Distinct element modelling of fracture plan control in continuum and jointed rock mass in presplitting method of surface mining

Controlled blasting techniques are used to control overbreak and to aid in the stability of the remaining rock formation. Presplitting is one of the most common methods which is used in many open pit mining and surface blast design. The purpose of presplitting is to form a fracture plane across which the radial cracks from the production blast cannot travel. The purpose of this study is to investigate of effect of presplitting on the generation of a smooth wall in continuum and jointed rock mass. The 2D distinct element code was used to simulate the presplitting in a rock slope. The blast load history as a function of time was applied to the inner wall of each blasthole. Important parameters that were considered in the analysis were stress tensor and fracturing pattern. The blast loading magnitude and blasthole spacing and jointing pattern were found to be very significant in the final results.

Modeling stress wave propagation in rocks by distinct lattice spring model

In this paper, the ability of the distinct lattice spring model （DLSM） for modeling stress wave propagation in rocks was fully investigated. The influence of particle size on simulation of different types of stress waves （e.g. one-dimensional （1D） P-wave, 1D S-wave and two-dimensional （2D） cylindrical wave） was studied through comparing results predicted by the DLSM with different mesh ratios （It） and those obtained from the corresponding analytical solutions. Suggested values of lr were obtained for modeling these stress waves accurately. Moreover, the weak material layer method and virtual joint plane method were used to model P-wave and S-wave propagating through a single discontinuity. The results were compared with the classical analytical solutions, indicating that the virtual joint plane method can give better results and is recommended. Finally, some remarks of the DLSM on modeling of stress wave propagation in rocks were provided.

DEM investigation of weathered rocks using a novel bond contact model

The distinct element method（DEM） incorporated with a novel bond contact model was applied in this paper to shed light on the microscopic physical origin of macroscopic behaviors of weathered rock, and to achieve the changing laws of microscopic parameters from observed decaying properties of rocks during weathering. The changing laws of macroscopic mechanical properties of typical rocks were summarized based on the existing research achievements. Parametric simulations were then conducted to analyze the relationships between macroscopic and microscopic parameters, and to derive the changing laws of microscopic parameters for the DEM model. Equipped with the microscopic weathering laws, a series of DEM simulations of basic laboratory tests on weathered rock samples was performed in comparison with analytical solutions. The results reveal that the relationships between macroscopic and microscopic parameters of rocks against the weathering period can be successfully attained by parametric simulations. In addition, weathering has a significant impact on both stressestrain relationship and failure pattern of rocks.

Stability analysis on tunnels with karst caves using the distinct lattice spring model

The effects of karst caves on tunnel stability were numerically investigated using the distinct lattice spring model(DLSM).The DLSM was validated by investigating the mechanical behavior of Brazilian discs with various sizes of central circular holes.Then,the effects of karst cave on U-shaped tunnel were investigated under various karst caves positions(top,bottom,and right side of the tunnel),tunnelcave distances(0.5-4 times the radius of the tunnel arc),and cave shapes(circular,rectangular flat,and rectangular vertical caves).The failure processes of the tunnel under those various conditions were analyzed and both the failure process and the final failure patterns of the tunnel were discussed.Numerical simulation demonstrated that karst caves around the tunnel could weaken the stability of the tunnel,indicating tunnel-cave distance effects.The closer the cave to the tunnel,the weaker the tunnel under loading.This effect was not significant when the tunnel-cave distance(d)was larger than three times the tunnel arc radius(R).In addition,the final failure pattern of the tunnel and its surrounding rock mass were dependent on both the position and the size of the cave.The larger the cave,the weaker the tunnel and its surrounding rock mass.Furthermore,compared with those cases with top and bottom caves,the tunnel with a right side cave had more impacts on tunnel stability.The main research finding could help engineers carry out stability analysis on tunnels in karst areas and take effective measures to enhance tunnel stability.