On the accuracy of higher order displacement discontinuity method(HODDM) in the solution of linear elastic fracture mechanics problems

The higher order displacement discontinuity method(HODDM) utilizing special crack tip elements has been used in the solution of linear elastic fracture mechanics(LEFM) problems. The paper has selected several example problems from the fracture mechanics literature(with available analytical solutions) including center slant crack in an infinite and finite body, single and double edge cracks, cracks emanating from a circular hole. The numerical values of Mode Ⅰ and Mode Ⅱ SIFs for these problems using HODDM are in excellent agreement with analytical results(reaching up to 0.001% deviation from their analytical results). The HODDM is also compared with the XFEM and a modified XFEM results. The results show that the HODDM needs a considerably lower computational effort(with less than 400 nodes) than the XFEM and the modified XFEM(which needs more than 10000 nodes) to reach a much higher accuracy. The proposed HODDM offers higher accuracy and lower computation effort for a wide range of problems in LEFM.

An extended displacement discontinuity method for analysis of stress wave propagation in viscoelastic rock mass

An extended displacement discontinuity method (EDDM) is proposed to analyze the stress wave propagation in jointed viscoelastic rock mass (VRM).The discontinuities in a rock mass are divided into two groups.The primary group with an average geometrical size larger than or in the same order of magnitude of wavelength of a concerned stress wave is defined as 'macro-joints',while the secondary group with a high density and relatively small geometrical size compared to the wavelength is known as 'micro-defects'.The rock mass with micro-defects is modeled as an equivalent viscoelastic medium while the macro-joints in the rock mass are modeled explicitly as physical discontinuities.Viscoelastic properties of a micro-defected sedimentary rock are obtained by longitudinally impacting a cored long sedimentary rod with a pendulum.Wave propagation coefficient and dynamic viscoelastic modulus are measured.The EDDM is then successfully employed to analyze the wave propagation across macro-joint in VRM.The effect of the rock viscosity on the stress wave propagation is evaluated by comparing the results of VRM from the presented EDDM with those of an elastic rock mass (ERM) from the conventional displacement discontinuity method (CDDM).The CDDM is a special case of the EDDM under the condition that the rock viscosity is ignored.Comparison of the reflected and transmitted waves shows that the essential rock viscosity has a significant effect on stress wave attenuation.When a short propagation distance of a stress wave is considered,the results obtained from the CDDM approximate to the EDDM solutions,however,when the propagation distance is sufficiently long relative to the wavelength,the effect of rock viscosity on the stress wave propagation cannot be ignored.

Propagation simulation and dilatancy analysis of rock joint using displacement discontinuity method

A revised displacement discontinuity method(DDM) program is developed for the simulation of rock joint propagation and dilatancy analysis. The non-linear joint model used in the program adopts Barton-Bandis normal deformation model, Kulhaway shear deformation model and Mohr-Coulomb criterion. The joint propagation criterion is based on the equivalent stress intensity factor which can be obtained by regression analysis. The simulated rock joint propagation accords well with the existing knowledge. The closure and opening of joint is investigated by DDM, and it is shown that if the opening volume of propagated joint is larger than closure volume of the old joint, the joint dilatancy occurs. The dilatancy condition is mainly controlled by the normal stiffness of the rock joint. When the normal stiffness is larger than the critical value, joint dilatancy occurs. The critical normal stiffness of rock joint changes with the joint-load angle, and joint dilatancy is most possible to occur at 30°.

Simulation of crack coalescence mechanism underneath single and double disc cutters by higher order displacement discontinuity method

The present research is focused on the numerical crack coalescence analysis of the micro-cracks and cracks produced during the cutting action of TBM disc cutters. The linear elastic fracture mechanics(LEFM) concepts and the maximum tangential stress criterion are used to investigate the micro crack propagation and its direction underneath the excavating discs. A higher order displacement discontinuity method with quadratic displacement discontinuity elements is used to estimate the stress intensity factors near the crack tips. Rock cutting mechanisms under single and double type discs are simulated by the proposed numerical method.The main purposes of the present modeling are to simulate the chip formation process of indented rocks by single and double discs.The effects of specific disc parameters(except speed) on the thrust force Ft, the rolling force Fr, and the specific energy ES are investigated. It has been shown that the specific energy(energy required to cut through a unit volume of rock) of the double disc is less than that of the single disc. Crack propagation in rocks under disc cutters is numerically modeled and the optimum ratio of disc spacing S to penetration depth Pd(i.e. S/Pd ratio) of about 10 is obtained, which is in good agreement with the theoretical and experimental results cited in the literature.

Analysis of Three-dimensional Crack Propagation by Using Displacement Discontinuity Method

A technique for modelling of three-dimensional(3D)quasi-statically propagating cracks in elastic bodies by the displacement discontinuity method(DDM)was described.When the crack is closed,the Mohr-coulomb rule on the two contacted surfaces of the crack must be satisfied.A simple iterative method was adopted in order to consider three different states of cracks.Under the assumption that the advance of the point on the crack front would occur only in the normal plane which is through this edge point,the maximum energy release rate criterion is modified to be used as the criterion for the crack growth.With discretization,the process of crack propagation can be seen as the advance of the vertices of the crack front.The program MCP3D was developed based on these theories to simulate the 3D quasi-static crack propagation.A numerical example of a penny-shaped crack subject to tension and compression in an infinite elastic media was analyzed with MCP3D,and the results in comparison with others' show that the present method for 3D crack propagation is effective.

A Study on Propagation Mechanism of Fracture Systems in Rock Masses by Discontinuity Displacement Method

The main task of fracture mechanics of rock masses is the study on the propagating mechanism of fractures in rock masses , which can be efficiently conducted by discontinuty displacement (DD) numerical evaluation . Firstly ,the element stress and displacement are analysed and the principle and steps of the numerical calculation of stress intensity factor and fracture extension force are introduced .The numerical results of parallel and echelon fracture systems ,which are compared with real field fractures .are presented. Finally . a simple engineering application example is presented .

Numerical Simulation of Non-linear Joint Using Displacement Discontinuity Method

An iterative algorithm for modeling of non-linear joint by the displacement discontinuity method (DDM) was described, and the effect of the non-linear joint on the in-situ stress field was investigated in this paper. The Barton-Bandis (BB) non-linear joint model and failure criterion were adopted in the new DDM program. Using this program, the stress field around the non-linear joint was obtained, the parameters analysis of the joint was carried out, and the deformation and stress distribution of the joint were studied. The simulation results show that: (1)the in-situ stress is significantly affected by the joint; (2)the increase of stiffness, friction angle, and thickness of the joint affect the stress concentration in different ways; (3)the influence distance of the joint changes with the angle of the joint; (4)the deformation and stress of the joint change with the point position.

THEORETICAL RELATIONS OF BOUNDARY DISPLACEMENT DERIVATIVES AND TRACTIONS AT SINGULAR BOUNDARY POINT FOR 2D ISOTROPIC ELASTIC PROBLEMS

Although boundary displacement and traction are independent field variables in boundary conditions of an elasticity problem at a non-singular boundary point, there exist definite relations of singularity intensities between boundary displacement derivatives and tractions at a singular boundary point. The analytical forms of the relations at a singular smooth point for 2D isotropic elastic problems have been established in this work. By using the relations, positions of the singular boundary points and the corresponding singularity intensities of the unknown boundary field variables can be determined a priori. Therefore, more appropriate shape functions of the unknown boundary field variables in singular elements can be constructed. A numerical example shows that the accuracy of the BEM analysis using the developed theory is greatly increased.

Mapped Displacement Discontinuity Method:Numerical Implementation and Analysis for Crack Problems

The displacement discontinuity method(DDM) is a kind of boundary element method aiming at modeling two-dimensional linear elastic crack problems. The singularity around the crack tip prevents the DDM from optimally converging when the basis functions are polynomials of first order or higher. To overcome this issue,enlightened by the mapped finite element method(FEM) proposed in Ref. [13], we present an optimally convergent mapped DDM in this work, called the mapped DDM(MDDM). It is essentially based on approximating a much smoother function obtained by reformulating the problem with an appropriate auxiliary map. Two numerical examples of crack problems are presented in comparison with the conventional DDM. The results show that the proposed method improves the accuracy of the DDM; moreover, it yields an optimal convergence rate for quadratic interpolating polynomials.

Numerical Analysis of Crack Under Compression by 3D Displacement Discontinuity Method

A 3D displacement discontinuity method is applied to solve the fracture mechanics problems of the mixed mode crack under compression.Friction between the surface of the closed crack is considered by establishing a simple and efficient iterative algorithm based on method of contact resistance mitigation.On the surfaces of the closed crack,the Mohr-coulomb rule is satisfied by iteration when the crack is in condition of sliding.The stress intensity factors are obtained using displacement fitting method.It is shown that the numerical results agree with the experimental results well and that friction plays an important role in resisting crack propagation.

Regression Analysis of Initial Stress Field Around Faults Based on Fault Throw by Displacement Discontinuity Method

The back analysis of initial stress is usually based on measured stress values, but the measuring of initial stress demands substantial investment. Therefore, amounts of underground engineering have no measured initial stress data, such as tunneling engineering. Focusing on this problem, a new back analysis method which does not need measured initial stress data is developed. The fault is assumed to be caused by initial load, the displacement discontinuity method (DDM) which considered non-linear fault is adopted to establish a numerical model of the engineering site, and the multivariable regression analysis of the initial stress field around the faults is carried out based on the fault throw. The result shows that the initial stress field around the faults is disturbed significantly, stress concentration appears in the tip zone, the regressive fault throw matches the measured values well, and the regressive initial stress field is reliable.

DDM regression analysis of the in-situ stress field in a non-linear fault zone

A multivariable regression analysis of the in-situ stress field, which considers the non-linear deformation behavior of faults in practical projects, is presented based on a newly developed three-dimensional displacement discontinuity method （DDM） program. The Bar- ton-Bandis model and the Kulhaway model are adopted as the normal and the tangential deformation model of faults, respectively, where the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is satisfied. In practical projects, the values of the mechanical parameters of rock and faults are restricted in a bounded range for in-situ test, and the optimal mechanical parameters are obtained from this range by a loop. Comparing with the traditional finite element method （FEM）, the DDM regression results are more accurate.

三维FSM·DDM边界元法

对三维FSMDDM边界元数值模拟系统进行了基础研究,开发了单一介质的三维弹性问题的FSMDDM边界元数值模拟系统和多介质三维FSMDDM边界元数值模拟系统,通过验证和实际工程应用取得了满意的效果。

Numerical modelling of stress analysis around rectangular tunnels with large discontinuities(fault) by a hybridized indirect BEM

Tunnels are one of the major transportation routes to pass mountains and difficult geological conditions. The behavior of these structures is significantly influenced by rock mass and discontinuities. Orientation of discontinuities is one of the most important geometrical parameters affecting discontinuities behavior. The effect of large discontinuities(faults) behavior on a jointed medium around rectangular tunnels is studied. A hybridized indirect boundary element code named TFSDDM(fictitious stress displacement discontinuity method) is used to study the stress distribution around the tunnels excavated in jointed rock masses. The code uses advantages of both fictitious stress and displacement discontinuity methods to analyze discontinuity effects more accurately. Results show that the dip angle of discontinuities has significant effect on stress distribution around the tunnel. It is also shown that increase in the discontinuities dip angle located in the roof will result in decrease in tensile stress of the roof. Stresses reaches to 8 MPa in the roof while due to dilation effect they reach up to 13 MPa.

Numerical stress analysis for the multi-casing structure inside a wellbore in the formation using the boundary element method

A multi-casing structure in drilling engineering can be considered as an inhomogeneous body consisting of many different materials. The mechanical behavior of the inhomogeneous body in an infinite domain is very com- plicated. In this paper, a detailed expression about the fictitious stress method of the boundary element method （BEM） is demonstrated for the inhomogeneous body. Then the fictitious stress method is deployed to investigate the stresses for the multi-casing structure under non-uniform loading conditions and an irregular wellbore. Three examples of the multi-casing structure in the borehole imply the high effectiveness of BEM for complex geometries related to the borehole in an infinite formation. The effects of casing eccentricity and the interfacial gap on the stress field are discussed. The eccentric casing takes the potential yield when the eccentric orientation is along the direction of Sh. Under different eccentric orientations, the yon Mises stress in the casing increases with increasing degree of eccentricity. The radial stress in the multi-casing structure is always continuous along the radius, but the circumferential stress is discontinuous at the interface. The radial stress decreases and the circumferential stress increases with the increasing of the interfacial gap between the adjacent materials.

A numerical method for multiple cracks in an infinite elastic plate

This article examines the interaction of multiple cracks in an infinite plate by using a numerical method. The numerical method consists of the non-singular displacement discontinuity element presented by Crouch and Starfied and the crack tip displacement discontinuity elements proposed by the author. In the numerical method implementation, the left or the right crack tip element is placed locally at the corresponding left or right crack tip on top of the constant displacement discontinuity elements that cover the entire crack surface and the other boundaries. The numerical method is called a hybrid displacement discontinuity method. The following test examples of crack problems in an infinite plate under tension are included: “ center-inclined cracked plate”, “interaction of two collinear cracks with equal length”, “interaction of three collinear cracks with equal length”, “interaction of two parallel cracks with equal length”, and “interaction of one horizontal crack and one inclined crack”. The present numerical results show that the numerical method is simple yet very accurate for analyzing the interaction of multiple cracks in an infinite plate.

Surrounding rock deformation analysis of underground caverns with multi-body finite element method

Discontinuous deformation problems are common in rock engineering. Numerical analysis methods based on system models of the discrete body can better solve these problems. One of the most effective solutions is discontinuous deformation analysis （DDA） method, but the DDA method brings about rock embedding problems when it uses the strain assumption in elastic deformation and adopts virtual springs to simulate the contact problems. The multi-body finite element method （FEM） proposed in this paper can solve the problems of contact and deformation of blocks very well because it integrates the FEM and multi-body system dynamics theory. It is therefore a complete method for solving discontinuous deformation problems through balance equations of the contact surface and for simulating the displacement of whole blocks. In this study, this method was successfully used for deformation analysis of underground caverns in stratified rock. The simulation results indicate that the multi-body FEM can show contact forces and the stress states on contact surfaces better than DDA, and that the results calculated with the multi-body FEM are more consistent with engineering practice than those calculated with DDA method.

AN EFFECTIVE BOUNDARY ELEMENT METHOD FOR ANALYSIS OF CRACK PROBLEMS IN A PLANE ELASTIC PLATE

A simple and effective boundary element method for stress intensity factor calculation for crack problems in a plane elastic plate is presented. The boundary element method consists of the constant displacement discontinuity element presented by Crouch and Starfield and the crack-tip displacement discontinuity elements proposed by YAN Xiangqiao. In the boundary element implementation the left or the right crack-tip displacement discontinuity element was placed locally at the corresponding left or right each crack tip on top of the constant displacement discontinuity elements that cover the entire crack surface and the other boundaries. Test examples (i. e. , a center crack in an infinite plate under tension, a circular hole and a crack in an infinite plate under tension) are included to illustrate that the numerical approach is very simple and accurate for stress intensity factor calculation of plane elasticity crack problems. In addition, specifically, the stress intensity factors of branching cracks emanating from a square hole in a rectangular plate under biaxial loads were analysed. These numerical results indicate the present numerical approach is very effective for calculating stress intensity factors of complex cracks in a 2-D finite body, and are used to reveal the effect of the biaxial loads and the cracked body geometry on stress intensity factors.

A Posteriori Error Estimates of a Combined Mixed Finite Element and Discontinuous Galerkin Method for a Kind of Compressible Miscible Displacement Problems

Akind of compressiblemiscible displacement problemswhich includemolecular diffusion and dispersion in porous media are investigated.The mixed finite element method is applied to the flow equation,and the transport one is solved by the symmetric interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin method.Based on a duality argument,employing projection estimates and approximation properties,a posteriori residual-type hp error estimates for the coupled system are presented,which is often used for guiding adaptivity.Comparing with the error analysis carried out by Yang(Int.J.Numer.Meth.Fluids,65(7)(2011),pp.781-797),the current work is more complicated and challenging.