Numerical investigation of the shear behaviour of a cable bolt in single shear test

Abstract

Cable shear behavior in reinforcing rock discontinuities involves both the axial shear behaviour along the cable-grout interface and the local lateral shear behaviour of the cable deflecting section. This is a complex condition which is difficult to be solved in a theoretical manner. Pile structural elements in Flac3D were used here to investigate this shear behavior with special attention to the influence of cable anchorage length. The employed numerical cable model was firstly calibrated using the laboratory pullout test and a single shear test on a plain Superstrand cable bolt. Then the calibrated model was used to investigate the anchorage length effect on the cable lateral shear behavior. As expected, numerical results show that two demarcation anchorage lengths existed in cable shear tests. In the case of plain Superstrand cable bolt subjected to lateral shear loading at an angle of 90°, the two demarcation anchorage lengths were approximately 2.09 m and 0.61 m.