[1] Damage Propagation and Failure Mechanism of Rocks

Rock fracture and instability remain longstanding challenges in rock mechanics research. Practitioners in mining, hydraulic engineering, transportation tunnels, and petroleum engineering frequently confront rock failure issues such as roof falls, rib spalling, rockbursts, bumping, strata movement, surface subsidence, landslides, and even earthquakes. Even solid mechanics specialists acknowledge that fracture and failure are among the most difficult problems in their field. Therefore, beyond leveraging the latest advances in solid mechanics, rock mechanics researchers must devote greater effort to addressing the unique mechanical problems inherent to rocks. Among these, one of the most critical is the analysis of damage propagation and failure mechanisms in rock masses.

[2] Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Effects on Rock Damage and Fracturing

The deformation, damage, and stability of engineering rock masses under coupled thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical (THM) conditions are common concerns in deep mining, deep geothermal energy development, geological disposal of radioactive nuclear waste, and many other engineering disciplines. The essence of rock failure and instability under THM coupling is a nonlinear process in which mesoscopic damage in heterogeneous media induces evolution in thermal conductivity and permeability, which in turn triggers macroscopic fracture through mechanical responses. Based on this understanding, we aim to establish a coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model for rock deformation, damage, and fracturing, and to conduct stability analyses for practical rock engineering problems including deep mining, deep geothermal resource extraction, and geological nuclear waste disposal.

[3] Time-Dependent Deformation and Fracturing of Engineering Rock Masses

All engineering materials exhibit certain rheological properties, and rocks are no exception. Extensive field measurements and laboratory tests have shown that even relatively hard rock masses, when cut by multiple joint sets or well-developed fractures, can undergo considerable shear creep. In recent years, mining, hydraulic and hydroelectric engineering, railway tunneling, and petroleum extraction have all progressed rapidly into deeper underground environments. Deep rock masses, owing to their complex in-situ conditions, exhibit more pronounced mechanical responses than their shallow counterparts. Time-dependent deformation and instability of surrounding rock in deep engineering projects is one prominent manifestation of this behavior. Accordingly, this research focuses on the time-dependent deformation and failure mechanisms of engineering rock masses—including rock slopes, rock foundations, tunnels, and underground excavations—in the context of practical problems such as underground mining and hydropower engineering.

[4] Numerical Methods for Simulating Rock Damage and Failure Processes

Given that rock deformation, damage, and failure involve a transition from continuous to discontinuous media, this research employs a range of numerical approaches to investigate the entire failure process. These include: Continuum-based methods, such as the finite difference method and the finite element method; Discontinuum-based methods, such as the discrete element method; Continuous-discontinuous methods, such as the numerical manifold method (NMM). By integrating these computational tools, we aim to comprehensively study the deformation, damage, and failure processes of rocks under various conditions.