Effects of Constant Amplitude Cyclic Loading on the Nonuniform Deformation of Sandstone Specimens

In order to explore the mechanical response mechanism of rock materials under cyclic loading, uniaxial constant amplitude cyclic loading tests for sandstone specimens were carried out. The images of specimen deformation during the tests were captured by charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras. Based on the digital image correlation method (DICM), the evolution laws of nonuniform deformation and displacements around localization bands during cyclic loading were investigated. The experimental results show that, during the cyclic loading process, the nonuniform deformation continually escalates with the number of cycles increasing and fluctuates with the cyclic loading stress condition; the nonuniform deformation lags behind the variation of loading stress; and the whole nonuniform deformation experiences a slow evolution stage and a fast evolution stage. At the loading stage or unloading stage, the nonuniform deformation of rock deteriorates with the number of cycles increasing under the same stress condition. In each loading cycle, the nonuniform deformation at the unloading stage is more than that at the loading stage under the same stress condition. The time of dislocation displacements and tension displacements meets hysteresis, compared with the time of stress change. In addition, the dislocation displacements and tension displacements around localization bands in general increase with the number of cycles increasing. The displacement evolution around localization bands has the same hysteresis and accumulation laws as that of nonuniform deformation.

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