Meso-mechanical behavior of crystalline rocks: An image-based discrete element method

Abstract

This research examines the meso-mechanical behavior of rock materials under various loading conditions, with a focus on the influence of mesoscale heterogeneity in crystalline rock specimens. Traditional approaches often rely on a limited set of statistical parameters for constructing numerical models, failing to capture the complex mesoscale heterogeneities integral to rock mechanics. To overcome this limitation, the study utilizes an advanced image-processing technique to accurately identify mineralogical features within rock microstructures. The extracted mineralogical data were then integrated into a discrete element method (DEM) model to explore the mesoscale mechanical responses of crystalline rocks. The results of the simulations indicated that mesoscale heterogeneities play a critical role in stress concentration localization, which in turn dictates the direction of fracture propagation and leads to a sophisticated interaction among various fracture pathways.