The Confinement-Affected Strength Variety of Anisotropic Rock Mass

It has been recognized that the anisotropic structures dominate the deformation and strength properties of laminated rock masses. The resultant strength anisotropy is strongly affected by confining pressures beyond anisotropic structures. Nevertheless, the effects of confinement are inconsistent among existing experiments and not fully understood. This study focuses on the effects of confining pressure on strength anisotropy through theoretical derivation together with experimental results analysis. The variations in the possibility of anisotropic structural plane dominant failure and strength anisotropy degree under different confining pressures are discussed. The different types of anisotropic structural planes, i.e., the fresh contact discontinuity or soft, thick layer, are found as the key factor resulting in different confinement effects. The strength anisotropy weakens gradually and vanishes eventually as confining stress increases for the anisotropic rock mass with the structural plane of fresh contact discontinuity. On the other hand, the strength does not vanish at very high confining stress and the anisotropic strength difference even rises as confining stress increases for the anisotropic rock mass with the anisotropic structural plane of the soft layer. This study improves the understanding of anisotropic rock mass mechanical behavior, especially at high confining stress, and may promote the development of excavation and supporting techniques for underground projects.