Strength and damage of marble in ductile failure

To study the effects of loading paths and stress states on rock strength and deformation, marble specimens were axially compressed to various displacements under a confining pressure (CP) firstly, and then the damaged specimens were recompressed under another CP. The bearing capacity of a marble specimen depends merely on CP at the stage of ductile deformation, and it has no relation with the loading history when CP keeps constant or increases. However, the damaged specimen turns into brittle when it is recompressed uniaxially or at a lower CP, and the Young’s modulus and strength are lower than those of a dense specimen. The increasing ratio of triaxial strength to CP has a close relation with the areas of fissures in the damaged specimens but not the internal friction angle. Material strength and bearing capacity are two different conceptions for rocks. Material strength decreases continually as the plastic deformation increases; however, the bearing capacity is determined by both the stress state and the material strength.