The ISRM-suggested Brazilian disc (BD) test using split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) for dynamic rock tensile strength requires central crack initiation and stress equilibrium. This study aims to re-evaluate the critical strain rate, ensuring a valid dynamic Brazilian disc test, and to analyse the reliable dynamic tensile behaviour of granite using high-speed digital image correlation (DIC). The comparison between the measured strain obtained through high-speed DIC analysis and the strain gauge allowed for determining the optimal subset parameters used to obtain the real-time deformation field and the stress-strain curve from DIC data. Crack initiation, crack velocity, and failure process are studied to reveal the rate dependence of granites. A unified dynamic increase factor (DIF) model is proposed for the tensile strength of rocks, and the reason for the sudden drop in DIF for high strain rates is discussed. The results reveal that the upper limit of the valid strain rate, which ensures the validity of the ISRM-suggested dynamic BD test, is co-determined by the conditions of stress equilibrium and crack initiation from the centre of the disc. At higher strain rates (75 s^-1), BD test results fail to capture the actual tensile behaviour of rocks, and the potential factors influencing the critical valid strain rate (CVSr), such as sample radius and boundary crack length, should also be considered.

Current in-situ stress determination methods are typically conducted inside a drillhole after its creation. However, the drilling process itself is not utilized for measuring in-situ stress or rock strength, despite being a form of direct mechanical testing on the rock mass. Crucially, drilling contains valuable information about in-situ stress and rock strength, as rocks under high compressive stresses exhibit greater strength. This paper presents a novel in-situ stress determination method, supported by the experimental result of rock drilling monitoring tests using a mine hydraulic-rotary drilling machine. Key drilling parameters-including thrust force, rotation speed, torque and drilling speed-are monitored in real time to determine the drilling specific energy per unit volume of rock. A concave-upward relationship between drilling specific energy and rotation speed is identified, which can characterize rock compressive strength and tensile strength with consistent regularity. Further drilling tests are conducted on the same rock samples under varying confining pressures. Results indicate that as confining pressure increases, the concave-upward curve of drilling specific energy shift upward, reflecting enhanced rock strengths due to confinement. The paper outlines the complete methodology for in-situ stress determination using drilling monitoring techniques, bridging the research gaps among drilling monitoring, rock mechanics, and in-situ stress analysis.

Investigating the mechanical behavior and microstructural evolution of granite under high temperatures is crucial for optimizing fracturing strategies and ensuring reservoir sustainability in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) at the Qiabuqia geothermal field, China. This study conducted triaxial compression tests on granite from the Qinghai Gonghe Basin under temperature from 25 ℃ to 300 ℃, examining the effects of temperature and confining pressure on the mechanical properties and energy evolution of the granite. Additionally, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and nanoindentation tests were employed to assess changes in micro-mechanical properties and mineral compositions. Furthermore, fracture mechanics principles, incorporating thermal stress effects, were utilized to calculate the initiation pressure of reservoirs at an engineering scale for geothermal development in the Qinghai Gonghe Basin. The results indicate that the compressive strength and elastic modulus of Gonghe granite increase with temperature up to 200 ℃ due to the enhancement of mineral mechanical properties and thermal densification, but significantly decrease at 300 ℃ due to thermal damage and fracture propagation. Energy analysis reveals that the granite undergoes a transition from brittle to ductile behavior under high-temperature conditions. The proportion of energy dissipation during deformation increases with temperature. The increased proportion of quartz, coupled with its high thermal expansion coefficient and elastic modulus, generates intense thermal stress at the interfaces between quartz and adjacent minerals. The development and propagation of transgranular fractures around quartz are critical factors influencing the macroscopic mechanical properties of granite. This study provides a good understanding of the effects of high temperature on granite performance and its engineering significance in reservoir development, emphasizing the role of thermal stress in reducing fracturing pressure and promoting fracture propagation.

This study presents a novel framework for evaluating slope stability in spatially variable soils by integrating a newly developed sequential limit analysis based on the Hellinger-Reissner functional, utilizing the node-based smoothed finite element method (NS-FEM), with a newly proposed deep learning (DL) approach termed multi-downsampling hybrid Linformer-convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The NS-FEM-based mixed formulation of limit analysis (MFLA) enhances computational accuracy and convergence by smoothing strain fields and mitigating numerical discontinuities commonly encountered in standard finite element methods (FEMs). This method generates reliable datasets for stochastic simulations of slope stability under both static and seismic loading conditions. To address the computational expense of specific simulations, we propose the multi-downsampling hybrid Linformer-CNN model, a sophisticated DL architecture that employs dual parallel pathways with distinct downsampling strategies - AveragePpooling1D for medium-scale feature extraction and MaxPooling1D for coarse-scale feature extraction. Each pathway integrates one-dimensional (1D) CNNs for local feature extraction and Linformer-based self-attention mechanisms to efficiently capture global dependencies. The parallel downsampling strategies balance computational efficiency with feature granularity, enabling the model to leverage both local and global data characteristics effectively. The extracted multi-scale features are concatenated and further processed through fully connected networks (FCNs) to accurately predict the factor of safety (FoS) of slopes. Comparative analyses demonstrate that the hybrid Linformer-CNN model outperforms traditional FCN and CNN architectures, achieving robust and precise predictions with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) below 10 %. Additionally, the proposed framework significantly reduces computational time, highlighting the potential of integrating NS-FEM-based MFLA with advanced DL architectures for rapid and reliable slope stability assessment in geotechnical engineering.

This study investigates the influence of mean stress and Lode angle on the mechanical behavior of porous sandstone. Sandstone specimens were tested using a newly developed true-triaxial loading apparatus under five constant Lode angle conditions and seven different mean stresses, covering a transition from brittle to ductile regimes. Based on the experimental results, three types of stress-strain responses were identified, transitioning progressively from Type 1, through Type 2 to Type 3 as the mean stress increases. Type 1 response represents typical brittle behavior, characterized by prominent shear fractures. Type 2 response corresponds to the brittle-ductile transition behavior, exhibiting non-penetrating shear fractures. Type 3 response is associated with ductile behavior, characterized by no visible shear fractures. The deviatoric stress initially increases and then decreases with increasing mean stress, forming a cap surface in the meridian plane. A generalized failure criterion is subsequently developed, capable of accurately characterizing this strength response. Furthermore, the brittle-ductile transition behavior is found to be significantly dependent on the Lode angle. Finally, the brittle-ductile transition boundary is described, incorporating the dependence of Lode angle.

The phase-field method (PFM) has emerged as a robust tool for fracture simulation; however, applying this technique to rock materials poses significant challenges, particularly in accurately modeling the propagation of multiple cracks in the presence of complex three-dimensional (3D) mixed-mode loading involving tensile, tensile-shear, and compressive-shear cracks. To address these limitations, this study aims to introduce an enhanced PFM that integrates frictional effects and Lode angle dependence while unifying the volumetric deviatoric (VD) and spectral decomposition (SD) methods. The proposed model incorporates a modified driving force for 3D compressive-shear cracks by embedding a triple shear energy strength (TSES) criterion within the energy decomposition framework. This refinement guarantees that crack behavior remains physically realistic under compression-dominated loading while effectively preserving well-established tensile fracture mechanisms. The validation of the numerical implementation is also conducted through both analytical verification against theoretical solutions and 3D finite element simulations of fissured rock and heterogeneous specimens. Furthermore, numerical case studies demonstrate the model's ability to effectively capture the 3D propagation of multiple cracks and replicate realistic true 3D mechanical responses. The findings present valuable insights and practical guidelines for the application of PFM in rock engineering.

The instability of composite coal-rock structures can easily trigger severe dynamic disasters, such as rockbursts. The application of electric potential (EP) method shows promise for disaster prediction and accurate identification of coal-rock interfaces. In this study, uniaxial compression experiments were conducted to monitor the EP spatiotemporal response of fine sandstone-coal and coarse sandstone-coal combined samples. EP distribution contour maps and three-dimensional (3D) EP models were utilized to explore the failure mechanisms and identify the interface state. Then the relationship between EP response and force field was examined through numerical simulations. An EP-based multifractal method was utilized to predict rock failure. Results show that the intensity and polarity of EPs differ between coal and rock but are correlated with stress state. The progressive failure features of two types of combined samples differ, triggering distinct EP responses. In the EP contour maps, the EP level increases with increasing height, and a low-intensity signal band appears around the interface before failure. When failure occurs, the EP field changes, and the low-intensity signal band becomes distorted. The 3D EP models effectively visualize the progressive failure of combined samples and clearly identify the interface location, similar to acoustic emission (AE) location. The evolution of force chain field is closely related to EP generation, and sparse strong force chain fields leads to a significant increase in EP level. Furthermore, the EPs display multifractal features, with precursory information being reflected inΔα and Δf. This study provides new ideas for early-warning of composite coal-rock and coal-rock interface identification.

This study integrates unconfined compression tests with high-resolution computed tomography (CT) to analyze the pore heterogeneity, crack propagation, and failure modes of red sandstone specimens with diameters ranging from 10 mm to 100 mm. Key findings include: (1) With increasing specimen size, crack initiation stress (CI), damage stress (CD), and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) initially increase and then decrease, (2) In smaller specimens, stress concentration due to pore heterogeneity leads to splitting failure and lower strength, (3) In medium-sized specimens, friction dominates crack propagation, causing shear failure, while increased fragment rotation enhances energy dissipation, yielding highest strength, and (4) In larger specimens, cracks tend to propagate along bedding planes, reducing energy dissipation and then weakening strength. These results provide insights into the reverse size effect on sandstone strength and have implications for engineering applications.

Borehole instability in heterogeneous rocks poses a significant challenge in geo-energy engineering. The deformation and failure around boreholes are heavily mediated by the inherent heterogeneity of rocks. Here, we examined borehole breakout under hydrostatic pressure through both laboratory tests and numerical simulations on sandstone samples. Laboratory experiments demonstrated symmetrical V-shaped failures across various borehole diameters. To replicate these observations, we developed a heterogenous UDEC Voronoi model where the material heterogeneity was interpreted by assigning Weibull-distributed inter-grain contact parameters. The rigorous-calibrated numerical modeling can effectively capture the microscopic damage process and match the observed macroscopic failure modes. Simulations showed that reducing the borehole diameter increases the critical hydrostatic pressure required for borehole failure and prompts a shift from tensile to shear-dominated failure behavior. While stress anisotropy primarily governs the overall breakout morphology, rock heterogeneity influences the specific locations of crack initiation, leading to localized stress concentrations that shape the ultimate failure patterns. These results provide valuable insights into borehole stability in heterogeneous rocks and guide engineering design and pertinent risk assessment.

During unconventional energy extraction, substantial volumes of fluid are injected into low-permeability reservoirs to facilitate hydraulic fracturing, creating an extensive network of fractures that enhance fluid mobility. However, such large-scale fluid injection can lead to the initiation and propagation of fractures, potentially triggering detectable seismic events that pose risks to human life and infrastructure. To better understand these processes, in situ dynamic scanning imaging of hydraulic fracture propagation and water-rock interactions in tight sandstones has been conducted using X-ray computed tomography (CT). Our experimental findings reveal that fluid infiltration weakens rock strength, thereby promoting rock failure. Under the influence of fluid injection, microfractures undergo a continuous cycle of generation, expansion, and coalescence, ultimately forming interconnected hydrological pathways. These pathways are critical for the sustained propagation of fractures within the rock. CT imaging highlights a positive feedback loop between fracture growth and the enhancement of fluid diffusion. Notably, the rock at the dry-wet interface of the fluid front is particularly susceptible to fracturing. Additionally, the rates of fracturing vary among different fractures and tend to progressively decrease as the fractures extend deeper into the rock.