Experimental Study of Remotely Triggered Rockburst Induced by a Tunnel Axial Dynamic Disturbance Under True-Triaxial Conditions

Abstract

During deep underground excavation, dynamic ejection failure of a highly stressed rock mass near an excavated boundary is easily triggered by a dynamic disturbance in the tunnel axial direction, induced by blasting on the tunnel face. Such a dynamic ejection failure is usually called remotely triggered rockburst, and it poses a threat to underground construction. To clarify the characteristics of remotely triggered rockburst, the development of remotely triggered rockbursts of granite rock specimens was investigated using an improved true-triaxial test system. Experimental results show that with increasing static Z-direction stress (i.e., in situ tangential stress on the cross section of the tunnel), rockburst is triggered more easily and the kinetic energy of ejected fragments increases. Under other constant static stresses and dynamic disturbance, with increasing horizontal stress including X-direction stress (i.e., in situ axial stress) or Y-direction stress (i.e., in situ radial stress on the cross section of the tunnel), rockburst is more difficult to trigger and the kinetic energy of the ejected fragments decreases. Under constant static stresses, once the amplitude and frequency of the dynamic loading exceed their thresholds, the rockburst intensity increases rapidly and the rockburst can be triggered much more easily with small increments of the amplitude and frequency. Furthermore, Z-direction strain increases during the dynamic disturbance process, indicating that the ultimate energy-storage capacity of the specimen decreases with increasing damage. When the elastic strain energy is greater than the ultimate energy-storage capacity of the damaged specimen, part of the residual elastic energy is converted into kinetic energy of the ejected fragments.