The stress-strain behaviour of rock material related to fracture under compression

Fracture is the main reason for the non-linear behaviour of hard rocks. The fracture mechanics of rock is studied in this article by analysis of the fracture process under compression. A constitutive model that describes the relationship between the macro deformation of rock and the micro fracture within rock is developed. The propagation of microcracks, the non-linearity of deformation, the loading-and-unloading hysteresis and the variation of the apparent Youngʹs modulus and Poissonʹs ratio are studied using the developed model. The model simulations demonstrate that: (1) the fracture toughness, initial crack length, crack density, and Youngʹs modulus are four crucially important parameters that affect the deformation behaviour of rock; (2) the elastic parameters (E and v) of the rock matrix should be measured in triaxial tests. If they are measured in uniaxial tests, the upper straight unloading portion of the stress-strain curve is suggested to be used for the purpose, unless the closure effect of open cracks will be included in the estimations. In addition (3), the slope of the reloading stress-strain curve is a measure of the damage in material.