinct element method (EDEM). Based on the analysis of crack tips and a comparison between stress- and strain-based methods, the strain strength criterion was adopted in the numerical models to simulate the crack initiation and propagation processes under uniaxial and biaxial compression. The simulation results indicated that the crack inclination angle and confining pressure had a great influence on the tensile and shear properties, peak strength, and failure behaviors, which also showed a good agreement with the experimental results. If the specimen was under uniaxial compression, it was found that the initiation stress and peak strength first decreased and then increased with an increasing inclination angle α. Regardless of the size of α, tensile cracks initiated prior to shear cracks. If α was small (such as α ≤ 30°), the tensile cracks dominated the specimen failure, the wing cracks propagated towards the direction of uniaxial compression, and the propagation of shear cracks was inhibited by the high concentration of tensile stress. In contrast, if α was large (such as α ≥ 45°), mixed cracks dominated the specimen failure, and the external loading favored the further propagation of shear cracks. Analyzing the numerical results of the specimen with a 45° inclination angle under biaxial compression, it was revealed that lateral confinement had a significant influence on the initiation sequence and the mechanical properties of new cracks.     

Experimental Study of Crack Growth in Rock-Like Materials Containing Multiple Parallel Pre-existing Flaws Under Biaxial Compression

Cracks and joints are common in rock masses and play a crucial role in rock mass stability. This study prepared specimens with multiple parallel pre-existing flaws by embedding iron sheets in rock-like materials and used the samples to investigate the crack growth characteristics of these materials. Biaxial compression experiments were performed on sixty specimens, and the influences of the number of pre-existing flaws, their angles and the lateral stress on crack growth were investigated based on video recordings of the crack growth. The results demonstrate that structural failure will occur due to crack growth when the sample contains a small number of pre-existing flaws and that as the number of cracks increases, the specimens will fail due to local failures. In addition, the types of rock bridge failures are summarized, including wing cracks, secondary shear cracks between horizontally-separated pre-existing flaws and secondary shear cracks between vertically-separated pre-existing flaws. Wing cracks play a significant role in the failure of the specimens. The results increase the understanding of crack growth in brittle materials that contain multiple parallel pre-existing flaws under biaxial compression.     

Propagation and coalescence of quasi-static cracks in Brazilian disks: an insight from a phase field model

The phase field model represents sharp cracks by diffusive mushy-zone and can simulate crack propagation automatically. Propagation and coalescence of quasi-static cracks in Brazilian disks are investigated by a phase field model. The phase field modeling is implemented in Comsol Multiphysics and initially verified by a benchmark of three-point bending test. The Brazilian disk specimens containing no initial crack, a single and two pre-existing cracks subjected to compression are then tested by the phase field model. Crack propagation patterns along with the load–displacement curves are fully discussed. Meanwhile, the effects of length scale parameter and critical energy release rate on crack propagation are evaluated. In addition, the effect of crack inclination angle on the pre-cracked Brazilian disk specimens is also investigated. The numerical results obtained by the phase field model are in good agreement with previous experimental and numerical results.

     

Coupled flow network and discrete element modeling of injection-induced crack propagation and coalescence in brittle rock

We present a numerical analysis on injection-induced crack propagation and coalescence in brittle rock. The DEM network coupling model in PFC is modified to capture the evolution of fracture geometry. An improved fluid flow model for fractured porous media is proposed and coupled with a bond-based DEM model to simulate the interactions among cracks induced by injecting fluid in two nearby flaws at identical injection rates. The material parameters are calibrated based on the macro-properties of Lac du Bonnet granite and KGD solution. A grain-based model, which generates larger grains from assembles of particles bonded together, is calibrated to identify the microscopic mechanical and hydraulic parameters of Lac du Bonnet granite such that the DEM model yields a ratio between the compressive and tensile strength consistent with experiments. The simulations of fluid injection reveal that the initial flaw direction plays a crucial role in crack interaction and coalescence pattern. When two initial flaws are aligned, cracks generally propagate faster. Some geometrical measures from graph theory are used to analyze the geometry and connectivity of the crack network. The results reveal that initial flaws in the same direction may lead to a well-connected crack network with higher global efficiency.

     

Experimental and numerical study of failure characteristics of brittle rocks with single internal 3D open-type flaw

Open flaws without any filling material are common fracture structures in real rock. To study the failure characteristics of this fracture structure, small-scale rock-like samples with single internal 3D open flaws are prepared, and uniaxial compression tests are conducted. Digital image correlation (for surface strain and failures) and acoustic emission (for internal microfracture behaviors) monitoring technologies are also employed to analyze the flaws. The test results are verified through numerical simulations. Different inclination angles of the internal preset flaws are found to have little influence on the strength of the samples, and the surface and internal secondary failures of the samples exhibit very different development processes and distributions. The particle displacement trend method is applied to explain the initiation mechanism of secondary cracks, but the corresponding analyses are only reasonable if particle information along the y-axis is considered. Therefore, the particle information in the y-axis is incorporated by defining new 2D sections (with y-axis) or partial 3D models. Based on these research methods, the initiation mechanism of secondary cracks is reasonably explained, and the influence of the preset flaw thickness on the particle displacement trend fields and secondary failures in surrounding rocks can be discussed. Finally, the simulation results prove that the Mode II and III failures are usually coupled, and direct Mode III failures (displacement of two parts of rock parallel to each other and in opposite directions) only occur in the front and rear surrounding rocks of the preset flaw.