ABSTRACT
In this paper, the rheological fracture of lamellar rock is studied theoretically and experimentally by three-point bending test. The influence of bedding upon rheological fracture is analyzed, the experimental parameters are discussed. In addition, the rheological fracture mechanism of rock is explained in the viewpoint of the hardening and softening effect, and further studied by renormalization group quantitatively. Based on the result of the direct tensile test, the criterion of rheological fracture of the rock is obtained. The rheological fracture toughness KIC2is a crucial point between hardening and softening.
