• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.559-572
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• 2020

This paper performs laboratory experiments for borehole stability considering temperature and true triaxial stress condition, and observes a thermo-mechanical behavior of the rock under stress and temperature conditions of deep underground. China yellow sandstone and Hwangdeung granite specimens were used to perform a true triaxial compression test. Mechanical tests were carried out under nine confining pressure conditions, and thermo-mechanical tests using granite samples were carried out under six confining pressure conditions at 60-100℃. In the mechanical tests, maximum principal stress at borehole breakout was proportional to intermediate principal stress. In the thermo-mechanical tests, it was confirmed that thermal stress is added to the stress field of the borehole with the increase in temperature, resulting in additional breakout progress. To analyze the results of the laboratory experiment, Mogi-Coulomb failure criterion was used. The results of traditional triaxial compression test on cylindrical specimens and borehole breakout under true triaxial compressions matched well with Mogi-Coulomb failure criterion.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.597-610
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• 2022

Knowledge of the failure behavior of friction materials considering their intermediate principal stress is related to an understanding of situations where these materials might be used: for example, the stability of deep-seated boreholes and fault slip analysis. This study designed equipment for physically implementing true triaxial compression and used it to assess specimens of plaster, a friction material. The material's mechanical behaviors are discussed based on the results. The applicability of the 3D failure criteria are also reviewed. The tested specimens were molded cuboids of width, length, and height 52, 52, and 104 mm, respectively. A total of 24 true triaxial compression tests were performed under various combinations of 𝜎₃ and 𝜎₂ conditions. Conventional uniaxial and triaxial compression tests were employed to estimate the mechanical properties of the plaster for use as parameters for 3D failure criteria. Examining the stress-strain relations of the plaster materials showed that a large difference between the intermediate principal stress and the minimum principal stress indicated strong brittle behavior. The mechanical behavior of the plaster used here reflects the change of intermediate principal stress. Nonlinear multiple regression analysis on the test data in the principal space showed that the modified Wiebols-Cook failure criterion and the modified Lade failure criterion were the most suitable 3D failure criteria for the tested plaster.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.115-128
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• 2008

A method is proposed to estimate the ultimate strength of rectangular concrete-filled steel tubular (CFT) stub columns under axial compression. The ultimate strength of concrete core is determined by using the conception of the effective lateral confining pressure and a failure criterion of concrete under true triaxial compression, which takes into account the difference between the lateral confining pressure provided by the broad faces of the steel tube and that provided by the narrow faces of the steel tube. The longitudinal steel strength of broad faces and that of the narrow faces of the steel tube are calculated respectively due to that buckling tends to occur earlier and more extensively on the broader faces. Finally, the proposed method is verified with experimental results. Corresponding values of ultimate strength calculated by ACI (2005), AISC (1999) and GJB4142-2000 are given respectively for comparison. It is found from comparison that the proposed method shows a good agreement with the experimental results.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.243-252
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• 2017

Since the failure behavior of transversely isotropic rocks is significantly different from that of isotropic rocks, it is necessary to develop a transversely isotropic rock failure function in order to evaluate the stability of rock structures constructed in transversely isotropic rock masses. In this study, a spatial distribution function for strength parameters of transversely isotropic rocks is proposed, which is based on the Cassini oval curve proposed by 17th century astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini to model the orbit of the Sun around the Earth. The proposed distribution function consists of two model parameters which could be identified through triaxial compression tests on transversely isotropic rock samples. The original Mohr-Coulomb (M-C) failure function is extended to a three-dimensional transversely isotropic M-C failure function by employing the proposed strength parameter distribution function for the spatial distributions of the friction angle and cohesion. In order to verify the suitability of the transversely isotropic M-C failure function, both the conventional triaxial compression and true triaxial compression tests of transversely isotropic rock samples are simulated. The predicted results from the numerical experiments are consistent with the failure behavior of transversely isotropic rocks observed in the actual laboratory tests. In addition, the simulated result of true triaxial compression tests hints that the dependence of rock strength on intermediate principal stress may be closely related to the distribution of the microstructures included in the rock samples.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.93-102
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• 2011

In spite of being unable to take into the effect of intermediate principal stress, Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown criteria are very popular as rock failure criteria. The recent researches reveal that the influence of intermediate principal stress on the failure strength of rock is substantial, so that 3-D failure criteria in which the intermediate principal stress could be considered is necessary for the safe design of the important rock structures. In this study, the likely application of the 3-D failure criterion proposed by Jiang & Pietruszczak (1988) to the prediction of the true triaxial strength of rock materials is discussed. The failure condition is linear in the meridian plane of principal stress space and it is represented by the smooth surface contacting the corners of the Mohr-Coulomb surface. The performance of the Jiang & Pietruszczak's criterion is demonstrated by simulating the actual true triaxial tests on the rock samples of three different rock types.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.385-392
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• 2019

The present fractional-order plasticity models for granular soil are mainly established under the triaxial compression condition, due to its difficult in analytically solving the fractional differentiation of the third stress invariant, e.g., Lode's angle. To solve this problem, a three dimensional fractional-order elastoplastic model based on the transformed stress method, which does not rely on the analytical solution of the Lode's angle, is proposed. A nonassociated plastic flow rule is derived by conducting the fractional derivative of the yielding function with respect to the stress tensor in the transformed stress space. All the model parameters can be easily determined by using laboratory test. The performance of this 3D model is then verified by simulating multi series of true triaxial test results of rockfill.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.383-391
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• 2013

A number of true triaxial tests on rock samples have been conducted since the late 1960 and their results strongly suggest that the intermediate principal stress has a considerable effect on rock strength. Based on these experimental evidence, various 3-D rock failure criteria accounting for the effect of the intermediate principal stress have been proposed. Most of the 3-D failure criteria, however, are focused on the phenomenological description of the rock strength from the true triaxial tests, so that the associated strength parameters have little physical meaning. In order to confirm the likelihood that the intermediate principal stress dependency of rock strength is related to the presence of weak planes and their distribution to the preferred orientation, true triaxial tests are simulated with the transversely isotropic rock model. The conventional Mohr-Coulomb criterion is extended to its anisotropic version by incorporating the concept of microstructure tensor. With the anisotropic Mohr-Coulomb criterion, the critical plane approach is applied to calculate the strength of the transversely isotropic rock model and the orientation of the fracture plane. This investigation hints that the spatial distribution of microstructural planes with respect to the principal stress triad is closely related to the intermediate principal stress dependency of rock strength.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.573-586
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• 2023

Joints or weak planes can induce anisotropy in the strength and deformability of fractured rock masses. Comprehending this anisotropic behavior is crucial to engineering geology. This study used plaster as a friction material to mold specimens with a single joint. The strength and deformability of the specimens were measured in true triaxial compression tests. The measured results were compared with three-dimensional numerical analysis based on the distinct element method, conducted under identical conditions, to assess the reliability of the modeled values. The numerical results highlight that the principal stress conditions in the field, in conjunction with joint orientations, are crucial factors to the study of the strength and deformability of fractured rock masses. The strength of a transversely isotropic rock mass derived numerically considering changes in the dip angle of the joint notably increases as the intermediate principal stress increases. This increment varies depending on the dip of the joint. Moreover, the interplay between the dip direction of the joint and the two horizontal principal stress directions dictates the strength of the transversely isotropic rock mass. For a rock mass with two joint sets, the set with the steeper dip angle governs the overall strength. If a rock bridge effect occurs owing to the limited continuity of one of the joint sets, the orientation of the set with longer continuity dominates the strength of the entire rock mass. Although conventional three-dimensional failure criteria for fractured rock masses have limited applicability in the field, supplementing them with numerical analysis proves highly beneficial.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.22-31
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• 2004

Laboratory experiments were conducted in order to find effects of the intermediate principal stress of ${\sigma}_{2}$ on rock fractures and faults. Polyaxial tests were carried out under the most generalized compressive stress conditions, in which different magnitudes of the least and intermediate principal stresses ${\sigma}_{3}$ and ${\sigma}_{2}$ were maintained constant, and the maximum stress ${\sigma}_{1}$, was increased to failure. Two crystalline rocks (Westerly granite and KTB amphibolite) exhibited similar mechanical behavior, much of which is neglected in conventional triaxial compression tests in which ${\sigma}_{2}$ = ${\sigma}_{3}$. Compressive rock failure took the form of a main shear fracture, or fault, steeply dipping in ${\sigma}_{3}$ direction with its strike aligned with ${\sigma}_{2}$ direction. Rock strength rose significantly with the magnitude of ${\sigma}_{2}$, suggesting that the commonly used Mohr-type failure criteria, which ignore the ${\sigma}_{2}$ effect, predict only the lower limit of rock strength for a given ${\sigma}_{3}$ level. The true triaxial failure criterion for each of the crystalline rocks can be expressed as the octahedral shear stress at failure as a function of the mean normal stress acting on the fault plane. It is found that the onset of dilatancy increases considerably for higher ${\sigma}_{2}$. Thus, ${\sigma}_{2}$ extends the elastic range for a given ${\sigma}_{3}$ and, hence, retards the onset of the failure process. SEM inspection of the micromechanics leading to specimen failure showed a multitude of stress-induced microcracks localized on both sides of the through-going fault. Microcracks gradually align themselves with the ${\sigma}_{1}$-${\sigma}_{2}$ plane as the magnitude of ${\sigma}_{2}$ is raised.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.317-333
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• 2014

The study of the mechanical behavior of rockfill materials under three-dimensional loading conditions is a current research focus area. This paper presents a microscale numerical study of rockfill deformation and strength characteristics using the Combined Finite-Discrete Element Method (FDEM). Two features unique to this study are the consideration of irregular particle shapes and particle crushability. A polydisperse assembly of irregular polyhedra was prepared to reproduce the mechanical behavior of rockfill materials subjected to axial compression at a constant mean stress for a range of intermediate principal stress ratios in the interval [0, 1]. The simulation results, including the stress-strain characteristics, relationship between principal strains, and principal deviator strains are discussed. The stress-dilatancy behavior is described using a linear dilatancy equation with its material constants varying with the intermediate principal stress ratio. The failure surface in the principal stress space and its traces in the deviatoric and meridian plane are also presented. The modified Lade-Duncan criterion most closely describes the stress points at failure.