An improved maximum tangential stress criterion for an inclined crack in uniaxial compression considering T‐stress and crack parameter.

The rockmass in the practical engineering is often prone to compression; therefore, how to establish a fracture criterion to reflect the rockmass compression failure is vital. Take the rockmass with one inclined crack for instance, the mechanical behavior of the inclined crack face closure and friction sliding in uniaxial compression is firstly analyzed, and then the Kolosov–Muskhelishvili stress function of the cracked rockmass in uniaxial compression is established based on the complex stress functions. Next, the calculation methods of the stress intensity factor (SIF) K and three T‐stress components at or near the crack tip considering three kinds of crack parameters (e.g., geometry parameter, friction strength parameter and deformation parameter) are obtained. Thirdly, the improved maximum tangential stress (MTS) criterion is obtained considering T‐stress and three kinds of crack parameters. Finally, the test results of the wing‐crack initiation angle in uniaxial compression obtained by other researchers are adopted to verify the improved MTS criterion. Meanwhile, the effect of γ, the crack normal stiffness kn and shear stiffness ks, and the crack friction coefficient f on the wing‐crack initiation angle are discussed with the parametric sensitivity analysis. Highlights: An improved maximum tangential stress (MTS) criterion is proposed.The SIF and T‐stress at or near the crack tip in compression are analytical solved.The crack deformation parameters are not seen as constant in the improved MTS criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]