Time-dependent behavior and permeability evolution of limestone under hydro-mechanical coupling

Excessively high pore water pressure presents unpredictable risks to the safety of rock tunnels in mountainous regions that are predominantly composed of limestone. Investigating the creep characteristics and permeability evolution of limestone under varying hydrated conditions is crucial for a better understanding of the delayed deformation mechanisms of limestone rock tunnels. To this end, this paper initially conducts a series of multi-stage triaxial creep tests on limestone samples under varying pore water pressures. The experiment examines how pore water pressure affects limestone’s creep strain, strain rate, long-term strength, lifespan, and permeability, all within the context of hydraulic-mechanical (HM) coupling. To better describe the creep behavior associated with pore water pressure, this paper proposes a new nonlinear fractional creep constitutive model. This constitutive model depicts the initial, steady-state, and accelerated phases of limestone’s creep behavior. Finally, the proposed model is applied to the numerical realization of deformation in limestone tunnel, validating the effectiveness of the proposed constitutive model in predicting tunnel’s creep deformation. This research enhances our understanding of limestone’s creep characteristics and permeability evolution under HM coupling, laying a foundation for assessing the long-term stability of mountain tunnels.