A coupled elastoplastic anisotropic damage model for rock materials

In this study, a rigorous constitutive model within the framework of thermodynamics is formulated to describe the coupling process between irreversible deformation and anisotropic damage of rock materials. The coupling effect is reflected based on the “two-surface” formulation. The plastic response is described by a yield function while the anisotropic damage is defined by a novel exponential damage criterion. In the proposed model, another feature lies in introducing parameters β and k in the proposed model to capture strain hardening/softening behaviors and brittle–ductile transition. The computational formulation scheme for the coupled model is deduced in detail by using return mapping algorithm. The validity of the coupled model is compared with the numerical simulation results and the experimental curves of the fine-grained sandstone, Beishan granite, and Jinping marble. The results indicate that the model can take into account the nonlinear mechanical behaviors of rock: coupling anisotropic damage and plasticity as well as brittle-ductile transition behaviors. Without loss of generality, the coupled model is versatile to describe the mechanical characteristics of rock materials.