Modelling fracture of rock masses around tunnels and slopes by field-enriched finite element method

Abstract

The dynamic response and mechanical behaviors of rock masses are mainly governed by discontinuities. The field-enriched finite element method is proposed to study the mechanism of crack propagation in rock mass, and the multiaxial perfectly matched layer (M-PML) is introduced to absorb the reflected wave due to the existence of artificial boundary. The fundamental theory and numerical implementation of the proposed numerical method are described in detail. By comparing two numerical models, namely one with the absorbing boundary and the other without the absorbing boundary, the necessity of considering an absorbing boundary and the ability to verify the absorption effect of the absorbing boundary on the reflected waves are demonstrated. In addition, a numerical example of underground tunnel is established to investigate the influence of dynamic waves from the hole in underground space on the crack propagation in adjacent surrounding rocks of the tunnel. Finally, a numerical model of rock slope with cracks is considered, and the influence of the combination forms of rock bridge inclination angle and fissure spacing on the crack evolution patterns of rock slope with fissures under dynamic load is studied. The research in this paper demonstrates that the dynamic field-enriched finite element method with M-PML absorbing boundary can effectively simulate the dynamic behaviors of fractured rock masses under dynamic load.