Investigation on the fracture and mechanical behaviors of simulated transversely isotropic rock made of two interbedded materials

Transversely isotropic rock composed of two interbedded layers has been rarely studied, although landslides frequently occur in bedded rock masses. With reference to the interbedded rock mass in the Miaowei Reservoir area of Yunnan Province, China, this study prepares transversely isotropic specimens made of two interbedded materials to investigate the fracture and mechanical behaviors of interbedded rock. The effect of the bedding plane dip angle and the application of the findings to an anti-dip interbedded rock slope are also studied. Specifically, two groups of isotropic specimens and five groups of transversely isotropic specimens are tested in a series of triaxial compressive tests; based on these tests, the crack types, failure modes and mechanical parameters are analyzed, and one damage model and its application to the failure probability analysis of an anti-dip interbedded rock slope are investigated. The experimental results show that twelve crack types, eight failure modes and five axial stress-strain curve types can be summarized and are significantly affected by the dip angle. The recognition of these crack types and failure modes can improve the qualitative instability analysis of bedded rock masses in the reservoir area, and five mechanical parameters, including peak stress, strain related to peak strength, residual strength, elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio, exhibit fluctuating variation trends versus the dip angle and confining stress due to the influence of the dip angle. Two groups of theoretical curves from the proposed damage model correspond with the pre-peak features of the test stress-strain curves. The proposed failure probability model considering rock damage shows good practicality when applied to an anti-dip interbedded rock slope; the slope displays discrete failure probabilities in various parts, e.g., the slope toe, slope shoulder and weaker layer show higher failure probabilities, and the relaxation behavior increases the failure probabilities and gradually eliminates the discreteness. Relevancy analysis shows that the strength of transversely isotropic rock is more sensitive to the elastic modulus, dip angle of bedding plane, confining stress and composition of the rock. •Transversely isotropic rock made of two interbedded materials is prepared;•Fracture behaviors and damage model of simulated transversely isotropic rock are investigated;•Instability analysis of an anti-dip interbedded rock slope is conducted.