Numerical modelling of the crack-pore interaction and damage evolution behaviour of rocklike materials with pre-existing cracks and pores

The combined effect of pre-existing cracks and pores on the damage evolution behaviour and mechanical properties of rocklike materials under uniaxial compression was numerically studied. Simulations of cracks and pores alone showed that increasing crack length and pore diameter decrease uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and elastic modulus. Subsequent simulations considered two types of combinations of pre-existing cracks and pores – two cracks either side of a centric pore, and two pores either side of a centric crack – and the distance between cracks and pores was changed. In the case of two cracks at either side of the pore, UCS increased only slightly when the distance between the cracks and pore was increased. This was attributed to the more profound effect of the presence of the pore on UCS, and was confirmed by the progressive crack development characteristics and the major principal stress distribution patterns, which showed that the cracks initiated from the tips of the two pre-existing cracks made little or no contribution to the ultimate macroscopic failure. In contrast, models with two pores at either side of a centric crack showed a marked dependency of UCS on the distance between the pores and the crack. Cracks propagating from pre-existing pores made a greater contribution to the ultimate macroscopic failure when the pores were close to the centric crack and the effect gradually diminished with increasing space between pre-existing pores and the centric crack. Major principal stress distributions showed an asymmetric mobilisation of compressive stresses at the right and left sides of the two pores, favouring macroscopic shear failure when they were close to the centric crack which had led to a lower UCS. Overall, this study presents some critical insights into crack-pore interaction behaviour and the resulting mechanical response of rocklike materials to assist with the design of rock structures.