Abstract: To investigate the description and evolution of the damage state of rock-like brittle materials, the physical meaning of each elastic modulus method parameter based on the strain equivalence hypothesis and the limitations of the model application are discussed. The modulus change during the triaxial cyclic loading and unloading test of limestone is studied. Moreover, the defects of the unloading modulus substitution method and the statistical damage evolution model in damage evolution analysis are discussed. The results show the existing elastic modulus method can only be used to reflect the damage evolution process of rock under uniaxial compression, and the unloading modulus substitution method cannot correctly describe the damage state and its evolution law. In addition, the statistical damage constitutive model can only be regarded as a theoretical self-consistent solution under the numerical range [0, 1] of the statistical damage evolution model. Based on the above research, a damage characterization variable and its evolution model considering the effects of damage strain threshold are proposed. Additionally, the constitutive model below the damage strain threshold and the damage constitutive model above the damage strain threshold are established, respectively. The sensitivity of model parameters is also analyzed in this study. The final results show that the proposed model and method can not only reasonably explain the damage mechanism of rocks under triaxial compression, but also accurately simulate the full stress-strain process, which is rationable and feasible.

Key words: rock, elastic modulus method, damage evolution, constitutive model, sensitivity