The nonlinear mechanical behavior of brittle rock Part I—Stress-strain behavior during regions I and II

Abstract

The results of a theoretical study describing the loading and unloading stress-strain behavior during regions I and II of homogeneous brittle rock materials displaying a tight pore structure are presented. It is assumed that rock can be modeled by an elastic, isotropic continuum containing a large number of ellipsoidal cracks which are collectively characterized by a distribution function P(c, β, ϕ)(c = crack half-length, β = the inclination of the major axis to the direction of maximum principal stress, and ϕ = the angle between the projected crack normal and the x 2 axis). Crack interaction effects are neglected in this study.