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A review of mechanical properties and constitutive theory of rock mass anisotropy

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Abstract

Rock anisotropy is an intrinsic property of natural rock mass, and layered rock has the most significant effect on the stress distribution and deformation of a rock mass. With the development of rock mechanics theory and constitutive theory, the study of rock anisotropy has become one of the focuses and hotspots in the field of rock mechanics. Based on the rock isotropic self-consistent theory, the rock anisotropy theory of different media such as triclinic anisotropy, monoclinic anisotropy, and orthorhombic anisotropy has been greatly developed. Rock mechanical property test, not only limited to the traditional single-axis, triaxial compression test, Brazilian split test and pure bending beam tensile test, and meso-structural characteristic test (XRD, ultrasonic test, etc.), is also widely used. With the development of numerical analysis theory and computer technology, numerical analysis methods such as finite difference method, discrete element method, finite element method, boundary element method, and interface element method have played an important role in the study of rock anisotropy characteristics. According to the assumptions and reasoning methods of anisotropic failure criterion, it can be classified into two categories: continuous failure criterion and discontinuous piecewise failure criterion. Continuous medium failure criterion can also be classified into mathematical and empirical ones. Because of the complexity of rock anisotropy, the research on yield criterion and constitutive relation of rock anisotropy is still in the stage of theoretical research, and it is seldom applied in actual rock engineering. The physics model of rock has an important influence on the study of the anisotropic characteristics of rock. Therefore, the establishment of an appropriate rock physics model has a direct impact on the accurate determination of rock anisotropy parameters and P-S wave velocity. Finally, the key and difficult points of anisotropic rock research and the direction of future research are discussed and analyzed to provide a reference for engineering practice and related problems.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51774022) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51604017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil and Resource Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100013, China

    Bingqian Yan, Peitao Wang, Fenhua Ren, Qifeng Guo & Meifeng Cai

  2. Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Underground Space Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Bingqian Yan, Peitao Wang, Fenhua Ren, Qifeng Guo & Meifeng Cai

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  1. Bingqian Yan
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  2. Peitao Wang
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  3. Fenhua Ren
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Correspondence to Bingqian Yan.

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Responsible Editor: Abdullah M. Al-Amri

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Yan, B., Wang, P., Ren, F. et al. A review of mechanical properties and constitutive theory of rock mass anisotropy. Arab J Geosci 13, 487 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05536-y

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