Fracture Behavior of Rock under Triaxial Compression: A Numerical Study
Authors: Y. Zhang, L. Wang, H. Li, J. Chen
This paper presents a numerical investigation into the fracture behavior of rock under triaxial compression using a coupled finite-discrete element method (FDEM). The study focuses on the influence of confining pressure on crack initiation, propagation, and coalescence, as well as the resulting failure modes. A series of numerical simulations were conducted on a granite specimen under varying confining pressures. The results reveal that confining pressure significantly affects the fracture patterns, transitioning from axial splitting at low confinement to shear-dominated failure at high confinement. The evolution of acoustic emission (AE) events and energy dissipation is analyzed to characterize the damage process. The findings provide insights into the micromechanics of rock failure and have implications for underground engineering applications such as deep mining and tunneling.
