Experimental Evidence and Constitutive Modeling on Mechanical Behavior of Marble Under Triaxial Loading-Unloading Cycles

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties and damage constitutive model of marble under cyclic loading-unloading conditions. Triaxial cyclic loading-unloading tests were conducted to examine the effects of confining pressure on the strength, deformation, and damage evolution of marble. The experimental results demonstrate that confining pressure significantly influences the mechanical behavior of marble, particularly at high confining pressures, where marble exhibits enhanced plastic deformation capacity and higher strength. As the confining pressure increased from 5 to 40 MPa, the peak deviatoric stress and residual strength increased by 105.76% and 328%, respectively. To better predict the damage evolution of marble under cyclic loading, a new statistical damage constitutive model is proposed. The model incorporates Weibull distribution and the Drucker–Prager failure criterion, providing an accurate representation of the damage evolution process under varying confining pressures. Finally, the model is validated through comparison with experimental data, demonstrating its effectiveness.