Abstract
WHEN a rock specimen is compressed from an initial intact state to complete collapse, the failure locus can be traced out on a force–displacement diagram as shown by the solid line in Fig. 1a. Until recently, this curve was followed in experiments only to the point where the compressive strength was reached; the rock then disintegrated violently. This catastrophic failure is caused by the elastic unloading of the testing machine after the peak of the force-displacement curve and is not an intrinsic property of the rock. The elastic strain energy released by conventional “soft” testing machines exceeds the amount of energy required to break the rock and the excess energy is liberated in the form of kinetic energy. Uncontrollable failure can be avoided by the use of “stiff” testing machines which store very little strain energy1–6, or by closed loop servocontrolled testing machines which can reduce the load faster than the specimen breaks7–9.
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HUDSON, J. Effect of Time on the Mechanical Behaviour of Failed Rock. Nature 232, 185–186 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/232185a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/232185a0
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