True Triaxial Stresses and the Brittle Fracture of Rock

This paper reviews the efforts made in the last 100 years to characterize the effect of the intermediate principal stress σ ₂ on brittle fracture of rocks, and on their strength criteria. The most common theories of failure in geomechanics, such as those of Coulomb, and Mohr, disregard σ ₂ and are typically based on triaxial testing of cylindrical rock samples subjected to equal minimum and intermediate principal stresses (σ ₃=σ ₂). However, as early as 1915 Böker conducted conventional triaxial extension tests (σ ₁=σ ₂) on the same Carrara marble tested earlier in conventional triaxial compression by von Kármán that showed a different strength behavior. Efforts to incorporate the effect of σ ₂ on rock strength continued in the second half of the last century through the work of Nadai, Drucker and Prager, Murrell, Handin, Wiebols and Cook, and others. In 1971 Mogi designed a high-capacity true triaxial testing machine, and was the first to obtain complete true triaxial strength criteria for several rocks based on experimental data. Following his pioneering work, several other laboratories developed equipment and conducted true triaxial tests revealing the extent of σ ₂ effect on rock strength (e.g., Takahashi and Koide, Michelis, Smart, Wawersik). Testing equipment emulating Mogi's but considerably more compact was developed at the University of Wisconsin and used for true triaxial testing of some very strong crystalline rocks. Test results revealed three distinct compressive failure mechanisms, depending on loading mode and rock type: shear faulting resulting from extensile microcrack localization, multiple splitting along the σ ₁ axis, and nondilatant shear failure. The true triaxial strength criterion for the KTB amphibolite derived from such tests was used in conjunction with logged breakout dimensions to estimate the maximum horizontal in situ stress in the KTB ultra deep scientific hole.     

深部垂直钻孔中原地应力测量的混合方法

本文提出一种测量深部垂直钻孔中3个原地主应力的混合方法.最小水平主应力大小及其方向采用水压致裂方法测量,垂直应力利用上覆岩体自重来计算.最大水平主应力的确定则采用其他野外和实验室方法来实现.利用诸如钻孔电视成像仪或地层微成像技术等地球物理测井技术可记录到钻孔崩落的定向图像,从而可得到崩落范围随深度的变化.钻孔岩样的三轴...