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Fracture behavior of cylindrical sandstone specimens with two pre-existing flaws: experimental investigation and PFC3D simulation

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Abstract

It is important to analyze the rock crack initiation, propagation and coalescence in fractured rock mass. At present, the 3D crack evolution process of pre-flawed rock has not been comprehensively studied during the deformation. In this study, uniaxial compression tests were carried out on cylindrical sandstone specimens with two pre-existing flaws with various ligament inclination angles. The crack evolution process at the front surface of the specimen was analyzed by photographic and AE monitoring. In addition, a 3D discrete element modelling was conducted to explore the spatial crack evolution behaviors during compressive loading. Both the numerical strength and final failure modes of specimens were consistent with those obtained in the laboratory experiment. The numerical simulation results revealed that the internal crack distribution was not always identical along the thickness direction. Two types of crack coalescence were identified. The experimental and numerical results enhance the understanding of 3D crack evolution mechanism of fractured rock under external loading.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51909260, 41972284), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2021M693424) and the Opening Fund of State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology (SKLGP2020K011). The authors would also like to express their sincere gratitude to the editor and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments, which have greatly improved this paper.

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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, China

    Yan-Hua Huang, Sheng-Qi Yang & Bo Meng

  2. State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, No. 1 Dongsan Road, Chenghua District, Chengdu, 610059, China

    Yan-Hua Huang & Guo-Qing Chen

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  1. Yan-Hua Huang
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Correspondence to Guo-Qing Chen.

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Huang, YH., Yang, SQ., Chen, GQ. et al. Fracture behavior of cylindrical sandstone specimens with two pre-existing flaws: experimental investigation and PFC3D simulation. Geosci J 26, 151–165 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-021-0013-7

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