The deterioration of rock mass in the hydro-fluctuation belt caused by water–rock interaction has become a critical factor influencing the deformation and stability of bank slopes. To understand the coupling mechanism of the complex water and stress environments in reservoir bank slope rock mass, this paper presents a coupling test of stress and water–rock interaction. Degradation equations for parameters (which are influenced by water–rock interaction and stress) are established, and a discrete-element simulation method is proposed to analyze time-dependent rock damage. The results show that crack propagation follows a trend similar to strain development, which can be divided into transient stage, steady-state stage, and accelerated stage. As the water–rock interaction is prolonged, cracks inside the specimen gradually extend and interconnect. After cyclic water–rock interaction, as the stress level increases, the crack dip angle distribution becomes more dispersed, with a noticeable increase in cracks oriented near 70° and 110°. The tensile failure of the specimen weakens, while shear failure intensifies. Additionally, higher overburden stress leads to greater cementation energy storage in the specimen. When the cementation energy at the time-dependent deformation stability point approaches the maximum energy storage capacity of the cementitious bonds, the specimen nears failure. These findings provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for studying the mesoscopic damage mechanisms of rock mass deformation in the hydro-fluctuation belt of reservoir bank slopes.
Zhu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.