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Influences of Joint Persistence on the Compressive-Shear and Tensile-Shear Failure Behavior of Jointed Rock Mass: An Experimental and Numerical Study

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Abstract

The non-persistent jointed rock mass is prone to compressive-shear and tensile-shear failures. Tensile-shear failure has been studied less than compressive-shear failure. This study develops a new shear test apparatus for cubic rock specimens to explore the tensile-shear failure of jointed rock mass under varying joint persistence and compare it to compressive-shear failure. The jointed rock specimens are sheared and monitored using acoustic emission (AE) equipment, an infrared thermal imager, and a high-speed camera to track stress, AE signal, temperature, and deformation. Based on the test results, RFPA2D numerical simulation is conducted to investigate the effect of joint persistence on the compressive- and tensile-shear strength of the rock bridge. Tensile- and compressive-shear stress curves differ greatly. The former may have several stress peaks and peak AE count time does not equal peak strength time. The rock specimen’s compressive-shear strength is far higher than its tensile-shear strength, but tensile-shear tests accumulate more AE counts and energy. Tensile-shear failure has a large crack opening and rapid temperature progression. The rock specimen cools before peak strength, which is the opposite of compressive-shear failure. The two tests differ significantly regarding crack development and deformation evolution. The shear strength of the specimens in the compressive-shear and tensile-shear tests decreases approximately linearly as joint persistence increases, and the shear strength of the rock bridges increases and then decreases. Previous research showed that increasing joint persistence increases rock bridge cohesiveness. At relatively high joint persistence, however, the considerable cohesion weakening of the rock bridge caused by tensile cracks near the joint tip should be considered. The findings could contribute to a better understanding of the failure process of jointed rock mass under compressive-shear and tensile-shear stresses.

Highlights

  • Compressive- and tensile-shear tests on cubic rock-like specimens were conducted on a novel test apparatus.

  • Effect of joint persistence on compressive- and tensile-shear failure behavior was investigated.

  • AE, thermal infrared imager, and DIC technologies were utilized to analyze the failure mechanism difference between compressive- and tensile-shear tests.

  • The rock bridge's shear strength increases first and then decreases with joint persistence increasing in both compressive- and tensile-shear tests.

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Acknowledgements

Much of the work presented in this article was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52209133), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20220987), Excellent Postdoctoral Program of Jiangsu Province (No. 20220ZB239), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No.2022T150324, No.2022M711643, No.2022M720997), Nanjing Science and Technology Innovation Project Funding Scheme for Overseas Students. Great appreciation for the editors and reviewers who give valuable suggestions on this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China

    Jie Hu, Mingyang Wang, Xiaoli Rong & Ziming Xiong

  2. State Key Laboratory of Explosion & Impact and Disaster Prevention & Mitigation, Army Engineering University of PLA, Nanjing, 210007, China

    Mingyang Wang & Ziming Xiong

  3. College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210024, China

    Xintong Wang

  4. School of Qilu Transporation, Shandong University, Jinan, 250061, China

    Shaoshuai Shi

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  1. Jie Hu
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Correspondence to Ziming Xiong or Shaoshuai Shi.

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Hu, J., Wang, M., Rong, X. et al. Influences of Joint Persistence on the Compressive-Shear and Tensile-Shear Failure Behavior of Jointed Rock Mass: An Experimental and Numerical Study. Rock Mech Rock Eng 56, 8151–8165 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-023-03489-8

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