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Open research questions in Rock Mechanics and Modeling

998 gap statements mined from Rock Mechanics and Modeling papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 6,926 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • Traditional in-situ direct shear tests lack effective observation of internal damage evolution. The need for a deeper understanding of weathered rock mass failure mechanisms. The lack of a theoretical basis for strength evaluation and stability early warning in rock mass engineering.

    Investigation of In-Situ Shear Failure Mechanism of Rock and Acoustic Emission Characteristics Using Discrete Element Method · 2026 · DOI

  • The need for more effective and reliable techniques for distributed monitoring and quantitative analysis of rock slopes. The lack of research on the use of piezoelectric anchors for slope monitoring.

    Study on the field failure case and the monitoring effect of rock slopes based on piezoelectric bolts · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to simplify the stress wave as a plane wave propagating in the model.

    Experimental Study on Spatiotemporal Propagation of Stress Waves and Failure Characteristics of Rock in Double-Hole Blasting Under in-Situ Stress · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the relationship between temperature and rockburst dynamics. The need for a comprehensive analysis of the effects of temperature on granite rockbursts behavior under biaxial compression.

    Experimental investigation of temperature effects on granite rockbursts behavior under biaxial compression · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a suitable MS source parameter calculation method for hard rock tunnels. The need for a better understanding of the fracture mechanisms of rockbursts in deep railway tunnels.

    Fracture mechanisms and microseismic parameter characteristics of different types of rockbursts in a deep railway tunnel · 2026 · DOI

  • The study uses a simulation-based approach, which may not fully capture the complexity of real-world rock behavior. The model is limited to the specific types of rocks and loading conditions considered. The study does not provide a comprehensive analysis of the effects of other factors, such as mineral composition and grain size distribution, on the mechanical behavior of rocks.

    Particle size and grain fabric effect on mechanical behavior of crystalline rocks using grain-based DEM · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of control over the aspect ratio and orientation of mineral grains in conventional GB-DEM. The need for a method that can effectively capture the failure and microcracking processes in crystalline rocks.

    Particle size and grain fabric effect on mechanical behavior of crystalline rocks using grain-based DEM · 2026 · DOI

  • Existing gob-side entry retaining technologies have limitations in preserving the retracement channel. There is a need for a novel method that integrates mining-retreat-retention longwall mining mode. Prior work has focused on specific aspects of gob-side entry retaining, but a comprehensive approach is lacking.

    A novel method for gob-side entry retaining in retracement channel: A case study · 2026 · DOI

  • The vast majority of destabilizing damage in underground engineering is closely related to the formation and expansion of cracks within the rock mass. The mechanical properties and destruction mechanisms of rocks have some degree of uncertainty. Prior work has not fully addressed the damage characteristics of fractured laminated surrounding rocks.

    Macroscopic and microscopic damage characteristics of fractured laminated surrounding rocks · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to consider specific geological conditions and the spatial constraint effect of the tunnel face.

    Time-dependent optimization of support application timing in soft rock tunnels considering creep deformation and structural degradation · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the mechanical characteristics and failure mechanism of sandstone under pre-peak cyclic loading. The need for a comprehensive analysis of the effects of cyclic loading on sandstone stability. The absence of a segmented softening damage constitutive model for the full stress-strain curve of sandstone.

    Reloading experimental research on the mechanical characteristics and failure mechanism of sandstone samples considering pre-peak cyclic loading · 2026 · DOI

  • The damage evolution and creep characteristics of tuffaceous siltstone under wet-dry cycles are not well understood. There is a lack of studies on the hydromechanically coupled creep-damage behavior of tuffaceous siltstone.

    Damage evolution and hydro–mechanical coupled creep model of tuffaceous siltstone under wet–dry cycles · 2026 · DOI

  • Existing models do not consider angle offset and non-uniform scaling. The applicability of existing models to strength in the post-peak softening stage remains underexplored.

    Revisiting anisotropic rock strengths with an improved model considering angle offset and non-uniform scaling · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap in current research is a lack of understanding of the effects of chemical corrosion and intermediate principal stress on the failure modes and crack propagation in flawed sandstone. Prior work has focused on the effects of chemical corrosion on intact rock, but the effects on flawed rock are not well understood.

    True‐triaxial deformation, cracking and strength failure characteristics of chemically corroded flawed sandstone · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of the unsaturated shear behavior of residual soils. Prior studies have not fully addressed the correlation between soil structure and suction with shear strength.

    Shear strength and dilatancy behavior of unsaturated diabase and granite residual soils · 2026 · DOI

  • Prior methods have limitations in terms of parameter dependence, processing efficiency, and generalization ability. Machine learning methods require precise standards and lack generalizability.

    An automatic identification of rock mass discontinuity from 3D point clouds using multi-point clustering algorithm · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the seepage characteristics of natural fractures under mining-induced stress. The need for a comprehensive analysis of the stress-seepage coupling effect. The limited knowledge of the influence of axial or radial stress on fracture permeability.

    Research on the seepage characteristics of fractured rock with different roughness during mining processes · 2026 · DOI

  • It is difficult to classify pillar failure based on visual observations.

    Building Rigorous Pillar Datasets Using Visual Observations and Ground Penetrating Radar to Calibrate Pillar Failure Models · 2026 · DOI

  • Current research has focused on small-scale unit specimens, but the behavior of rock masses with multiple intermittent fractures is more complex.

    Progressive failure process of rock mass with intermittent fractures: Experimental and numerical investigations · 2026 · DOI

  • The study only considers two-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) simulations, - The particle quantity is limited, - The study does not account for other factors that may affect rock mechanical behavior, - The study only considers four common underground coal mine roadway…

    Numerical Study on the Influence of Cavity Geometry on Rock Materials Under Uniaxial Compression · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies could investigate the effects of other cavity geometries on rock mechanical behavior, - The study of three-dimensional DEM simulations could provide more accurate results, - Research on the effects of other factors, such as joint orientation and fracture density, on rock mechanical behavior could be…

    Numerical Study on the Influence of Cavity Geometry on Rock Materials Under Uniaxial Compression · 2026 · DOI

  • Further study on the field applicability of the proposed system. Investigation of the relationship between the normalized impedance variation and the anchor strain.

    Study on the field failure case and the monitoring effect of rock slopes based on piezoelectric bolts · 2026 · DOI

  • The rock remains in a linear elastic stage and can be regarded as a homogeneous and isotropic continuum, - The analysis neglects the effects of rock damage, deformation, and crack propagation on stress wave propagation, - The study only considers the symmetric plane along the line connecting the centers…

    Experimental Study on Spatiotemporal Propagation of Stress Waves and Failure Characteristics of Rock in Double-Hole Blasting Under in-Situ Stress · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigating the effects of temperature on rockbursts in different types of rocks, - Studying the relationship between rockburst dynamics and thermally induced alterations in rock mechanical…

    Experimental investigation of temperature effects on granite rockbursts behavior under biaxial compression · 2026 · DOI

  • Further study on the influence of the randomness of the specimen structure on the stress-strain relationship under different circumferential pressure conditions, - Investigation of the mechanical behavior of rock masses under different loading conditions, - Analysis of the effect of different lithological properties on the damage characteristics of rock…

    Macroscopic and microscopic damage characteristics of fractured laminated surrounding rocks · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Rock Mechanics and Modeling

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of a theoretical basis for strength evaluation and stability early warning in rock mass engineering (“Investigation of In-Situ Shear Failure Mechanism of Rock and Acoustic Emission…”, 2026); (2) The lack of research on the use of piezoelectric anchors for slope monitoring (“Study on the field failure case and the monitoring effect of rock slopes based…”, 2026); (3) The lack of understanding of the relationship between temperature and rockburst dynamics (“Experimental investigation of temperature effects on granite rockbursts…”, 2026); (4) The lack of a suitable MS source parameter calculation method for hard rock tunnels (“Fracture mechanisms and microseismic parameter characteristics of different…”, 2026); (5) The lack of control over the aspect ratio and orientation of mineral grains in conventional GB-DEM (“Particle size and grain fabric effect on mechanical behavior of crystalline…”, 2026). 998 gap statements have been mined from Rock Mechanics and Modeling papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 6,926 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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