Study on crack propagation mechanism and acoustic-thermal sensitivity analysis of pre-cracked weakly cemented rock

As the intensity and depth of coal mining gradually increase, environmental disturbances become more complex, and the degree of crack development in weakly cemented surrounding rocks continues to increase. In order to study the influence mechanism of crack angle on the fracture mechanism and acoustic − thermal precursor information of weakly cemented rocks, visual biaxial loading tests were conducted on pre-cracked weakly cemented rocks based on a transparent servo loading device, combined with digital speckle correlation method (DSCM), acoustic emission (AE), and infrared thermal imaging (ITI). The research results indicate that as the inclination angle of cracks increases, the initial strength, peak strength, and elastic modulus of rocks exhibit a logarithmic relationship of first decreasing and then increasing. When the inclination angle of the crack increases from < 30° to > 75°, the failure mode of weakly cemented rocks changes from shear to tension. The propagation path of deformation localization is consistent with the propagation trajectory of surface cracks, and the extension length and time of tensile cracks are longer than those of shear cracks. The acoustic − thermal sensitivity of weakly cemented rocks with crack inclination angle of > 45° is higher than that with crack inclination angle of ≤ 30°. The research results contribute to further understanding and mastering the mechanism of crack initiation and propagation in weakly cemented rocks containing joints, and provide theoretical guidance for engineering methods to control the deformation of weakly cemented surrounding rocks.