Degradation of joint surface morphology, shear behavior and closure characteristics during cyclic loading

In order to investigate the failure mechanism of rock joint, a series of laboratory tests including cyclic direct shear tests under constant normal load(CNL) conditions were conducted. Morphology parameters of the rock joint surface were precisely calculated by means of a three-dimensional laser scanning machine. All test results were analyzed to investigate the shear behavior and normal displacement behavior of rock joints under CNL conditions. Degradation of rock joint surface during cyclic shear tests was also analyzed. The comparison results of the height parameters and the hybrid parameters of the joint surface during cyclic tests show that the degradation of the surface mostly happens in the first shear and the constant normal loads imposed on the joints have significant promotion effects on the morphology degradation. During cyclic shear tests, joints surfaces evolve from rough state to smooth state but keep an overall undulation. Dilatancy of rock joints degrades with the degradation of joint surface and the increase of normal loads. The closure deformation of joint is larger than that of the intact rock, and the normal stiffness increases with the increase of shearing times.