CONFINING PRESSURE EFFECT ON ACOUSTIC EMISSIONS IN ROCK FAILURE

Based on the phenomenon that acoustic emissions (AE) generated by rock mass increase suddenly because of underground excavation, time sequence of AE rate in rock failure has been discussed by using statistical damage theory. It has been demonstrated that how the influence of confining pressure on the deformation behavior and AE characteristics in rocks can be inferred from a simple mechanics model. The results show that loading confining pressure sharply brings out increasing of AE. On the other hand, few AE emits when confining pressure is loaded sharply, and AE occurs again when axial pressure keeps on increasing. These results have been well simulated with computer and show close correspondence with directly measured curves in experiments.