Original paper(Vol.48 No.11 pp.1255)

Crack generation and propagation during stress relaxation of crystalline rock under water-saturated uniaxial condition

Seo Yong Seok; Seiki Takafumi; Ichikawa Yasuaki

Abstract:Microcrack generation and propagation play an essential role to predict the long-term behavior of crystalline rock. We developed a new relaxation testing equipment that enables us to observe a granite specimen under the state of relaxation. Series of relaxation tests have been performed under constant temperature. In this paper, we show a few patterns of microcrack propagation and the relationship between pre-existed crack and crack development under the state of relaxation.

Key Words:photographs of granite, microcrack propagation, long-term behavior, relaxation test, preexisting crack