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Influence of fracture roughness and micro-fracturing on the mechanical response of rock joints: a discrete element approach

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Abstract

The closure and shear behaviors of 3D self-affine rock joints are simulated by the Discrete Element Method using PFC3D. First, a methodology to produce rough self-affine rock joints using DEM is presented then eight self-affine rough joints, having low and high values of roughness exponent, self-affine correlation length, and height variance, are considered. After the calibration of the elastic and fracture behaviors of an elementary volume formed from spherical discrete elements bonded by elastic beams, the numerical rock joints are submitted to closure tests at 14 and 21 MPa followed by a shear test at constant velocity and under constant normal load. Each DEM joint is tested using three different mechanical models: rigid, ideally elastic and elastic-fracturing. The use of these three models allows highlighting the distinct influences of the morphology, the joint stiffness and the micro-fracturing on the closure and shear behaviors of the joints.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to CONACYT (Mexico) and Le Ministère de l’Education Nationale, de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche (France) for the financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Av. Universidad s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 66451, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, México

    Alberto Varela Valdez & Moisés Hinojosa

  2. Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5295, Institut de Mécanique et d’Ingénierie - Bordeaux (I2M), Département Génie Civil et Environnemental (GCE), Bordeaux, France

    Alberto Varela Valdez, Stéphane Morel, Antoine Marache & Joëlle Riss

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  1. Alberto Varela Valdez
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  2. Stéphane Morel
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  3. Antoine Marache
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  4. Moisés Hinojosa
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  5. Joëlle Riss
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Correspondence to Moisés Hinojosa.

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Varela Valdez, A., Morel, S., Marache, A. et al. Influence of fracture roughness and micro-fracturing on the mechanical response of rock joints: a discrete element approach. Int J Fract 213, 87–105 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10704-018-0308-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10704-018-0308-5

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