Abstract: Rock masses in nature contain numerous discontinuities as cracks, joints, cleavages, beddings and even faults etc. Deformation and failure of a rock mass is largely dependent on the presence of geological discontinuities such as cracks and faults. In the cracked material, the stress intensity factors (SIFs) at crack tips, which govern the crack propagation and are associated with the strength of the materials, are strongly affected by crack inclination angle, direction of anisotropy. This paper is presented to use anisotropic elastic theory to derive the fundamental solution for anisotropic rocks. The fundamental solution is introduced into the boundary element method (BEM) to construct a numerical model with the boundary integral equation, and crack opening displacement (COD) is used to get the crack tip stress intensity factor (SIFs), and then, by using the maximum tensile stress criterion and numerical techniques to predict the crack propagation path. Furthermore, we use FORTRAN language to write a BEM computer program, and compare the numerical results with the analytical solutions which have been achieved by scholars to give the verification of the applicability of the numerical models. Then the analysis of multiple cracks propagation path in anisotropic rocks will be discussed with the numerical prediction rseults.

Key words: anisotropic rocks, stress intensity factor (SIFs), initiation angle, propagation path, boundary element method (BEM)