Micromechanical modeling of the dynamic fracture process during rock blasting

Abstract

A numerical model based on Newton's second law of motion is applied to the study of the fracture process induced in rock by blasting. The numerical model is a discrete representation of rock using point masses or particles which are interconnected through massless springs. The resulting mesh simulates the deformational response of a material subjected to dynamic loading. Material inhomogeneities that are characteristic of geologic material are incorporated into the numerical simulation. The results generated from initial simulations of rock blasting indicate that the discrete model is capable of simulating various dynamic fracture phenomena including crack branching and tortuous propagation. In this paper, a few simulations of rock blasting are presented and qualitative observations, based on the modeling results, regarding the damage process are discussed.