Abstract
In rock, there are many microsopic structures which influence the mechnical behavior of rock. Many microstructures interact with each other, and furthermore, material constants vary discontinuously within rock, as most rocks are composed of several minerals. Taking into account this feature, it may be possible to contemplate a microstructure of rock as a unit cell by which the rock is constituted periodically. If this idealization is acceptable, the homogenization method can be applied. In this research, various microcracks on rock specimens were observed through a stereoscopic microscope under uniaxial compression. On the other hand, local stress distribution in the periodic-micro structure was calculated by the homogenization method. Then it is shown that there is a possibility to establish a relation between the behavior of microcrack and macroscopic load quantitatively by the linear fracture mechanics.
