Introduction
Rocks as a natural material consist of numerous different minerals and they form the basis of the earth’s crust. In addition, their composition and texture determine their physical, mechanical and chemical characters. Therefore, rock mechanics deals with the interactions between rocks and other materials around it and studies the laws governing their behaviour during loading, deformation, dissolution and energy release under different circumstances.
Physical Properties
The physicalproperties of rocks depend on the composition, structure and texture of the rocks. The compositionof a rock can contribute to its physical properties such as hardness, ability to resist abrasion, electrical properties, and so on. The structure of a rock is described as the pattern of minerals and its arrangement within a formation. The arrangement and arrangement of particles within the rock determines largely its strength and temperature-controlled resistence
The texture of the rock is important to describe the physical characters of the rock, such as size, shape, surface characteristics and magnitude of pores.This includes the rock grain size, grain shape, surface features, fabric or orientation and porosity.
Mechanical Properties
The mechanical strengths of rocks, such as strength, fracture toughness and fatigue strength, can be studied through its physical properties. These properties govern how the rock will react to different loading conditions, the stress-strain curves and the threshold of failure.
The strength of a rock is the resistance to to its ability to absorb this energy. It is usually defined as the maximum stress which a rock can withstand before showing significant deformation i.e. ultimate strength. These mechanical properties are usually reported in terms of uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength and shear strength.
The fracture toughness is the resistance to crushing of a rock material under applied loads. It is one of the most important properties for rocks since it can tell us about the resistance to damage from both natural and man-made causes. It is measured as the peak strength of a rock specimen that makes a fractal crack.
The fatigue strength of a rock is measured by its ability to withstand continuous and repetitive loading or cycling. It can tell us about how rocks respond to dynamic stress and help us determine a safe design cycle.
Conclusion
Rocks contain numerous minerals and the composition,structure and texture of rocks can contribute totheir physical, mechanical and chemical properties. The physical properties include composition, stucture and texture of the rocks. The mechanical properties include strength, fracture toughness and fatigue strength. Understanding the interaction between the rocks physical and mechanical properties can help us understand how to utilize the rocks and in what manner. This knowledge will help engineers and geologists to set safe design and standards for rocks in construction and other engineering materials.
参考文献
1. Wyllie, M.C. (2004). An introduction to rock mechanics. Elsevier Science & Technology.
2. Hoek, E. and Bray, J.W. (1981). Rock Slope Engineering, 3rd Edition. Published by Spon.
3. Amadei, B., Egger, A., and Huizinga, J. (2009). Rock Mechanics - a practical textbook. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.
4. Hudleston, P.J. (2001). Rock mechanics. Imperial College Press.
