Abstract
Rock strength is imperative for the design and stability analysis of engineering structures. The Mohr–Coulomb (M-C) criterion holds significant prominence in geotechnical engineering. However, the M-C criterion fails to accurately capture the nonlinear strength response and neglects the critical state of rocks, potentially leading to inaccuracies in the design phase of deep engineering projects. This study introduces an innovative stress-dependent friction angle and cohesion (SFC) for the M-C criterion to capture the nonlinear strength responses of intact rocks, spanning from non-critical to critical states (brittle to ductile regions). A novel method for determining these stress-dependent parameters at each corresponding σ3 is initially introduced. Subsequently, an examination of the confinement dependency of the friction angle and cohesion is conducted, leading to the derivation of the SFC model. The SFC-enhanced M-C criterion, utilizing parameters obtained from triaxial tests under lower σ3, demonstrates the capability to delineate the complete non-linear strength envelope from brittle to ductile regions. Validation through triaxial test data confirms that the predictions of the SFC-enhanced M-C criterion accurately correspond to the strength characteristics of the tested rocks.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
12-1-2024
Volume
14
Issue
1
PubMed ID
39075232
Publication Title
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Nature
School
Centre for Sustainable Energy and Resources
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Li, H., Pel, L., You, Z., & Smeulders, D. (2024). Stress-dependent Mohr–Coulomb shear strength parameters for intact rock. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 17454. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-68114-2