What is the relationship between rocks and human life? Let’s start with food, clothing, housing and transportation

If you were asked what is the most widely used material by humans, you might say metal, plastic, or wood... However, you might not expect that the answer is actually rocks, which we usually look down upon.

Rocks often give us an impression of being heavy, dull, rough and ugly. In fact, this is not the case. Some rocks have very beautiful patterns and can be used for decoration, such as marble. Moreover, the patterns in some rocks can form pictographic patterns that we can recognize at a glance. For example, plants, animals, utensils and landscapes. This kind of rock with a certain aesthetic or collection value is called patterned stone. Jade is the most beautiful stone. There are thousands of agates and tens of thousands of jades. There are beautiful stripes on agate.

Rocks are closely related to human life and production. Human beings live in a world surrounded by rocks. Rocks are everywhere. Our food, clothing, shelter and transportation are inseparable from rocks. In ancient times, some emperors were buried in jade clothes with gold threads after their death. Jade clothes are a symbol of the wearer's status. Jade and agate can be worn. A gentleman never leaves jade without a reason. The synthetic fibers used to make clothes are petrochemical products. Petroleum is contained in porous rocks. In the old society, hungry people might eat Guanyin soil to satisfy their hunger. Soil is derived from rocks, and its skeleton is mainly formed by the weathering of rocks. Some pills and milk tablets contain rock components, such as calcium carbonate and silicon dioxide. Primitive people once lived in caves. Now, a city is mainly built of rocks, but it has changed its original appearance, and metals and other materials are used less. Concrete is artificial rock, which is formed by mixing water, cement, sand and gravel together and stirring. The main component of glass is silicon dioxide. The tombstones and tombs in the cemetery are made of natural or artificial rocks. When we walk on the road, we see floor tiles and steps. When we take a train, we see fine stones piled up under the rails. During the day, when the train is running, sometimes the light outside the window suddenly disappears, which means the train is probably passing through a tunnel. If these tunnels are damaged, it will undoubtedly bring unsafe traffic.

In order to make life better, scientific and technological workers in the field of rock mechanics and engineering, who are not afraid of difficulties, have built one miracle after another on earth, such as the Three Gorges Hydropower Station, the Baihetan Hydropower Station and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, with their wisdom and sweat. After dealing with rocks many times and understanding their properties, they have also built many miracles on earth.

During college, the "Mechanics of Materials" we studied is mainly applicable to metals, especially ductile metals. Rocks are quasi-brittle materials, as are bones, concrete, and ceramics. "Rock Mechanics" belongs to "Mechanics of Quasi-Brittle Materials". Studying "Rock Mechanics" can enrich half of our knowledge system of material mechanics, inspire our thinking, broaden our horizons, let us understand the profound mechanisms behind several important phenomena, let us feel the beauty of rocks and the magic of nature, and let us understand the philosophy of life from it...

If the skin is gone, where will the hair be attached? The same is true for the relationship between humans and rocks. If the rocks are gone, where will humans be attached? Shouldn't we know more about our rock mother?

By Wang Xuebin (Institute of Computational Mechanics, Liaoning University of Engineering and Technology)