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Mechanical Behavior and Fracture Evolution Mechanism of Composite Rock Under Triaxial Compression: Insights from Three-Dimensional DEM Modeling

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Abstract

Existing studies on transversely isotropic rock formations, a special geology, have mainly focused on its mechanical characteristics; whereas, investigations on its fracture process and damage microscopic mechanisms are relatively limited. To remedy this deficiency, in this study, a three-dimensional numerical model is established using discrete elements (PFC3D), focusing on the effects of confining pressure (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 MPa) and laminar inclination angle (θ0°, θ15°, θ30°, θ45°, θ60°, θ75°, and θ90°) on the failure behavior of the composite rock. To demonstrate the accuracy of the simulations, the stress–strain curves and ultimate failure modes obtained from the numerical simulations were compared with the previous laboratory mechanical test results and X-ray CT images. Numerical models using the smooth-joint contact model were shown to simulate the laboratory results reasonably well. Numerical simulation results indicate that the confining pressure and laminar angle significantly influence the internal crack evolution patterns of the specimen. The internal cracks change from a concentrated to a discrete distribution as the confining pressure increases. The internal cracks of specimens with θ0° and θ90° laminar inclination emerges from the soft rock and eventually extends to the hard rock, while the inclined specimens crack from the laminar face and finally spread to the rock matrix, which can be explained by the graph of the increasing number of cracks. In addition, the internal principal stress and tangential stress in soft and hard rocks were monitored by arranging measurement circles, and it was found that the tangential stresses are the essential cause of the difference between the mechanical behavior of the two rock types.

Highlights

  • The complicated three-dimensional discrete element transversely models captured the prospective mechanical behavior and cracking characteristic

  • The failure patterns and crack coalescence process are characterized by various confining pressure and bedding inclination angles

  • The difference behavior between the soft and hard rock matrix is dependent on the confining pressure and internal tangential stress

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Data availability

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42077231) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2021ZDPYJQ002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Geomechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, People’s Republic of China

    Yu Song, Sheng-Qi Yang, Ke-Sheng Li & Peng-Fei Yin

  2. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, People’s Republic of China

    Peng-Zhi Pan

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  1. Yu Song
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  3. Ke-Sheng Li
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Correspondence to Sheng-Qi Yang.

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Song, Y., Yang, SQ., Li, KS. et al. Mechanical Behavior and Fracture Evolution Mechanism of Composite Rock Under Triaxial Compression: Insights from Three-Dimensional DEM Modeling. Rock Mech Rock Eng 56, 7673–7699 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-023-03443-8

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