Investigation of mechanical behavior, AE and EMR characteristics of rocks under compression-shear loading via variable-angle shear tests

The surrounding rocks of underground engineering are usually subjected to the coupling of compressive and shear stresses. The mechanical characteristics of underground geomaterials subjected submitted to compressionshear loading have received considerable attention recently. The complex response arises from the microstructure redistribution under high in-situ stress and the resulting fracture behaviors at multiaxial stress states. Understanding the compression-shear behavior and failure mechanism of rocks is of essential importance for mechanical characterization and construction safety in deep underground engineering applications. In this study, variable-angle shear tests are conducted for cubic sandstone samples to investigate damage evolution under compression-shear loading, and the acoustic emission (AE) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR) are simultaneously monitored to record crack development. The mechanical behaviors of rock with AE and EMR responses in variable-angle shear tests with shear angle of 30 degrees, 45 degrees and 60 degrees are analyzed. Then, correlation between AE and EMR is evaluated. Damage evolution of the rock specimen is described based on AE and EMR energy. Fractal dimension and b-value of AE and EMR time series are calculated to further reveal the microscopic crack mechanism of rocks. The results suggest that the continuous decline of fractal dimension and b-value of AE and EMR can act as the precursor of rock failure.