Numerical analysis Model for Discontinuous Rock Mass with Consideration of Frictional Contact Behavior of Cracks

2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 14550460
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 土木材料・力学一般
• Research Institution: TOHOKU UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: KYOYA Takashi Tohoku University, Graduate School of Eng., Associate Professor, 大学院・工学研究科, 助教授 (00186347)
• Project Period (FY): 2002 – 2003
• Keywords: Discontinuous Rock mass / Homogenization Theory / Numerical fracture mechanics

Research Abstract

Mechanical properties of rock mass are strongly governed by the microscopic structure that consists of distributed cracks and various rock materials. In order to evaluate the deformability and the strength of such rock mass, the numerical scheme of multi-scale, which is based on both the homogenization method and the analysis method by the fracture mechanics, is proposed. For the validation of the proposed model, a series of strength tests of rectangular gypsum mortar specimens including array cracks are carried out, while those strengths are predicted by numerical analysis by the proposed method. The strengths of the specimens predicted based on the homogenization analysis are lower than those of measured, while strengths predicted based on the fracture mechanics are greater than those of actual specimens. Prom this results it is recognized that these difference between predicted and experimented results may due to a few elements, the assumption on the definition of microscopic failure and numerical error from image based model, and some problems to be overcome in the near future are clearly revealed.