Abstract
Uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of rocks usually decreases by the presence of water. It is widely observed that the strength of rock decreases rapidly with increasing water content at low saturation levels, but decreases insignificantly with increasing water content at high saturation levels. In this study, a parameter (critical degree of saturation) is established to separate the two stages. Another parameter (variation of saturation degree per unit length) is established to describe the distribution of water in cylindrical specimen. Based on the two parameters, an analytical solution of normalized UCS of rock with different degrees of saturation is proposed. Using published experimental data, a desired fitting result is obtained. A simplified and conservative form of the analytical solution is proposed for rock engineering. The analytical solution is expected to provide some new insights to understand the weakening effect of rock strength by the presence of water.
Published Version
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