Study on Nonlinear Damage Creep Model for Rocks under Cyclic Loading and Unloading

To determine the nonlinear creep characteristics of rocks under cyclic loading and unloading conditions, a nonlinear Kelvin model and damage viscoplastic model are proposed. The models are connected in series with a linear elastic body to establish a nonlinear damage creep model. The differential damage constitutive equations of the proposed creep model under one-dimensional and three-dimensional stress states are derived based on the creep mechanics and elasticity theory. The damage and unloading creep equations are then obtained based on the superposition principle, and a simple and feasible method for determining the model parameters is determined. Finally, the step cyclic loading and unloading creep test data for lherzolite and limestone are used to verify the rationality and feasibility of the nonlinear damage creep model. The results show that the theoretical creep curves of the nonlinear damage creep model are consistent with the experimental curves which indicates that the proposed model can not only determine the creep properties of lherzolite and limestone under cyclic loading and unloading but also determine the nonlinear characteristics of rocks in the transient and steady-state creep stages and particularly within the accelerating creep stage.