The existence of parallel joints has an impact on the size effect of the uniaxial compressive strength of rock, but the relationship is yet to be obtained. In this paper, the influence of parallel-joint spacing on the size effect and characteristic size of rock uniaxial compressive strength is studied by establishing five types of parallel-joint-spacing simulation schemes. The influence of parallel-joint spacing on the size effect of rock uniaxial compressive strength is explored by analyzing the stress–strain curves of rocks with different parallel-joint spacings and rock sizes. The relationship between the uniaxial compressive strength and the size of the rock with parallel joints and its special mathematical model are obtained, and the particular form of the compressive-strength characteristic size and parallel-joint spacing is obtained.

The shear strength of a structural plane is a critical parameter in the analysis of engineering rock stability. Significant differences exist due to the various normal stresses in the structural plane. Therefore, evaluating the rock deformation to effectively determine the influence of normal stresses at different scales on the shear strength of structural planes is of great significance. This study discusses the effects of normal stress and structural plane size on shear strength through numerical simulations and regression analysis. The results showed that the shear strength of the structural plane increases linearly with increasing normal stress. The shear strength of the structural plane decreases with increasing size, and the corresponding curve is exponential. The characteristic size and shear strength increase linearly with increasing normal stress. This paper presents the concrete form of these relationships, which can be used to calculate and predict the shear strength, which has significance in guiding engineering.

To study the mechanism of surface collapse and crack evolution in a roadway chain failure process in the pillar recovery of Hongling lead zinc ore in Inner Mongolia Province, China, microseismic monitoring technology, moment tensor theory, and numerical simulation are used for the inversion of rock mass fracturing, the destruction type classification of crack, and the mechanism of surrounding rock. Research shows the following: (1) the rock mass fracturing is first produced within the +955 m level, before extending through the hanging wall to the ground surface. Then, many shear failures occur in the ground surface of the footwall, extending downwards in an arc-shaped path to the +905 m level. Finally, the surface gradually collapses with large-scale shear failures. (2) The mechanism of surface collapse is as follows: after the recovery of pillars in the +905 m level, tensile cracks generated in the top of orebody #2 extend upwards and obliquely. Analogously, shear cracks are generated in the top of orebody #1, extending upwards. After the recovery of pillars in the +855 m level, the marble interlayer is destroyed and sinks, and many tensile cracks and shear cracks exist and incise in the ground surface, which cause the ground surface to collapse. (3) The mechanism of crack evolution is as follows: after the recovery of 5107 pillars, the footwall haul road in the +905 m level was damaged and collapsed by the cut-through cracks. Those cracks then continue to extend upwards and converge with the slanting shear cracks in the +905 m level, which form a triangular failure in the footwall rock. Finally, the failure causes the tensile and shearing cracks in the haulage way of the +955 m level to extend and connect, which forms the haulage way chain failure.

The joint roughness has an influence on the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and characteristic strength of the rock, but the relationship of the influence is yet to be obtained. In this article, the influence of the size of the rock with rough joints on the UCS and the influence of the size effect of roughness on the UCS are studied by establishing 11 sets of numerical simulation schemes, a total of 30 working conditions. The stress–strain curve law of rocks with different roughness and sizes is analyzed, and the relationship between UCS and the size of rock with rough joints, joint roughness coefficient (JRC), is respectively proposed. Mathematical models of rock characteristic size of UCS, characteristic strength of the rock, and JRC are established, respectively.

The relationship between the rock’s elastic modulus and deformation characteristics, affected by joint spacing and ductility, was not determined. This study investigates the size effect of the elastic modulus of rock with parallel joints using numerical simulation and regression analysis. The results showed an exponential relationship between elastic modulus and spacing of parallel joints and a negative exponential relationship between elastic modulus and rock size. The characteristic size of elastic modulus has a power function relationship with the parallel joints spacing, and the characteristic elastic modulus of rock has a power function relationship with the parallel joints spacing. The general and specific forms of these relationships are provided. Establishing these relationships allows for predicting and calculating the elastic modulus of the mine rock mass and serves as a reference for the deformation analysis of the rock.

The number of joints existing in the rock affects the elastic modulus of the rock, and the relationship has not been obtained. In this paper, 10 numerical models are established by numerical simulations to study the effect of the number of parallel joints on the size effect of rock elastic modulus. The research shows that there is a power function relationship between the elastic modulus and the number of parallel joints, and a negative exponential relationship between the elastic modulus and the rock size, and their special mathematical models are given. The paper also obtains special form of the relationships between the characteristic size of rock elastic modulus, the characteristic elastic modulus and the number of parallel joints.