Cracking behaviors and mechanism of pre-cracked rock specimens under coupled THM fields with chemical processes

Abstract

In deep rock engineering, natural cracks in rock mass subjected to thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) loads have tendency to initiate and propagate, and result in potential safety hazards. Current literature on cracking behaviors and mechanism of pre-cracked rock under multi-field loads is focused on single (M), two (TM, HM) or three fields (THM, HMC), less on THMC fields. In this study, a series of self-designed triaxial compressive tests were performed to study different THMC fields influencing on mechanical behaviors and failure patterns of pre-cracked red sandstone specimens. A new THMC fracture criterion, recently proposed by our group team, is used to further analyze the crack initiation mechanism of red sandstone under THMC loads. Research results suggest that the stress-strain curve is greatly influenced by the temperature, confining pressure and acidity and alkalinity of chemical solution, but relatively less by the hydraulic pressure. As the temperature and hydraulic pressure increase, the confining pressure decreases, and the acidity or the alkalinity of chemical solutions becomes strong, both the elastic modulus, crack initiation stress and peak strength of specimen are decreased, and the failure pattern is changed from shear failure to tensile failure. The crack initiation stress and peak strength usually have the largest, middle, smallest values in the shear, tension-shear and tensile failures, respectively, while the peak strain has largest value in the mixed tensile-shear failure. The acid solution has greater weakening effect than the alkaline solution with the same concentration. Theoretical results indicate that the temperature and chemical fields influencing on crack initiation is mainly attributable to its weakening of rock fracture toughness, while seepage and stress fields on crack initiation to its change of the stress state at crack-tips. The THMC mechanism of crack initiation can be well revealed by the new THMC fracture criterion.