Creep mechanical properties of sandstones under triaxial compression with different loads and water contents

Abstract

Water is a critical factor affecting the mechanical properties of rocks, leading to their degradation. Understanding the creep mechanical behavior of deep roadway surrounding rock under the influence of underground water is of great significance. Compression and creep experiments on sandstone with varying water contents were conducted using a deep soft rock five-linked rheological experiment system. The experimental conditions, including water content (0%, 0.8%, 1.6%, 2.4% and 3.3%) and confining pressure (0, 6, 9 and 12 MPa), were determined based on pressure-free water absorption tests and in-situ stress measurements. The experimental results show that the compressive strength, creep failure stress, and dilatancy stress of sandstone decrease exponentially with increasing water content, while they increase exponentially with confining pressure. The ratio of lateral to axial instantaneous strain increases nearly linearly with the increase of stress, and the lateral creep strain characteristics of the sample are more significant than the axial ones. The duration of the attenuation creep stage of sandstone decreases with increasing water content and increases with increasing confining pressure. The lateral strain enters the steady-state creep stage before the axial strain, and the onset time of the accelerated creep stage of lateral strain under the failure stress is earlier than that of axial strain. The long-term strength of sandstone was determined based on the lateral steady-state creep rate curve, showing a negative exponential relationship with water content and a positive exponential relationship with confining pressure. A method for determining the long-term strength of rocks based on the ratio of lateral strain to axial strain (μ_c) is proposed, which is independent of water content. The research results provide a reliable theoretical basis for the analysis of the long-term stability of roadways under the influence of groundwater and the early prediction of creep failure.

Keywords

creep mechanical properties / water content / lateral strain / steady-state creep rate / accelerated creep stage / long-term strength

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