ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors will mainly discuss fractal analyses of rock damage and fracture. They mainly introduce their work on fractal analyses of the fracture surface of rocks. Experiments of rock under tensile loading and three point bending are examined. It can be seen that the irregularity of the fracture surface of rock is a reflection of the damage and fracture energy expended as the rock breaks. Therefore, it is possible to retrace the fracture mechanics behavior of rock by means of fractal analyses of the fracture surface. In this chapter, the authors will theoretically discuss the relationships between fracture surfaces, energies, and structure parameters presented by Williford. The final macroscopic fracture of materials is closely related to the growth and coalescence of existing microcracks. Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in studying how the damage evolves and damage evolution processes in different kinds of materials.
