Effect of precrack length and inclination on tensile failure behaviour of heterogeneous rocks

Abstract

The failure behaviour of heterogeneous rock specimens with prefabricated single crack under direct tensile loading is investigated numerically by using an elastoplastic cellular automaton (EPCA^2D) model. The response of tensile failure behaviour of heterogeneous rocks is investigated when different crack lengths and inclinations are used. The results confirm that the tensile strength of rock specimens presents a tendency of reduction with the increment of crack length at same fixed crack inclination. However, this reduction changes non‐monotonically due to the heterogeneity of rocks. Only the precrack is longer enough can it be the main factor of rock failure. With the same crack length, but different crack inclinations, the tensile strength increases with the increment of crack inclination. With the increment of the angle between precrack and tensile loading direction, the effect of the precrack on tensile failure behaviour of rock decreases.

Keywords:

• Rock failure process
• Elastoplastic cellular automaton
• Crack propagation
• Uniaxial tension
• Tensile strength
• Crack inclination and length

This work was supported by a grant from the National Basic Research Program of China (no. 2010CB732006), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 10972231 and 50709036) and Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (grant no. 2008CDB368).