Evaluating long-term strength of rock under changing environments from air to water

It is important to understand time-dependent deformation and fracturing in rock to evaluate its long-term strength (LTS); subcritical crack growth (SCG) provides insight into the weathering of a rock mass over the long term. The LTS of rock is commonly evaluated under the same environmental conditions. However, in practice, the environment is constantly changing and must be accounted for in evaluating the LTS of rock. In this study, we developed a method to evaluate LTS under changing environmental conditions, with a focus on the influence of water on the LTS of rock. LTS decreased rapidly when the environmental conditions changed from air to water. In a case where the environmental conditions changed repeatedly from air to water at various duration intervals, the value of the LTS was similar to that in a continuous water environment. Because a dramatic decrease in the LTS occurred when the environmental conditions changed from air to water, we conclude that the effect of water on the acceleration of SCG in rock should be considered in the long-term use of rock structures.