Influence of confining pressure on rock fracture propagation under particle impact

AbstractRevealing the influence of confining pressure on the propagation and formation mechanism of rock cracks under particle impact is significant to deep rock excavation. In this study, we conducted laboratory testing and numerical simulations to analyze the stress and crack field evolution in rock under particle impact. The results demonstrate that after particles impact, a fracture zone and intergranular main crack propagation zone are formed in the rock. The shear stress and tensile stress caused by compressive stress are the main reasons for the formation of the fracture zone, while the formation of the intergranular main crack propagation zone is mainly due to tangential derived tensile stress. The confining pressure induces prestress between rock particles such that the derived tensile stress needs to overcome the initial compressive stress between the particles to form tensile fractures. And the increase in the confining pressure leads to increases in the proportion of shear cracks and friction effects between rock particles, resulting in an increase in energy consumption for the same number of cracks. From a macroscopic perspective, the confining pressure can effectively inhibit the generation of cracks.