Fracturing Behavior and Crack Analysis of Pre-cracked Geomaterial Samples: Experimental and Numerical Studies

Many geological and engineering fields associated with geomechanics address a wide range of construction, environmental, and geotechnical challenges, including hazards that affect human health and safety. Environmental and geological processes often encompass surface and underground mining, tunneling, and deep excavation operations. Such activities can induce various geomechanical issues, including rock mass instabilities, deep-seated collapses, rock bursts, and rock falls, which may have significant environmental and global impacts. In rock engineering, these hazards are closely linked to fragmentation mechanisms as well as the mechanical properties and strength of the involved rock masses. Therefore, the safety and economic performance of numerous rock engineering structures depend directly on the mechanical behavior and fracturing characteristics of the surrounding rock.