Experimental study on energy and damage evolution of dry and water-saturated dolomite from a deep mine.

This article investigates the influence of water on the energy evolution and damage characteristics of dolomite rock samples from a deep mine in Yunnan Province, China, through uniaxial compression tests on dry and water-saturated specimens at burial depths of 900 to 1200 meters. The study finds that water saturation significantly reduces the uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of dolomite while increasing Poisson’s ratio, indicating weakened mechanical properties. The deformation and damage process is divided into four stages—initial microcrack consolidation, stable damage, pre-peak accelerated damage, and post-peak damage—with water saturation extending the initial damage stage and increasing damage rates, thereby reducing the rock’s brittleness and energy storage capacity. A new brittleness index based on the variation rate of damage factor is proposed, showing that dry samples exhibit more pronounced brittleness and energy hardening. The findings suggest that while groundwater can reduce the risk of dynamic rock hazards such as rock bursts by lowering elastic energy accumulation, it simultaneously increases the potential for destabilization and failure in deep underground rock engineering.