Experimental Study on Initial Damage Point of Deep Granite under Step Cyclic Loading Method

In deep engineering, the initial damage point of host rock has become an important concern. Nowadays, there are many methods which can work out the initial damage point. However, each existing method introduces some significant subjective or parametric errors. In this paper, a new determination method of initial damage point employing step cyclic loading tests was designed and a series of tests were conducted on deep granite. After analyzing the peak strength and effect of cyclic loading, the turning point of initial damage was confirmed. The testing results show that the turning stress of initial damage was about 45% peak strength and will present a little decrease with the confining pressure increasing. These calculated damage points are much more scientific, accurate, and intuitive, which provides a new method for the study on rock mechanics in deep mining.