Numerical simulation with experimental verification of the fracture behavior in granite under confining pressures based on the tension-softening model

Abstract

The use of the tension-softening model for analyzing fracture processes of rock is examined with special reference to the effect of confining pressure on the fracture extension. Tension-softening curves are measured by means of the J-based technique from unconfined tests performed on compact tension (CT) specimens of granite. On the basis of the determined tension-softening relation, numerical analyses are executed using a boundary element method (BEM) to simulate fracture of the granite under confining pressures. Numerical results are compared to the experimental results of two series of tests for which CT specimens and thick-walled cylindrical specimens were loaded to failure under confining pressures ranging from 0 to 26.5 MPa. It is shown that the BEM analyses can predict the observed fracture behavior. Based on the results, it is demonstrated that the tension-softening relation provides a suitable model to analyze the fracture process in the rock. The source mechanism for the pressure sensitive fracture is discussed by examining the growth of the fracture process zone.