Modelling rockfall by a novel FEM-DEM coupling approach with explicitly considering geomaterial heterogeneity

Abstract

Copyright © Authors 2023. The finite element method (FEM), the implicit discrete element method (DEM) and the statistical strength theory were coupled to model the meso-macro cross-scale failure mechanism of rock masses and reveal the impact characteristics of rockfalls influenced by rock heterogeneity. In the proposed method, the automatic transformation of rock materials from continuous medium to discontinuous medium can be realized. Meanwhile, the spatial inhomogeneity of rock properties can be considered by the specific distribution function. After verifying the effectiveness, the coupled method was applied to investigate rock failure and rockfall. The results show that it is the continuous process of stress build-up... [This conference paper is available on open access for personal, non-commercial use at https://doi.org/10.53243/NUMGE2023-144].