Experimental Study on the Mechanical Properties of Rock–Concrete Composite Specimens under Cyclic Loading

The foundations of bridges and other tall buildings are often subjected to cyclic loads. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the mechanical properties of rock–concrete composite foundations under cyclic loads. In this paper, uniaxial cyclic loading and unloading tests were conducted on rock–concrete composite specimens using the TFD-2000 microcomputer servo-controlled rock triaxial testing machine. The stress–strain curves, elastic modulus variation, and energy dissipation were analyzed. The results showed that the stress–strain curves of composite specimens under uniaxial cyclic loading and unloading conditions formed hysteresis loops. The hysteresis loop exhibited a sparse–dense–sparse pattern under the upper stress of 27.44 MPa, which was 90% of the uniaxial strength. The elastic modulus, as well as the dissipated energy, decreased rapidly in the first few cycles and then gradually decreased at a constant rate, with the upper stress increasing to 27.44 MPa. Both the elastic modulus and the dissipated energy exhibited an accelerated stage before specimen failure. The primary failure mode of the composite specimen was split failure from concrete to sandstone. A damage variable was derived to better reflect the laws governing the damage evolution of the composite under cyclic loads.

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