Effect of an Adjacent Flaw on the Crack Propagation of a Horseshoe-Shaped Cavity.

Pre-existing flaws often exist near horseshoe-shaped cavities in practical rock engineering projects. The adjacent flaws can affect the failure mode of horseshoe-shaped cavities. In this paper, we use a combination of laboratory experiments and numerical simulations to explore the effect of an adjacent flaw on the failure mode of a horseshoe-shaped cavity. In the experimental tests, the length and distance of the adjacent flaw are taken as the variables to prepare the specimens, which are then loaded under uniaxial and biaxial compression conditions. Our experimental results show that when an adjacent flaw exists near a horseshoe-shaped cavity, cracks are initiated from the vaults and arches of the horseshoe-shaped cavity, rather than from the adjacent flaw. Subsequently, this phenomenon is verified by the M-integral theory in fracture mechanics. Moreover, the testing results show that the propagation path of the new cracks is attracted by the adjacent flaw. As the length of the adjacent flaw increases or the distance between the flaw and the cavity decreases, the attraction from the flaw tip to the new cracks increases. Highlights: The effect of adjacent flaw on the failure mode of horseshoe–shaped cavity was studied The effect of adjacent flaw length and distance on the crack propagation was investigated The attraction of adjacent flaw and the crack initiation location were explained [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]