... Abstract A series of direct-shear experiments on a sawcut fracture under a multi-stage reduction in normal stress shows slip transition behaviors from stick-slip to stable sliding. The irregular slip pattern near the stability transition is traditionally considered unexplainable...

... and compressive strengths. The capability of the rational criterion is assessed by applying brittle-ductile transition and downward concavity boundary conditions into the criterion introducing λ and γ parameters. The sensitivity of the criterion response is analyzed by varying under variation of λ and γ...