DEM Modeling of Jointed Rock Slopes

An enhanced version of the Discrete Element Method (DEM) has been developed for the analysis of fractured rock masses. In addition to the discrete representation of the intact medium, structural defects can be explicitly taken into account in the modeling to represent pre-existing fractures or joints. Besides its intrinsic capability to model fracture initiation and propagation starting from simple interaction laws, the model can simulate brittle behavior characterized by high values of UCS/TS ratio associated with non-linear failure envelopes, as observed for stiff rocks. In the present work, the method is used to study jointed rock slopes where instabilities involve coupled mechanisms related to both deformations along existing discontinuities and brittle fracture of intact rock. In case of complex fracture systems, it is possible to plug discrete fracture networks (DFN) into the model to characterize the mechanical behavior of fractured rock masses by controlling the size distribution of the fractures, their spatial correlation and their intensity.