1.State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
2.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
3.School of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Objective The differences between hard rock and soft rock are noticeable in rock triaxial compression testing after the peak strength is reached. The post-peak mechanical behavior of these rocks is distinct. Strain softening and dilatancy effects characterize the post-peak phase. Hard rock usually displays higher residual strength after the peak and exhibits less dilatancy. In contrast, soft rock demonstrates a rapid decrease in strength and more significant dilatancy. The variation in post-peak behavior greatly affects the engineering stability of rocks. However, existing research does not fully examine these differences. The evolution of strain softening and dilatancy in hard and soft rock needs to be studied from both macroscopic and microscopic perspectives. Currently, a comprehensive comparison of these effects between hard rock and soft rock is lacking. This comparison is essential for understanding their behavior under different conditions. Methods Granite and sandstone, two common hard and soft rocks, were investigated through laboratory triaxial compression tests. From these tests, the peak strength, residual strength, and elastic modulus of these rocks were derived. The critical plastic shear strain and post-peak reduced modulus of granite and sandstone were discussed in relation to confining pressure. The test results allowed the examination of how these parameters changed under different pressure levels. In addition, the test data revealed the decreasing law of strength parameters, such as the friction angle and cohesion, with respect to plastic shear strain. This provided insights into how these parameters were affected by the degree of strain. A fitting formula for the dilatancy angle as a function of plastic shear strain under various confining pressures was proposed. This formula helped predict the behavior of rocks under different conditions. The post-peak strain softening-dilatancy mechanical model for hard rock and soft rock was constructed based on these findings. This model was designed to predict the mechanical response of rocks after they reached their peak strength. In addition, microscopic crack propagation in granite and sandstone when they reached residual strength was discussed. The study aimed to understand how cracks grew and affected rock integrity at this stage. The evolution of crack propagation and the particle displacement field during complete failure were solved. This analysis provided a detailed view of how rocks fractured and were displaced during failure. The evolution of crack propagation to the residual stage under different confining pressure conditions was also discussed. This part of the study examined how pressure affected the rock failure process. In addition, the evolution of the displacement vector at different characteristic points in the complete failure stage was analyzed. This analysis provided a closer examination of specific areas of rock failure. Finally, the strain softening behavior of hard rock and soft rock was analyzed using a combination of macroscopic experimental methods and microscopic numerical methods. This comprehensive approach provided a thorough understanding of rock behavior under different conditions. Results and Discussions In triaxial compression tests, the strength of both hard rock and soft rock decreased from peak strength to residual strength. However, the strength decrease of hard rock was significantly greater than that of soft rock, and its degree of failure was more severe. As plastic shear strain continued to increase, the cohesion of hard rock gradually decreased. The internal friction angle increased to a peak and then decreased with a further increase in strain. This indicated that hard rock transitioned from hardening to softening during the deformation process. The post-peak dilatancy behavior of hard rock and soft rock also showed significant differences. The dilatancy angle of hard rock exhibited a similar pattern under various confining pressures. It rapidly increased to a peak in the initial stage and then gradually decreased with increasing plastic shear strain. This indicated that hard rock quickly underwent dilatancy in the early stages of deformation, with the effect weakening as deformation progressed. In contrast to hard rock, the evolution law of the dilatancy angle of soft rock was greatly affected by confining pressure. Under lower confining pressures, the dilatancy angle of soft rock initially increased rapidly and then decreased, similar to that of hard rock. However, under higher confining pressures, the dilatancy angle of soft rock reached its peak later and decreased more slowly afterward. This could have been related to the increased difficulty of particle rearrangement and crack propagation in soft rock under higher confining pressures, which led to a slower dilatancy effect. In addition, the failure modes of hard rock and soft rock were different. Hard rock tends to fail suddenly after reaching peak strength due to its high brittleness. Soft rock, with lower brittleness and higher plasticity, experienced a slower failure process accompanied by a more pronounced dilatancy phenomenon. These differences were important for understanding the stability and failure mechanisms of hard rock and soft rock in engineering applications. Conclusions This passage examines the behavior of hard rock and soft rock after their peak strength in triaxial compression tests. The main reason for the decrease in strength was the loss of cohesion between particles due to crushing. The internal friction of the rocks did not change substantially. The cohesion of soft rock was similar to that of hard rock. However, the internal friction angle of soft rock increased as the plastic shear strain increased, although the rate of increase gradually decreased. This finding indicates that, when constructing a post-peak strain-softening and dilatancy mechanical model, the dilatancy behavior of both hard and soft rocks should be properly evaluated. The post-peak crack propagation behavior of hard and soft rocks differed significantly. Hard rock produced slip surfaces and rapidly split after a small strain beyond the peak. In contrast, soft rock underwent greater plastic strain before slip surfaces formed. During the post-peak stage, hard rock formed through-going cracks from top to bottom. Soft rock, by contrast, experienced inter-sliding failure among multiple blocks. These observations are important for understanding how rocks fail under stress.
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