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Three-Dimensional Numerical Investigations of the Failure Mechanism of a Rock Disc with a Central or Eccentric Hole

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Abstract

The diametrical compression of a circular disc (Brazilian test) or cylinder with a small eccentric hole is a simple but important test to determine the tensile strength of rocks. This paper studies the failure mechanism of circular disc with an eccentric hole by a 3D numerical model (RFPA3D). A feature of the code RFPA3D is that it can numerically simulate the evolution of cracks in three-dimensional space, as well as the heterogeneity of the rock mass. First, numerically simulated Brazilian tests are compared with experimental results. Special attention is given to the effect of the thickness to radius ratio on the failure modes and the peak stress of specimens. The effects of the compressive strength to tensile strength ratio (C/T), the loading arc angle (2α), and the homogeneity index (m) are also studied in the numerical simulations. Secondly, the failure process of a rock disc with a central hole is studied. The effects of the ratio of the internal hole radius (r) to the radius of the rock disc (R) on the failure mode and the peak stress are investigated. Thirdly, the influence of the vertical and horizontal eccentricity of an internal hole on the initiation and propagation of cracks inside a specimen are simulated. The effect of the radius of the eccentric hole and the homogeneity index (m) are also investigated.

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Acknowledgments

The work described in this paper is partially supported by ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship grant FL0992039 and ARC CoE Early Career Award Grant CE110001009, for which the authors are very grateful.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ARC Centre of Excellence for Geotechnical Science and Engineering, Civil, Surveying and Environmental Engineering, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia

    S. Y. Wang & S. W. Sloan

  2. School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, People’s Republic of China

    C. A. Tang

Authors
  1. S. Y. Wang
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  2. S. W. Sloan
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  3. C. A. Tang
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Correspondence to S. Y. Wang.

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Wang, S.Y., Sloan, S.W. & Tang, C.A. Three-Dimensional Numerical Investigations of the Failure Mechanism of a Rock Disc with a Central or Eccentric Hole. Rock Mech Rock Eng 47, 2117–2137 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-013-0512-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-013-0512-6

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