Numerical Investigation on the Effects of Bedding Plane Roughness and Hole Shapes on Mechanical Properties and Failure Characteristics of Limestone

ABSTRACT In order to study the effects of JRC value and hole shape on the mechanical properties and failure modes of layered limestone, uniaxial compression tests of layered limestone under different conditions were simulated by ABAQUS using the method of global insertion of cohesive elements. The results show that when the bedding angle is 0°, the value of JRC does not affect the failure mode of the specimen under the three kinds of holes, and the failure mode of the specimen is always shear failure through the bedding plane. When the bedding angle is 30°, the peak stress of the layered limestone specimens under the three kinds of holes is roughly the same as the corresponding peak strain with the increase of JRC. When the bedding angle is 60°, the peak stress under the three kinds of holes increases‐decreases with the increase of JRC. Under the conditions of JRC = 0, 5, and 10, the bedding shear crack is the most numerous among the four types of cracks, while the matrix shear crack have the largest number in other angles and JRC specimens. When the bedding angle is 90°, the peak stress and peak strain of the layered limestone specimens under the three kinds of holes decrease significantly at first and then rise and fall within a certain range with the increase of JRC. The layered limestone specimens with square and horseshoe‐shaped holes were found that the displacements around the holes were the smallest in the negative‐downward direction when they were damaged.