• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.121-132
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• 2004

Dynamic fracture processes of rock were analyzed to investigate the influence of the initiation error of the delay detonator in smooth blasting. The analysis models for the smooth blasting considered two blast geometries with three charge holes, and the simultaneous initiations without initiation error, with the initiation error of electronic delay detonator and with the initiation error of pyrotechnically delay detonator(DS detonator) were applied to the charge holes. In order to examine the effect of electronic and DS initiation detonator on the smooth blasting, the fracture process results were analyzed statistically.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.35-47
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• 2018

This paper investigates the mechanisms of tunnel spalling and massive tunnel failures using fracture mechanics principles. The study starts with examining the fracture propagation due to tensile and shear failure mechanisms. It was found that, fundamentally, in rock masses with high compressive stresses, tensile fracture propagation is often a stable process which leads to a gradual failure. Shear fracture propagation tends to be an unstable process. Several real case observations of spalling failures and massive shear failures in boreholes, tunnels and underground roadways are shown in the paper. A number of numerical models were used to investigate the fracture mechanisms and extents in the roof/wall of a deep tunnel and in an underground coal mine roadway. The modelling was done using a unique fracture mechanics code FRACOD which simulates explicitly the fracture initiation and propagation process. The study has demonstrated that both tensile and shear fracturing may occur in the vicinity of an underground opening. Shallow spalling in the tunnel wall is believed to be caused by tensile fracturing from extensional strain although no tensile stress exists there. Massive large scale failure however is most likely to be caused by shear fracturing under high compressive stresses. The observation that tunnel spalling often starts when the hoop stress reaches $0.4^*UCS$ has been explained in this paper by using the extension strain criterion. At this uniaxial compressive stress level, the lateral extensional strain is equivalent to the critical strain under uniaxial tension. Scale effect on UCS commonly believed by many is unlikely the dominant factor in this phenomenon.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.395-407
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• 2022

In this paper, cracks with different angles are prefabricated in rock specimens to study the fracture characteristics of rock based on CT images. The rock specimens are prepared for compression tests according to the standard recommended by ISRM (International Society for Rock Mechanics). The effects of different angles on rock mechanical properties and crack propagation fracture modes are analyzed. Then, based on the cohesive element method and CT images, the relationship between porosity and Young's modulus as well as the fracture property is explored by the numerical modelling. In the modelling, the distribution of Young's modulus is determined by the CT image through the field variable method. The results show that prefabricated cracks reduce the mechanical properties of rock. The closer the angles of the prefabricated crack is, the greater the Young's modulus of the rock sample is. The failure process of each specimen with prefabricated cracks is formed by the initiation and propagation of crack, and the angle of the prefabricated crack will affect the type of extended crack. As part of the numerical model proposed in this paper, the microstructure of rocks is reflected by CT images. The numerical results verify the effectiveness of the cohesive element method in the study of crack propagation for rock. The rock model in this paper can be used to predict engineering disasters such as collapse and landslide caused by rock fracture, which means that the methodology adopted in this paper is comprehensive and important to solve rock engineering problems.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.57-67
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• 2019

Water-induced strength reduction is one of the most critical causes for rock deformation and failure. Understanding the effects of water on the strength, toughness and deformability of rocks are of a great importance in rock fracture mechanics and design of structures in rock. However, only a few studies have been conducted to understand the effects of water on fracture properties such as fracture toughness, crack propagation velocity, consumed energy, and microstructural damage. Thus, in this study, we focused on the understanding of how microscale damages induced by water saturation affect mesoscale mechanical and fracture properties compared with oven dried specimens along three notch orientations-divider, arrester, and short transverse. The mechanical properties of calcite-cemented sandstone were examined using standard uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and Brazilian tensile strength (BTS) tests. In addition, fracture properties such as fracture toughness, consumed energy and crack propagation velocity were examined with cracked chevron notched Brazilian disk (CCNBD) tests. Digital Image Correlation (DIC), a non-contact optical measurement technique, was used for both strain and crack propagation velocity measurements along the bedding plane orientations. Finally, environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) was employed to investigate the microstructural damages produced in calcite-cemented sandstone specimens before and after CCNBD tests. As results, both mechanical and fracture properties reduced significantly when specimens were saturated. The effects of water on fracture properties (fracture toughness and consumed energy) were predominant in divider specimens when compared with arrester and short transverse specimens. Whereas crack propagation velocity was faster in short transverse and slower in arrester, and intermediate in divider specimens. Based on ESEM data, water in the calcite-cemented sandstone induced microstructural damages (microcracks and voids) and increased the strength disparity between cement/matrix and rock forming mineral grains, which in turn reduced the crack propagation resistance of the rock, leading to lower both consumed energy and fracture toughness ($K_{IC}$).

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.366-372
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• 2009

Recently, in order to achieve smooth fracture plane and minimize the excavation damage zone in rock blasting, controlled blasting methods which utilize new technologies such as electronic delay detonator (EDD) and a notched charge hole have been suggested. In this study, smooth blastings utilizing three wing type notched charge holes are simulated to investigate the influence of explosive initial density on the resultant fracture plane and damage zone using dynamic fracture process analysis (DFPA) code. Finally, based on the dynamic fracture process analyses, novel smooth blasting method, ED-Notch SB (Electronic Detonator Notched Charge Hole Smooth Blasting) is suggested.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.344-351
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• 2010

Slip along a frictional fracture can be approached as initiation and propagation of a mode II crack along its own plane. Fracture mechanics theories predict that under pure mode II loading initiation will occur when the energy release rate of the fracture attains a critical value ($G_{IIC}$), which is generally taken as a material property. For the past few years the rock mechanics group at Purdue University has investigated experimentally the dependence of $G_{IIC}$ on normal stress and on the frictional characteristics of a fracture. A number of experiments has been conducted first on acrylic, a material that, using photoelastic methods, allows visualization of the stress field ahead of the fracture tip; and later on gypsum, a rock model material with relatively low unconfined compression strength. The experimental investigation has been expanded to include other frictional materials with higher unconfined compression strength. Direct shear tests have been conducted on specimens made with cement paste. New observations together with previous experiments indicate that $G_{IIC}$ can only be considered a material property when the peak friction angle of the discontinuity is similar to the residual friction angle; otherwise the critical energy release rate increases with normal stress.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.201-213
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• 1995

Understanding of the fracture processes in rock mass for hydrogeology necessitates such information as fracture mechanics including genesis, propagation, termination, and the relation of fracture distribution to geologic structures and fracture modelling, etc. A current status of information on fracture for groundwater flow in rock mass, however, is very paucity except on a few special fields throughout the world. The desired and reasonable approach method in the evaluation on the groundwater flow in fractured rock mass must be based on the thorough understanding of fracture processes and a simplified model representing fracture properties which would be met to natural conditions for the interpretation and prediction.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.393-400
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• 2023

Displacements near crack and stress intensity factor (SIF) are key parameters to solve rock failure issue when using fracture mechanics. In order to study the horizontal displacement and stress intensity factor of the mode I fracture, a series of three-point bending tests of granite specimens with central notch were carried out. The evolution of horizontal displacements of precast notch and crack tip opening displacements (CTOD) were analyzed based on the digital image correlation (DIC) method. Stress intensity factors for three-point bending beams with arbitrary span-to-width ratios(S/W) were calculated by using the WU-Carlsson analytical weight function for edge-crack finite width plate and the analytical solution of un-cracked stress by Filon. The present study provides a high efficient and accurate method for fracture mechanics analysis of the three-point bending granite beams.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.450-461
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• 2015

Extensive numerical experiments have been carried out to investigate effect of block size and fracture geometry on hydraulic characteristics of fractured rock masses based on connected pipe flow in DFN systems. Using two fracture sets, a total of 72 2-D fracture configurations were generated with different combinations of fracture size distribution and deterministic fracture density. The directional block conductivity including the theoretical block conductivity, principal conductivity tensor and average block conductivity for each generated fracture network system were calculated using the 2-D equivalent pipe network method. There exist significant effects of block size, orientation, density and size of fractures in a fractured rock mass on its hydraulic behavior. We have been further verified that it is more difficult to reach the REV size for the fluid flow network with decreasing intersection angle of two fracture sets, fracture plane density and fracture size distribution.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.66-81
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• 2021

The effects of directional fracture tensor components and first invariant of fracture tensor on deformation moduli and shear moduli of fractured rock masses is analyzed based on regression analysis performed between 3-D fracture tensor parameters and deformability of DFN blocks. Using one or two deterministic joint sets, a total of 224 3-D discrete fracture network (DFN) cube blocks were generated with various configurations of deterministic density and probabilistic size distribution. The fracture tensor parameters were calculated for each generated DFN systems. Also, deformability moduli with respect to three perpendicular direction of the DFN cube blocks were estimated based on distinct element method. The larger the first invariant of fracture tensor, the smaller the values for the deformability moduli of the DFN blocks. These deformability properties present an asymptotic pattern above the certain threshold. It is found that power-law function describes the relationship between the directional deformability moduli and the corresponding fracture tensor components estimated in same direction.