Brittle Failure Mechanisms of Rock.
Abstract
At high compressive stress, microcracks in rock lengthen in the stress direction. Slender columns of unbroken material are left between the cracks; SEM measurements of length/width ratio of these columns suggest that some could have buckled under the loads applied in the experiments, and thus been the source of the sudden instability at faulting. Thermal expansion of rocks was measured under high pressure for the first time: below some critical pressure, thermal cracking occurred, due both to thermal gradients and anisotropy in thermal expansion of the minerals. Observed thermal expansion at high pressure was close to Walsh's theoretical bounds; thus, thermal expansion of rocks under pressure can be calculated with sufficient accuracy for many applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 10, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA067838
Entities
People
- W. F. Brace
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology