• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.124-134
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• 2019

Subcritical crack growth in rock material can occur under monotonic and cyclic loading. Subcritical crack growth plays an important role in evaluating the long-term stability of structures in rocks. This paper presents the results of studies conducted to determine subcritical crack growth parameters under monotonic and cyclic loading in rock-like material. The constant stress rate method was employed for monotonic loading. The subcritical crack growth parameter of n under cyclic loading was determined by the relation between the rate of crack growth per cycle and stress intensity factor range. The specimens contained pre-existing flaws with 45 and 60 degrees of inclination angle and flaws spacing and continuity were varied to arrange crack growth in shear or tensile manner. The results show that the parameter of n is almost constant regardless of the applied load conditions such as monotonic and cyclic or shear and tension.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.67-80
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• 2014

Long-term stability and delayed failure of granite were evaluated through the laboratory test based on Wilkins method and Brazilian disc test (BDT) which yields tensile strength, mode I fracture toughness and subcritical crack growth parameters. Then, the long-term strength of granite was estimated by using analytical models and long-term stability of compressed air-energy storage (CAES) pilot cavern pressurized up to 5 ~ 6 MPa was evaluated using numerical code, FRACOD with the determined subcritical crack growth parameters. The results of test and analyses showed that the subcritical crack growth index, n was determined as 29.39 and the inner pressure of 5 ~ 6 MPa had an insignificant effect on the long-term stability of pilot cavern. It was also found that the measurement and analysis of acoustic emission events can describe the accumulation of damage due to subcritical crack growth quantitatively. That is, AE monitoring can provide the current status of rock under loading if we make an identical installation condition in the field with that of the laboratory test.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.26-32
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• 1985

The subcritical crack growth of sintered SiC is investigated under various corrosive atmospheres such as distilled water Murakami solution and saturated KOH solution. The KI-V diagrams are obtained by the load relaxation method and incremental displacement rate method using the double torsion technique. The obtained fracture mechanics parameters (n) of sintered SiC are 79 in Murakami solution and 39 in saturated KOH solution. These data indicate that the subcritical crack growth of sintered SiC is taking place in these two conditions and the stress-corrosion cracking is suggested to be the mechanism. With these KI-V diagrams the life of sintered SiC in these conditions is predicted.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.167-174
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• 2004

This paper is to introduce an article published in Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 2003. In this research, a fracture mechanics model is developed to illustrate the importance of time-dependence far brittle fractured rock. In particular a model is developed fer the time-dependent degradation of rock joint cohesion. Degradation of joint cohesion is modeled as the time-dependent breaking of intact patches or rock bridges along the joint surface. A fracture mechanics model is developed utilizing subcritical crack growth, which results in a closed-form solution for joint cohesion as a function of time. As an example, a rock block containing rock bridges subjected to plane sliding is analyzed. The cohesion is found to continually decrease, at first slowly and then more rapidly. At a particular value of time the cohesion reduces to value that results in slope instability. A second example is given where variations in some of the material parameters are assumed. A probabilistic slope analysis is conducted, and the probability of failure as a function of time is predicted. The probability of failure is found to increase with time, from an initial value of 5% to a value at 100 years of over 40%. These examples show the importance of being able to predict the time-dependent behavior of a rock mass containing discontinuities, even for relatively short-term rock structures.