Self-compacting rubberized concrete (SCRC), as the primary material of road construction, is produced by adding rubber particles instead of sand to self-compacting concrete (SCC). Four kinds of concrete with different rubber contents (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) are tested in this study. The materials testing systems (MTS) and split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) are employed to obtain quasi-static mechanical properties (compressive, splitting tensile, and bending) and dynamic mechanical properties at high strain rates ($100–250{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ ). The results reveal that quasi-static mechanical strength decreases with the increase in rubber content. Compared with SCC, SCRC is dramatically high in ductility. With the increase of the strain rate, the dynamic compressive strength, peak toughness, specific energy absorption (SEA), and dynamic increase factors (DIF) all rise. The dynamic compressive strength decreases with the ascending of rubber content, while the toughness index, peak toughness, and SEA increase with the increasing rubber content. Exponential and linear fittings are utilized to help further understand the influence of strain rates. The craze-shear band-cavitation theory can also help well explain the transition strain rate of peak toughness curves. The failure modes under high strain rates are observed. The results reveal that SCRC exhibits a stronger sensitivity to rubber content and has better impact toughness than SCC.

To better understand the evolution of crack propagation in brittle rock mass, the particle velocity field evolution on both sides of secondary crack in rock-like materials (cement mortar specimens) with pre-existing parallel double flaws under uniaxial compression is analyzed based on the discrete element theory. By bringing in strain rate tensor, a new technique is proposed for quantifying the failure mechanism of cracks to distinguish the types and mechanical behaviors of secondary cracks between pre-existing parallel flaws. The research results show that the types and mechanical behaviors of secondary cracks are distinct at different axial loading stages and can be directly identified and captured through the presented approach. The relative motion trend between particles determines the types and mechanical behaviors of secondary cracks. Based on particles movement on both sides of secondary cracks between cracks, the velocity fields of particles can be divided into four types to further analyze the causes of different types of cracks. In different axial loading stages, the velocity field types of particles on both sides of cracks are continuously evolving. According to the particle velocity field analysis and the proposed novel way, the types of macroscopic cracks are not directly determined by the types of dominated micro-cracks. Under uniaxial compression, the particles between secondary cracks and pre-existing parallel flaws form a confined compressive member. Under the confinement of lateral particles, secondary cracks appear as shear cracks between pre-existing parallel flaws at the beginning stage of crack initiation.

The discontinuous crack surface in a rock affects the stability of the whole rock system. The experiments in this paper were carried out by prefabricating rock-like specimens with different types of flaws, then the specimens were tested under uniaxial compression. Moreover, based on the theory of particle flow, PFC^2D software was used for numerical simulation, and the comparative analysis of the experimental and simulative results was carried out to obtain the crack initiation sequence, propagation phenomenon, and failure mode of rock specimens with different flaw types. The results indicated that the wing crack started at the tip of flaw and the form of crack assumed split failure, followed by shear failure caused by the secondary crack. The tensile failure degree decreases and the influence of shear failure increases with the increase of flaw angle. The wing crack and secondary initiation stress value is 35%–55% and 85%–95% of the peak stress value. Crack coalescence appeared in adjacent flaws of rock-like specimens with multiple parallel single flaws, single-cross flaws and double-cross flaws, and the coalescence phenomenon always occurs when the stress peak value is reached. With the number of flaws increasing, the splitting failure of rock-like specimens became more and more serious, the splitting failure of double cross-flaw specimen is the most serious. As for the specimen with single-cross flaw, the wing crack would be produced at the tip of the flaw with larger obliquity. The results of this paper may offer certain reference value for the study on the mechanism of rock crack.

In underground engineering, such as mining engineering and deep tunnel engineering, the rock is often loaded and unloaded repeatedly. The strength of rock under cyclic load is lower than that under static load. To obtain the fracture response of the rock, the three-point bending tests of notched granite beams under cyclic loading and unloading were carried out with Electro-hydraulic Servo Material Test System. The acoustic emission technology was adopted to monitor the acoustic emission events of sample in the process of fracture. It is revealed that the fracture toughness of granite under cyclic loading and unloading is lower than that under static loading. Based on the acoustic emission energy obtained from monitoring, the damage evolution during cyclic loading and unloading was analyzed. The fracture mode of granite samples is analyzed by the RA value-average frequency correlation method. And the Felicity ratio during the loading and unloading cycle was calculated to evaluate the severity of initial damage of the material. It is revealed that Kaiser effect appears only in the elastic deformation stage of cyclic loading unloading bending. The Holmquist–Johnson–Cook damage constitutive model and Weibull distribution were used to establish the heterogeneous granite model. And the three-point bending of the model under cyclic loading and unloading was simulated to disclose the crack growth mechanism of rock. The study may provide some references for rock instability control in geotechnical engineering construction.