Particle Flow Modeling of Rock Blocks with Nonpersistent Open Joints under Uniaxial Compression
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 16, Issue 6
Abstract
In this study, numerical simulation of rock blocks with nonpersistent open joints under uniaxial compression was undertaken using the particle flow modeling method. First, the micromechanical parameter values of intact material were calibrated through a trial-and-error process using macromechanical laboratory test results. Then, a back-analysis procedure was used to calibrate the joint gap and joint micromechanical parameter values using laboratory test results conducted on jointed rock blocks. Afterward, the effects of joint dip angle, joint persistency, and joint gap on the mechanical behavior of block models having nonpersistent open joints was investigated using the calibrated micromechanical parameter values. The joint dip angle and joint persistency were found to play significant roles in the failure mode, strength, and stress–strain relationship of jointed blocks. The joint gap played a significant to negligible role in the mechanical behavior of jointed block models gradually when the joint dip angle was increased from 0 to 90°. The contact and interaction of joint surfaces were found to have a significant influence on the mechanical behavior of jointed blocks.
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Acknowledgments
The research reported in this paper was financially supported by the State Key Laboratory for Geo-mechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology, Contract No. SKLGDUEK1416 given to the second author and the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant No. 11102224 given to the third author (as the Principal Investigator) and the second author (as the Foreign Investigator). The research was also partially funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, through Contract No. 200-2011-39886 given to the second author. The first author of the paper is grateful to the Chinese Scholarship Council for providing a scholarship to conduct the research described in this paper as a Visiting Research Student at the University of Arizona. The research was also partially supported by the National Basic Research 973 Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB036003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51374198), and the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University, China (Grant No. NCET-12-0961).
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© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 27, 2015
Accepted: Jan 4, 2016
Published online: Mar 3, 2016
Discussion open until: Aug 3, 2016
Published in print: Dec 1, 2016
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