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Time-dependent failure characteristics of excavated rock masses in deep buried engineering: a field case and experimental study

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Abstract

After engineering excavation, high axial stress makes hard rock to also have significant rheological behaviors that can lead to long-term instability. In order to study the long-term mechanical characteristics of hard rock after deep engineering excavation, field monitoring test and laboratory test are conducted. The results show that the initial fracture of rock mass in the area with rockburst is significantly higher than that in the area without rockburst. After a long time action of high ground stress, the internal fracture of rock mass with low initial fracture degree is not developed. In the rock mass with many initial fractures, the number and degree of internal fractures increase significantly after long time action of high ground stress, which eventually leads to the cracking of the lining of the nearby side wall. Through the true triaxial pre-peak and post-peak creep tests, the fracture process of rock under the condition of small and high initial fracture degree is simulated respectively. In the pre-peak stage (no final instability failure of the rock), the cumulative acoustic emission (AE) count rate of granite is coordinated with the deformation. There are significant acoustic emission quiet period and sudden increase of precursory information before instability failure. In addition, the creep failure of granite in the pre-peak stage is mainly dominated by tensile crack. In the post-peak stage, the cumulative AE count rate of granite is inconsistent with the deformation. Due to the formation of local macro-failure surface, the time-dependent fracture of granite is dominated by shear crack.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

We are particularly grateful for the kind assistance provided by Ms. Xinyue Wang and Mr. Mengfei Jiang.

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51839003, No. 41827806) and the China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (No. BX2021060).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education On Safe Mining of Deep Metal Mines, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China

    Jun Zhao, Xiating Feng, Yazhou Hu, Guodong Chen & Chengxiang Yang

  2. College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang, 330013, China

    Haosen Guo

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  1. Jun Zhao
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  2. Xiating Feng
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  3. Haosen Guo
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  4. Yazhou Hu
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  5. Guodong Chen
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Correspondence to Jun Zhao.

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Zhao, J., Feng, X., Guo, H. et al. Time-dependent failure characteristics of excavated rock masses in deep buried engineering: a field case and experimental study. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 520 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-03026-x

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