Unified transient creep constitutive model based on the crack evolution of micritic bioclastic limestone

The surrounding rock at the exit of the No. 1 drainage tunnel of the Artashi Water Conservancy Project is micritic bioclastic limestone with 55% bioclastic material. This rock underwent unpredictable large and time-dependent deformation during excavation. To date, the mechanical behaviour of this kind of rock has rarely been studied. In this study, traditional triaxial compression tests and multilevel creep tests were conducted on micritic bioclastic limestone, and the results clarified the instantaneous and time-dependent mechanical properties of the rock. Considering that the essence of rock failure is crack growth, the crack strain evolution properties were revealed in rock triaxial compression tests and multilevel creep tests. Based on triaxial compression tests, the evolution of axial cracks with increasing deviatoric stress ratio R(d) (ratio of deviatoric stress to peak deviatoric stress) was observed, and an axial crack closure element and new crack growth element were proposed. To simulate the creep behaviour of a rock specimen, the relationship of the rock creep crack strain rate with R(d) was studied. A creep crack element was created, and the creep crack strain evolution equation was obtained, which closely fit the experimental data. Combining the 4 element types (elastic element, crack closure element, crack growth element, and creep crack element), a unified transient creep constitutive model (Mo’s model) was proposed, which represented both the transient and time-dependent mechanical properties of the micritic bioclastic limestone.