Mechanical responses of igneous rocks to microwave irradiation: a review

In order to explore the mechanism of microwave radiation damage to rocks and improve the efficiency of underground rock fragmentation, statistics have been conducted for nearly 40 years, and the heating effects of four types of igneous rocks (granite, basalt, syenite, and gabbro) after microwave irradiation have been analyzed. The attenuation of tensile and compressive strength, and the microwave response mechanism of igneous rocks are studied. The results show that under microwave energy of 0–50 kJ, the tensile and compressive strengths of rock do not change significantly; however, above 50 kJ, they decrease rapidly. With increasing contents of Fe-rich minerals in rock, such as pyroxene, microwaves have a greater fracturing effect, which is manifested as rapid attenuations in tensile and compressive strength. The wave velocity damage factor and tensile strength damage factor of igneous rocks increase with the increase of microwave energy.