ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT: This paper investigates the post-failure relaxation behaviour of some typical hard rocks found in the South African gold mines. The laboratory study investigated the axial stress relaxation of failed quartzite and lava specimens under triaxial loading conditions when maintaining a constant axial deformation. In spite of the brittle nature of the rock, noticeable stress relaxation was observed. It appears that the quartzite specimens undergo more significant relaxation than the lava specimens. A continuum elasto-viscoplastic model was investigated as a numerical tool to simulate this relaxation behaviour.

Keywords:
structural geology, axial stress, Reservoir Characterization, Upstream Oil & Gas, hard rock, metals & mining, cohesion, relaxation, excavation, strain rate
Subjects:
Reservoir Characterization, Exploration, development, structural geology, Reservoir geomechanics
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2000. A.A. Balkema - Permission to Distribute - American Rock Mechanics Association
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