Tangential Force Model for the Combined Finite-Discrete Element Method

Abstract

In the past, contact model in the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM) does not include the influence of the tangential contact interaction, and the deficient model associated with the contact force can seriously degrade the computing accuracy. In order to overcome this defect, an improved FDEM is developed in this work. The potential contact mechanism is implemented to calculate the normal contact force; meanwhile, the force-displacement law by coupling the classical Mohr–Coulomb type frictional algorithm and the rotation transformation algorithm is applied for the accurate computation of the tangential contact force. Consequently, a holonomic system of the calculation algorithm for the contact interaction is proposed, accounting for the influence of the tangential contact force. The performance of the approach is validated with well-known benchmarks including a frictional numerical test, the dynamic response of the block under the seismic excitation, a sliding/toppling test of a joint rock slope, a numerical simulation for joints structure affecting a sliding rock mass and the 2008 Donghekou Landslide trigged by the Wenchuan Earthquake. The results are compared against the experimental data and analytical solutions. Excellent agreements between the computational result and existing measurements show that the proposed approach has an outstanding ability to describe the complex mechanical properties among the separate entities.