Y-Mat: an improved hybrid finite-discrete element code for addressing geotechnical and geological engineering problems
ISSN: 0264-4401
Article publication date: 11 January 2022
Issue publication date: 3 May 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Continua and discontinua coexist in natural rock materials. This paper aims to present an improved approach for addressing the mechanical response of rock masses based on the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM) proposed by Munjiza.
Design/methodology/approach
Several algorithms have been programmed in the new approach. The algorithms include (1) a simpler and more efficient algorithm to calculate the contact force; (2) An algorithm for tangential contact force closer to the actual physical process; (3) a plastic yielding criterion (e.g. Mohr-Coulomb) to modify the elastic stress for fitting the mechanical behavior of elastoplastic materials; and (4) a complete code for the mechanical calculation to be implemented in Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB).
Findings
Three case studies, including two standard laboratory experiments (uniaxial compression and Brazilian split test) and one engineering-scale anti-dip slop model, are presented to illustrate the feasibility of the Y-Mat code and its ability to deal with multi-scale rock mechanics problems. The results, including the progressive failure process, failure mode and trajectory of each case, are acceptable compared to other corresponding studies. It is shown that, the code is capable of modeling geotechnical and geological engineering problems.
Originality/value
This article gives an improved FDEM-based numerical calculation code. And, feasibility of the code is verified through three cases. It can effectively solve the geotechnical and geological engineering problems.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The work is supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (Grant No. 2019QZKK0904), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFC1505301), the International Cooperation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 131551KYSB20180042) and Geological Survey Project of China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources of China (DD20190714). The authors are grateful for this support. Also, Dr. Ante Munjiza's help in answering the author’s confusion about the theory is greatly appreciated. The computer code file is available at: https://github.com/iggcas2018/Y-Mat.
Author’s contribution: Gang Liu wrote the Y-Mat code, designed the model tests and wrote the manuscript. Fengshan Ma provides theoretical guidance, conceived and designed the model tests. Maosheng Zhang conceived and designed the model tests, supervised the work and critically revised the manuscript. Jie Guo and Jun Jia supervised the work and critically revised the manuscript.
Citation
Liu, G., Ma, F., Zhang, M., Guo, J. and Jia, J. (2022), "Y-Mat: an improved hybrid finite-discrete element code for addressing geotechnical and geological engineering problems", Engineering Computations, Vol. 39 No. 5, pp. 1962-1983. https://doi.org/10.1108/EC-12-2020-0741
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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