A study of progressive failure of rock under cyclic loading by ultrasonic and AE monitoring techniques

Summary

New experiments were conducted to expand the existing information on AE and pulse velocity changes. In this study, a few Hyderabad granites were subjected to uniaxial compressive cyclic loading conditions at room temperature. The laboratory tests were carried out by loading the rock to a constant stress maximum ranging between 40% and 80% of failure stress in the initial cycles, and then by progressively increasing the stress maximum, and also increasing the time gap between the cycles. Compressional wave velocity and amplitude changes were monitored in directions perpendicular to the applied stress, and acoustic emission event count data were recorded continuously until the fatigue failure of the rock.

Rock specimens loaded cyclically to high stress levels, were in general found to fail after 10 to 12 cycles, at stresses corresponding to nearly 75% of the failure stress of intact rock. Deviations from the Kaiser effect were noticed when the stress maximum became comparable to the dilatant strength of the rock. The pulse amplitude and AE event counts were found to be sensitive parameters, to study the influence of cyclic stress, as well as the effect of the time gap between the cycles, on the microcrack development and progressive failure of rock.