Article
Engineering, Civil
Hongyun Fan, Liping Li, Peijun Zong, Hongliang Liu, Lanjie Yang, Jing Wang, Peng Yan, Shangqu Sun
Summary: An advanced stability analysis of surrounding rock is crucial for ensuring safe construction in tunnels. However, traditional analysis methods inaccurately treat the geometric information of rock mass discontinuities as infinitely expanded planes in numerical simulations. In this study, a control network and image stitch method were used to improve the accuracy of a geometric model, and a more accurate method based on digital photogrammetry was proposed to obtain the geometric information of rock mass discontinuities. The simulation results confirmed the specific location of collapse disasters on the tunnel face, which is significant for tunnel support design and verified the accuracy of this method in advance stability analysis.
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Alan A. de Arruda Tino, Luis Marcelo Tavares
Summary: Several tests are commonly used in the mining and aggregate industries to analyze the resistance of rocks and ores to breakage, providing basis for mathematical expressions or models. This study shows that simulations using the discrete element method with polyhedral particles can predict outcomes of three specific tests, with sensitivity analysis recommending optimal values for the drop weight test. The validity of the breakage model and its ability to describe test outcomes for brittle particulate materials are demonstrated.
COMPUTATIONAL PARTICLE MECHANICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
D. Rhymer, A. Ingram, K. Sadler, C. R. K. Windows-Yule
Summary: This paper investigates the effects of changing the particle-particle restitution and sliding friction coefficients of grinding media within a vertical stirred mill using the discrete element method (DEM). The results show that if the sliding friction falls below 0.1, single-body motion forms from reduced resistance. Forces are sensitive to changes in both restitution and friction, particularly the latter. Higher rotational velocities also lead to increased effectiveness.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jaspreet Singh, Sarada Prasad Pradhan, Mahendra Singh, Lal Hruaikima
Summary: The existing structural discontinuities, such as faults, joints, and cleavages in rock slopes, play a crucial role in controlling the properties of the rock mass, and their presence is influenced by regional tectonic structures. The concept of damage, applied to intact rock and rock mass, refers to the degradation of their strength properties. A study conducted in the Garhwal Himalaya region revealed that damage caused by regional syncline resulted in high variability in fracture intensity and trace length away from the hinge zone.
BULLETIN OF ENGINEERING GEOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Jiayao Chen, Hyungjoon Seo, Chengzhan Gao, Qian Fang, Dingli Zhang, Hongwei Huang
Summary: A comprehensive method for evaluating similarity between 2D fracture maps is proposed, including five evaluation indicators and similarity calculation based on grouping matching of trace lines. The results show that grouping similarity indicators are more rigorous and suitable for engineering modeling. The proposed method effectively solves the difficulty of comprehensive distribution similarity evaluation and achieves more objective evaluation of position and density indicators. The established evaluation system is applied to real tunnel construction, improving the accuracy of fracture modeling.
ROCK MECHANICS AND ROCK ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Minghe Ju, Haozhe Xing
Summary: This study evaluates the crack propagation behavior of jointed rock through discrete element modeling and identifies three types of cracking patterns. It also investigates the effects of joint spacing and scale on rock cracking and fracture toughness. The findings help us understand the correlation between cracking and rock fracture resistance.
GEOMECHANICS AND GEOPHYSICS FOR GEO-ENERGY AND GEO-RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Guang-Yu Liu, Wen-Jie Xu, Nicolin Govender, Daniel N. Wilke
Summary: The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is used to study the failure behavior of brittle rock bodies, with a proposed Cohesive Fracture Model (CFM) designed specifically for polyhedral shaped DEM particles. Numerical and laboratory tests are conducted to investigate the relationship between meso-mechanical parameters and macro-mechanical behavior, with sensitivity analysis leading to an inversion procedure for estimating parameters. Different failure modes are proposed for different rocks based on the results obtained.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Zongqing Zhou, Jiwei Sun, Yongbiao Lai, Cheche Wei, Jian Hou, Songsong Bai, Xianxing Huang, Hongliang Liu, Kaiqi Xiong, Shuai Cheng
Summary: Based on the analysis of jointed rock mass in Yaojiayu tunnel, this study investigated the size effect and influencing factors of the representative elementary volume (REV). Through 3D laser scanning technology, the point cloud image of jointed rock mass near the tunnel face was obtained and processed using Geology Plane software. The study found that the REV size of the jointed rock mass is 7m x 7m x 14m and established a criterion and calculation parameters for simulating tunnel excavation. Additionally, the study explored the influence of joint geometric parameters on the REV size and provided estimations for different engineering projects.
TUNNELLING AND UNDERGROUND SPACE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Mengmeng Wu, Feng Zhou, Jianfeng Wang
Summary: In this study, discrete element method simulations were conducted on soil-rock mixture under mini-triaxial tests, taking into account the effect of particle shape. The deformation and failure characteristics of the mixture were analyzed, providing insights into the development of soil stabilization materials for geotechnical engineering.
COMPUTERS AND GEOTECHNICS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Manuel Moncada, Patricio Toledo, Fernando Betancourt, Cristian G. Rodriguez
Summary: This paper conducted a comprehensive analysis of a copper mining gyratory crusher using the DEM model and proposed a novel polar representation of radial forces to help understand force distribution on the mantle. It also presented a calculation procedure for crushing power and recommendations for selecting the minimum resolved particle size. The simulations with different operational conditions were validated through comparison with nominal data.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Yidong Xia, Jordan Klinger, Tiasha Bhattacharjee, Vicki Thompson
Summary: This study presents a novel three-point cyclic bending test to characterize the biomechanical properties of controlled corn stalks and creates the first biomechanical database of corn stalks subjected to repeated bending. The study also introduces an experiment-informed bending stiffness model to calculate various parameters related to the corn stalk flexural properties. The findings reveal insights into the elastic and elastoplastic behavior of corn stalks.
BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Haiyang Zhao, Liangchi Zhang, Zhonghuai Wu, Ang Liu
Summary: This paper presents a systematic investigation on the crack evolution in intact rocks using discrete element-based modeling. It was found that crack initiation and coalescence occur at different stages and are influenced by the local heterogeneity and stress distribution of the sample.
COMPUTERS AND GEOTECHNICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Min Wang, Ke Gao, Y. T. Feng
Summary: This study developed a continuum-based combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM) with fracture algorithms to investigate complex fracturing processes. By comparing different fracture algorithms, it was found that the intra-element fracture algorithm is more efficient and accurate in simulating fracturing processes.
COMPUTER METHODS IN APPLIED MECHANICS AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Mechanics
Mingyang Wu, Ke Gao, Jianjun Liu, Zhenlong Song, Xiaolin Huang
Summary: This study investigates the influence of rock heterogeneity on hydraulic fracture propagation using the combined finite-discrete element method and cohesive zone model. The results show that the distribution type of rock elastic modulus has a significant impact on hydraulic fracture propagation in both the toughness-dominated regime and viscosity-dominated regime.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOLIDS AND STRUCTURES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Xiao Chen, Chong Shi, Yun Jia, Yi-Ping Zhang, Huai-Ning Ruan
Summary: This study investigates the seepage process of fractured rock mass at a mesoscopic level using the discrete element method. An improved pipe flow algorithm is proposed to consider the heterogeneity of initial micro-cracks and the deformation of solid skeleton. The results show that the seepage properties of rock mass with non-penetrating fractures are strongly influenced by the dip angle and length of the fractures, while aperture has a minimal effect. Additionally, the permeability of fractured rock mass is similar to that of non-fractured rock.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS
(2023)