Contact-aware peridynamic simulation of interacting secondary cracks across fractured rock bridges

Seo-Yeon Yang; Woo-Jin Kwon; Hyun-Ji Do

Authors

Seo-Yeon Yang Department of Architectural Engineering, School of Materials Science And Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Ulsan, Republic of Korea Author
Woo-Jin Kwon Department of Architectural Engineering, School of Materials Science And Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Ulsan, Republic of Korea Author
Hyun-Ji Do Department of Architectural Engineering, School of Materials Science And Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Ulsan, Republic of Korea Author

Keywords:

Peridynamics, Rock bridges, Contact mechanics, Secondary cracks

Abstract

The mechanical behavior and stability of fractured rock masses are fundamentally governed by the existence and interaction of pre-existing macroscopic flaws, joints, and the intact rock regions between them, commonly referred to as rock bridges. Under complex external loading conditions, these rock bridges undergo progressive degradation characterized by the initiation, propagation, and ultimate coalescence of primary and secondary cracks. Conventional continuum-based numerical methods face significant mathematical and computational challenges when simulating the spontaneous formation of discontinuities, complex crack branching, and especially the interaction of multiple newly formed crack surfaces. To address these fundamental limitations, this paper presents a comprehensive contact-aware state-based peridynamic framework designed to explicitly simulate the interaction of secondary cracks across fractured rock bridges. By incorporating a robust short-range repulsive contact algorithm into the ordinary state-based peridynamic formulation, the model effectively prevents the unphysical interpenetration of newly formed crack surfaces, thereby allowing for the accurate transmission of compressive and frictional forces across closed secondary cracks. The proposed numerical framework is utilized to systematically investigate the mechanisms of stress redistribution, energy dissipation, and crack coalescence patterns in rock specimens containing non-coplanar flaws. Comprehensive simulation results elucidate the profound influence of structural contact on the trajectory of secondary cracks and the overall macroscopic failure modes of the rock mass. The findings significantly advance the understanding of rock fracture mechanics and provide a highly reliable computational tool for the stability assessment of large-scale geotechnical engineering structures.

Author Biography

Seo-Yeon Yang, Department of Architectural Engineering, School of Materials Science And Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Ulsan, Republic of Korea

Editorial correspondence on behalf of the authors

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