Strength and Energy Evolution Law of Deep-Buried Granite Under Triaxial Conditions

With the increasing global demand for clean and renewable energy sources, many underground hydropower caverns are built in deep mountain valleys in high-stress regions. The evolution of the mechanical properties of the surrounding rock of underground caverns under high-stress excavation requires urgent investigation. According to the deep-buried granite in the underground caverns of the Shuangjiangkou hydropower station, triaxial tests under confining pressures of 10, 30, 40, and 50 MPa were conducted by the MTS815 rock mechanics test system. Based on the stress-strain curve, the evolution law of the strength parameters of rock samples with the crack volume strain and energy with the energy consumption ratio under different confining pressures was analyzed. Our results showed that the stress-strain curve of the sample is divided into five stages with four characteristic points: the closed point, initiation point, volume expansion point, and peak point. The strength of each stage increases with an increase in the confining pressure. In addition, the failure of this granite is characterized by apparent shear failure. The internal friction angle and the cohesion increase rapidly with the increase in the crack volume strain, and they gradually tend to be constant. Furthermore, the confining pressure profoundly influences energy evolution during the loading in the stable and unstable crack growth stages. In these stages, total energy, dissipated energy, and elastic strain energy increase with an increase in the confining pressure. Finally, the energy consumption ratio can represent the preliminary criterion of rock failure in terms of energy. With the increase in the confining pressure, the energy consumption ratio of rock samples gradually increases to approximately 1.0 at the peak stress point. The research results can provide a reference for the instability prediction of surrounding rock masses of high-stress underground caverns.

Automated summary

This study investigates the evolution of the mechanical properties of surrounding rock in underground caverns in high-stress regions. Triaxial tests were conducted on granite samples under different confining pressures. The results show that the stress-strain curve can be divided into five stages and the strength of each stage increases with increasing confining pressure. The failure of the granite is characterized by shear failure, and the internal friction angle and cohesion increase with crack volume strain. Confining pressure also significantly influences energy evolution. The energy consumption ratio can serve as a criterion for rock failure. The research provides a reference for predicting the instability of surrounding rock masses in high-stress underground caverns.