ABSTRACT
The deformation and fracture of rock is a process in which coupled with the accumulation and dissipation of energy, microfissures generate, extend, interpenetrate and slide. The energy is absorbed and accumulated during the generation of new fissures, while during the sliding between fracture planes the energy is dissipated. After performing uniaxial and triaxial (with low confining pressure) compression experiments on rocks, this paper analyzes the fracture forms, and emphatically discusses the energy dissipation and its relations with the loss of load-carrying capacity for the rocks in the process of deformation and fracture.
