Strength and failure characteristics of hard rock containing a single structural plane under varied loading angles: A true triaxial investigation

Abstract

The spatial relationship between structural planes and principal stresses significantly affects the mechanical properties of deep hard rock. This paper examines the effect of the loading angle under true triaxial compression. While previous studies focused on the angle HV β between the maximum principal stress and the structural plane, the role of angle ω, between the intermediate principal stress and the structural plane, is often overlooked. Utilizing artificially prefabricated granite specimens with a single non-penetrating structural plane, we set the loading angle β to range from 0ΰ to 90ΰ across seven groups, and assigned ω values of 0ΰ and 90ΰ in two separate groups. The results show that the peak strength is negatively correlated with β up to 45ΰ, beyond which it tends to stabilize. The angle ω exerts a strengthening effect on the peak strength. Deformation mainly occurs post-peak, with the strain values ε ₁ and ε ₃ reaching levels 2–3 times higher than those in intact rock. The structural plane significantly influences failure mode when ω=0ΰ, while failure localizes near the σ ₃ surface of the specimens when ω=90ΰ. The findings enhance data on structural plane rocks under triaxial compression and inform theoretical research, excavation, and support design of rock structures.

Keywords

true triaxial compression / hard rock / structural plane / loading angle / strength / failure characteristics

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