Fracture behaviour of microwave-heated granite under indentation: Experimental and numerical investigation

Microwave-assisted rock breakage is a promising solution for drilling and crushing hard-rock formations. The fundamental mechanical and thermophysical properties of microwave-treated granite were obtained, and the factors affecting the fracture behaviour under indentation were investigated using experimental and numerical methods. The results show that the uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength, brittleness index, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity of microwave-heated granite are negatively correlated with temperature, whereas the specific heat capacity of treated granite is positively correlated with temperature. The fracture process of microwave-heated granite under indentation can be divided into three stages: elastic deformation, fluctuating penetration, and post-peak. The indentation damage zone near the indenter consists mainly of tensile cracks. Meanwhile, regression analysis shows that the peak indentation force, penetration depth, and consumed energy of the microwave-heated sample are linearly correlated with the brittleness index. In addition, microwave treatment can weaken the inhibitory effect of a high confining stress on the damage zone and is conducive to reducing the indentation force and penetration depth of rock fragmentation. The specific energy is more sensitive to temperature under high confining stress conditions, and the relationship between the specific energy, temperature, and confining stress can be described by a 2D poly function.