Formulation, calibration, and applications of disk-based discontinuous deformation analysis for rock failure simulation

Abstract Liu et al. (2018) preliminarily proposed a bonded-particle model (BPM) for disk-based discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA). This BPM can resist relative rotation of contact pairs by introducing a rolling spring. In this technical note, the ability of disk-based DDA with this BPM to simulate the fracturing process of rock is explored. The detailed formulations of the BPM fitted to DDA are derived. A simple elastic-brittle constitutive model is employed as the bond failure criterion, with the help of which the fracture of rock can be explicitly represented by the progressive failure of the bonds. Sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the influence of micro parameters on the macro parameters, such as the elastic parameters (Young's modulus E and Poisson's ratio v) and the strength parameters (uniaxial compression strength and indirect tensile strength). Based on the sensitivity analysis, a calibration process is suggested. Finally, several numerical examples are presented to simulate the rock failure process under both static and dynamic loading. The results show that disk-based DDA is a good candidate for rock failure simulation.