Effect of bolt inclination angle on shear behavior of bolted joints under CNL and CNS conditions

Rock bolts are widely used in rock engineering projects to improve the shear capacity of the jointed rock mass. The bolt inclination angle with respect to the shear plane has a remarkable influence on the bolting performance. In this study, a new artificial molding method based on 3D scanning and printing technology was first proposed to prepare bolted joints with an inclined bolt. Then, the effects of the bolt inclination angle and boundary conditions on the shear behavior and failure characteristic of bolted joints were addressed by conducting direct shear tests under both CNL and CNS conditions. Results indicated that rock bolt could significantly improve the shear behavior of rock joints, especially in the post-yield deformation region. With the increase of bolt inclination angle, both the maximum shear stress and the maximum friction coefficient increased first and then decreased, while the maximum normal displacement decreased monotonously. Compared with CNL conditions, the maximum shear stress was larger, whereas the maximum normal displacement and friction coefficient were smaller under the CNS conditions. Furthermore, more asperity damage was observed under the CNS conditions due to the increased normal stress on the shear plane.