Theory and

background 1

CIVIL
CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MANUFACTURING
● MINING ● MINING
● OIL & GAS ● POWER ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION
GENERATION
 Rock Mass Behavior

A: Massive rock mass C: Massive rock mass with a few joints

B: Moderately jointed rock mass D: Heavily jointed rock mass

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Rock Mass Behavior
Continuous Discontinuous Continuous

Intact rock Closely jointed rock

Massive rock mass

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Rock Mass Behavior
Continuous Discontinuous Continuous

Intact rock Closely jointed rock

Faulted rock mass

Rock types

Faults

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Rock Mass Behavior
Continuous Discontinuous Continuous

Intact rock Closely jointed rock

Rock mass with several joints

mm

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Rock Mass Behavior
Continuous Discontinuous Continuous

Intact rock Closely jointed rock

Jointed rock mass

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Continuum Discontinuum

• Free of discontinuities • A finite number of

• Or equivalent jointed discrete, interacting
rock mass blocks

The concepts of continuum

and discontinuum are not
absolute but relative and
problem specific, depending
especially on the problem
scale.

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Numerical Methods –
Continuum models
Continuum models

Finite Difference Method Finite Element Method Boundary Element Method

(FDM) (FEM) (BEM)

Differential Methods Integral Method

Approximations throughout Approximations

the problem domain on the boundary

FLAC, FLAC3D Phase2 Examine2D

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Numerical Methods –
Continuum models
Differential methods Integral methods

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Numerical Methods –
Continuum models
• Limitations and strengths
Finite Difference Method Finite Element Method Boundary Element Method
(FDM) (FEM) (BEM)

Limitations: Limitations: Limitations:

Time consuming Small-strain problems;
Time consuming
Strength:
Effective on non-linear Strength:
or large-strain problems Complex material
properties, boundary
and loading conditions;
Most widely used
method
Homogeneous, isotropic
or transversely isotropic,
linear elastic materials
Strength:
Computational
effectiveness

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 FDM & FEM
• Finite difference methods (FDM)
• Approximative solution to an exact problem

• Finite element method (FEM)

• Exact solution to an approximated problem

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Numerical Methods –
Discontinuum models
Discontinuum models

Distinct Element Method Discrete Fracture Network methods

(DEM) (DFN)

UDEC, 3DEC

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 2D vs 3D
• 2D approaches can used only if the problem fulfils the
plain strain criteria i.e. if the out-of-plain strain
resulting from the model perturbation is zero or
uniform.
• The simplest example of this is a straight tunnel in a
homogenous rock mass i.e. the out-of-plane geometry
remains unchanged for an ”infinite” length compared to
the in plane geometry.

• If the plain strain criteria is not fulfilled (i.e. for a

tunnel intersection or curve) a 3D model is required.

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 FLAC3D

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 FLAC3D

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Sign Conventions

• Itasca software follows mechanical engineering practices:

• Direct Stress
 Positive stresses indicate tension; negative stresses indicate compression

• Shear Stress
 Positive shear stress points in the positive direction of the coordinate axis of the
second subscript if it acts on a surface with an outward normal in the positive
direction

• Direct Strain
Positive strain indicates extension; negative strain indicates compression
• Shear Strain
 Follows the convention of shear stress

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 System of Units

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Numerical Calculation Method  Path
Dependency

• Itasca software is distinctive in its use of an

efficient explicit calculation method (a “time-
marching” solution scheme)

Advantages:

• Models physically unstable processes without numerical

instability
• Can follow arbitrary non-linearity in constitutive laws
• Performs large strain calculation at comparable speed to
small strain
• Can use the same solution algorithm for any constitutive
model
• No global or local stiffness matrix
• Displacements are not part of the result
• Can reset with no change in model state.

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 FLAC3D

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 FLAC3D

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

 Basic Explicit Calculation Cycle

For all gridpoints (nodes)

velocities Equilibrium Equation nodal forces
(Equation of Motion)
dui  ij
   g i
dt x j
Gauss´ theorem Fi  ijn jL

For all zones (elements)

Stress - Strain Relation

strain rates (Constitutive Equation) new stresses

e.g., elastic

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION

Large strain simulation
For all gridpoints (nodes)

In large strain mode

For all zones (elements)

the new coordinate of the gridpoint

CIVIL ● MANUFACTURING ● MINING ● OIL & GAS ● POWER GENERATION