Brittle deformation

By nature, brittle deformation is discontinuous. It is often studied through mechanical tests, both in laboratories and outdoors, in mines and quarries. Brittle deformation also concerns civil engineering (road maintenance, strength of retaining structures such as bridges, dams, galleries etc.) and is well integrated with investigations in rock mechanics. Hydraulic fracturing is extensively used in the geothermal sector, for oil or gas production enhancement, or recovery of shale gas. Along with in-situ stress measurements, it has expanded the interest of geologists within the domain of rock mechanics. A solid knowledge of the mechanisms governing rock failure is necessary to understand the processes operating at the origin of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, as well as the genesis of ore vein deposits. Beyond the elastic threshold of mechanical tests, rock failure takes place after development of a certain amount of non-elastic deformation. The fact that a progressive transition exists between ductile and brittle deformation suggests that these two behaviours are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, the study of the brittle-ductile transition paves the way to new concepts that enrich our understanding of the mechanisms of failure, in turn allowing practical applications. In this chapter, a presentation of the relationships between fracture orientation and principal stress directions will be followed by an examination of the macroscopic and microscopic aspects of brittle deformation.