The paper presents experimental justification of the possibility to use bulk multiple-stage loading to study the process of salt rock deformation in the laboratory conditions. Results of comparative tests between bulk multiple- stage and single-stage loading of salt rock samples are demonstrated. The paper contains results of research on the rate of lateral pressure and its impact on strength limit and residual strength limit of sylvinite, estimated using single- stage and multiple-stage methods. Research results demonstrate how the rate of lateral pressure impacts dilatancy boundary of salt rocks. Analysis of how the loading method influences certificate parameters of Mohr-Coulomb strength of sylvinite has been carried out. The dynamics of elastic modulus in the process of salt rock deformation is analyzed depending on the rate of lateralpressure. It is demonstrated how the method of multiple-stage loading adequately reflects the processes of salt rock de- formation and decomposition, and facilitates not only lowering impact of sample’s inner structure heterogeneities on the experimental results, but also significant reduction in the required amount of rock material.
