A damage-mechanism-based creep model considering temperature effect in granite

• The time-dependent deformation of granite at different temperatures is experimentally studied.
• The creep strain rate and the time to failure of granite are found to be sensitive to temperature.
• It is indicated that the overall variation of cumulative AE count obeys an exponential function.
• Damage-mechanism-based creep model is proposed by incorporating the damage variable.
• The model is capable to well reproduce the creep behavior of granite at different temperatures.

Based on the experimental studies of creep behavior of granite at different temperatures, a damage-mechanism-based creep model is proposed. In the creep tests, the significant thermal effect on the time-dependent behavior of granite is observed. The recorded acoustic emission (AE) events indicated that the overall variation of cumulative AE count during the creep test obeys an exponential function, and the induced microcracks are intensively accumulated with the appearance of the accelerated creep. Based on this understanding, by incorporating the damage evolution process, a creep model was formulated to describe the time-dependent deformation of granite at different temperatures. Finally, a preliminary validation of the proposed model is performed.