Abstract
Rock fracture in geo-materials is a complex phenomenon due to its intrinsic characteristics and the potential external loading conditions. As a result, these materials can experience intricate fracture patterns endowing various cracking phenomena such as: branching, coalescence, shielding, and amplification, among many others. In this article, we present a numerical investigation concerning the applicability of an original bulk-interface fracture simulation technique to trigger such phenomena within the context of the phase field approach for fracture. In particular, the prediction of failure patterns in heterogenous rock masses with brittle response is accomplished through the current methodology by combining the phase field approach for intact rock failure and the cohesive interface-like modeling approach for its application in joint fracture. Predictions from the present technique are first validated against Brazilian test results, which were developed using alternative phase field methods, and with respect to specimens subjected to different loading case and whose corresponding definitions are characterized by the presence of single and multiple flaws. Subsequently, the numerical study is extended to the analysis of heterogeneous rock masses including joints that separate different potential lithologies, leading to tortuous crack paths, which are observed in many practical situations.
Highlights
Fracture events in geological materials are phenomena of notable importance for the safety and stability of geological masses
Due to the advent of novel modeling techniques and the advances in the computational capabilities, the usage of numerical methods for reliable predictions of failure in rock masses has suffered a tremendous improvement in the last few years, becoming a plausible alternative for the analysis of geo-materials
Methods based on continuum damage mechanics (CDM) encompass the stiffness degradation, by defining a set of internal-damage variables [21]
Summary
Fracture events in geological materials are phenomena of notable importance for the safety and stability of geological masses. Due to the advent of novel modeling techniques and the advances in the computational capabilities, the usage of numerical methods for reliable predictions of failure in rock masses has suffered a tremendous improvement in the last few years, becoming a plausible alternative for the analysis of geo-materials In this setting, the presence of flaws such as defects/discontinuities in rocks leads to a substantial reduction of the strength of rock mass, as compared to the intact rock. The existence, initiation, and propagation of fracture affect the mechanical response of the rock mass, and the construction of the engineering structures This dependence of the strength and deformability of the rock mass upon the intact rock and the characteristic discontinuities (fracture and joints) make the deep understanding of such fracture processes a challenging task. With the aim of achieving a deep understanding of these phenomena, a great deal of research has been conducted in literature to characterize the crack propagation in rocks, which are succinctly discussed from the experimental and numerical standpoints in Sections 1.1 and 1.2, respectively
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
