In view of the difficulty that the spatial location

growth degree and development direction of cracks inside rock masses cannot be directly observed

the transparent materials are considered as the effective method to build similar models. In order to study the effect of raw material ratio on the mechanical properties of transparent rock-like material

and overcome the defect of insufficient brittleness of transparent rock-like material at room temperature

a novel method to prepare the transparent rock-like material is developed with epoxy resin as aggregate

modified anhydride as curing agent and rosin saturated solution (RSS) as brittleness adjustment. The influence of the mass ratio of epoxy resin to anhydride and the content of RSS on the physical and mechanical parameters of transparent brittle rock-like material were investigated using the comprehensive experimental design method. The results showed that the prepared transparent rock-like material possesses good brittleness at room temperature. Furthermore

RSS content has a significant impact on density

compressive strength

modulus of elasticity

peak strain

tensile strength

cohesion and internal friction angle of the rock-like material

while the mass ratio of epoxy resin to anhydride has remarkable impact on its density. With the increase of RSS content

the density

compressive strength

elastic modulus

peak strain

cohesion and internal friction angle of the rock-like material reduce

while the tensile strength shows a trend of decreasing first and then increasing. In addition

with the increase of the mass ratio of epoxy resin to anhydride

the density of rock-like material first increases and then decreases. Finally

an empirical formula between the mechanical properties of transparent brittle rock-like material and the mass ratio of epoxy resin to anhydride and RSS content is established using multiple linear regression analysis

which provides reference for preparing transparent brittle rock-like material.