Abstract：As a kind of inhomogeneous and complex geological material，rocks are of distinctly nonlinear and anisotropic mechanical behavior. The deformation and fracture of rocks are an evolution process with exchange of energy and mass between rocks and outer exotic environment. The variation rule of the damage variable and the coupled variable，damage energy dissipation rate，can be described on macro aspect by the damage evolution equation. Furthermore，the intrinsic mechanism of energy dissipation during the deformation and fracture of rocks can be disclosed by the research of meso damage mechanics. Some progress is reviewed related to energy dissipation in the field of rock mechanics，and a macro-meso-micro system based on damage evolution and energy dissipation is suggested，which contributes to solve more engineering problems exactly.
