New generation geomechanical testing facility developed for rock failure visualization

BEIJING - Chinese researchers have developed a new geomechanical testing facility to capture the process of rock damage and failure, according to the People's Daily on Monday.

"The accurate observation of the rock failure process can reveal the mechanism of fracture initiation, evolution and coalescence in the rocks, which is of great importance for geo-engineering design," said Li Xiao, a researcher from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

For example, safety measures can be implemented to prevent geological disasters, such as landslides, if the fracture evolution process of the rock masses can be predicted, the newspaper quoted Li as saying.

Conventional geomechanical testing facilities can only observe rock specimens before and after tests. However, what is happening during the rock failure process remains a mystery.

"The rock specimens are rotated on a turntable to facilitate the CT scanning, from which the three dimensional structures of the rock specimens during the whole failure process can be obtained," Li said. "One practical application is the natural gas hydrate exploitation."

The new testing facility also has important experimental and theoretical implications for mine disaster prediction, discovering landslide mechanisms, prevention of tunnel roof falling, underground carbon dioxide geological storage, and understanding of the deformation and failure mechanism for pavements and construction materials.