Experimental Investigation and Micromechanics-Based Analytical Modeling of Creep and Relaxation Behaviors of Beishan Granite

This paper investigates experimentally and numerically the short- and long-term strength and deformation behaviors of Beishan granite at room temperature. Single-stage creep, relaxation, and conventional triaxial compression tests were performed on cylindrical rock samples. Its typical brittle response is captured and the dependence of peak strength on confining pressure and time-dependent response on deviatoric stress are revealed. For constitutive modeling, a unified micromechanics-based plasticity-damage model is formulated based on the Mori–Tanaka method and the subcritical cracking theory postulate, with the focus on simulating both instantaneous strain and time-dependent deformation process over a broad range of time scales. Its unification is achieved by representing the evolution of damage, which is strongly coupled with plastic deformation induced by frictional sliding along closed cracks, as an internal variable that can be decomposed into instantaneous and time-dependent parts. The performance of the model with analytical predictions is well validated using the experimental results on Beishan granite.