1996 年 62 巻 603 号 p. 2547-2552
In this paper, the growth behavior of fracture process zone in rock is examined from the viewpoint of the microscopic strength distribution. Numerical calculations were performed using a network model in order to analyze the microcracking behavior which is accompanied with the crack extension. CT specimen configuration was used in the network model analysis. The network model is composed of brittle stick elements, and microscopic inhomogeneity is represented by the strength distribution of the stick elements. The calculation results show that the microcracking behavior depends on the microscopic strength distribution. The geometrical characteristic of the fracture process zone is observed to change from a distributed microcrack zone type to a localized zone type, depending on the microscopic strength distribution.