Numerical simulation of micro crack evolution and failure modes of limestone under uniaxial multi-level cyclic loading

Deep rock structures are often subjected to complex cyclic disturbances generated by earthquakes and blasting vibrations. The rocks will resist disturbance with multiple stress levels, and the research on mechanical response is still insufficient under such conditions. A series of multi-level cyclic loading experiments were subjected to limestone specimens to obtain the stress–strain relation and fracture behavior. This study explored the effect of amplitude and cycle times on rocks. A Discrete Element Method model of rock specimens was established in Particle Flow Code 2D (PFC(2D)). The simulation results are coincidental with the experiment results. The results show that loading with low cycles can strengthen the rock, but loading with high cycles will present deteriorated effect on the rock. In the numerical simulation test, the initial crack will appear earlier with the amplitude increase. More micro cracks will be induced as the number of cycles per level increases. Moreover, tensile cracks are mainly distributed around the specimen when shear cracks widely appear in the central area. With the increase of amplitude, failure modes with mixed shear and tensile cracks will become universal.