Time-Dependent Rock Failure in a Heterogeneous Limestone

Abstract:

Time-dependent rock failure is an important aspect in the analysis of long-term rock stability for slopes, dam and bridge foundations, and underground storage facilities. An on-going project at the University of Arizona is using Kartchner Caverns in Benson, Arizona as a natural analog to study such failure by reconstructing the process of natural cave breakdown with subcritical crack growth modeling. Breakdown is thought to occur along joints through the time-dependent failure of rock bridges: sections of intact rock separating discontinuities in a rock mass. The Escabrosa limestone composing the caverns ranges from a more homogenous, even-grained texture to a more heterogeneous texture consisting of coarse-grained veins and solution cavities set in a fine-grained matrix. To determine if the veined regions are more susceptible to fracturing and act as the nuclei of rock bridge failure, fracture toughness tests were conducted for both textures. The subcritical crack growth parameters were calculated using the constant stress-rate method. Results indicate that the more heterogeneous limestone has a higher fracture strength, fracture toughness, and subcritical crack growth index n than the more homogeneous limestone. This is in agreement with previous studies which found that a more complex and heterogeneous microstructure produces a larger microcrack process zone, leading to higher fracture energies and lower susceptibility to subcritical crack growth. Thus, despite their solution cavities, the calcite veins do not localize failure or act as planes of weakness; instead, rock bridges fail through the more homogeneous limestone matrix.