Time-dependent behavior of rock joints considering asperity degradation

The time-dependent behavior of rock joints, specifically creep and stress relaxation, govern the long-term stability of underground structures, but have not been fully understood. The effect of asperity degradation on the time-dependent behavior of rock joints is investigated in this test. Triangular synthetic rock joints with four asperity angles (θ = 0°, 10°, 30° and 45°) are tested for creep and stress relaxation. It is revealed that the...