Effect of Grain Geometry and Grain Arrangement on the Behavior of Bonded Block Models for Prediction of Brittle Rock Damage

Details

• Personal Author:
  Contreras Inga CE ; Holley E ; Walton G
• Description:
  In laboratory-scale numerical simulations of rock damage, the grain structure is commonly approximated through an assembly of bonded Voronoi blocks, and a set of properties that represents the micro-mechanical properties of the grains and grain contacts is calibrated to numerically replicate the macro-mechanical behavior of the rock. Such assemblies provide reasonable approximations of actual grain structures. However, the random nature of Voronoi assemblies increases the uncertainty of the contact micro-properties obtained from the calibration process, potentially leading to incorrect estimations of the rock strength. This study evaluates how different representations of the grain structure, in terms of grain geometry and grain arrangement influence predictions of brittle rock mechanical behavior. Different 2D Bonded Block Models of granite specimens were generated and used as a basis for Uniaxial Compressive Strength test simulations. The quality of agreement between the strength of actual granite specimens and the strength predicted using Bonded Block Models was tested through a comparative analysis. The modeling results show a notable influence of grain shape and grain arrangement. The results also prove that it is possible to predict the strength of rock with reasonable accuracy (within 13% of variability) using reasonably simplified representations of the grain structure in Voronoi models and previously published micro-properties. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Analytical Models Compressive Strength Geotechnical Engineering Rock Mechanics Underground Mines
• Publisher:
  American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068167
• Citation:
  54th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June 28 - July 1, 2020, Golden, Colorado. Alexandria, VA: American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA), 2020 Jun; :ARMA-2020-1103
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado School of Mines, Golden
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20160915
• Source Full Name:
  54th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June 28 - July 1, 2020, Golden, Colorado
• End Date:
  20210914
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:033387e2386d594c66bc36def39dd679cd3af29a34801a51087bbd8556fab8570477b7c24dec88208f3d6d0b061e0b493220b700751edc198d0b4da2092a93ae
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230379/cdc_230379_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.82 MB ]