Discussions on the Complete Strain Energy Characteristics of Deep Granite and Assessment of Rockburst Tendency

In deep mining, the rockburst hazard has become a prominent problem. Rockburst is difficult to be predicted, and it gives a severe threat to mining safety. In this paper, the triaxial compressive tests with an acoustic emission (AE) device and full cyclic loading and unloading tests were carried out, respectively, to present characteristics of linear elastic strain energy and peak strain energy. Also, to consider the time-delay strain characteristics of granite found in the abovementioned tests, a new stage loading and unloading test with dual monitoring systems was designed and performed. Through 20 days’ time-delay strain monitoring, the peak-strength strain energy was further modified. The results showed that the peak strain energy is approximate 1.2-1.3 times than linear elastic strain energy under the same confining pressure, and after considering the time-delay strain effect, the modified maximal strain energy value of the deep granite significantly increased. The peak strain energy values are further enhanced from 1.0 × 104 J/m3 to 1.8 × 104 J/m3, respectively. At last, by taking advantage of the strain energy index model of rockburst, the tendency and intensity of rockburst were assessed contrastively.