Modeling of brittle rock failure considering inter- and intra-grain contact failures

Based on a two-scale tessellation technique in Neper, a 3DEC-GBM modeling approach considering inter- and intra-grain contact failures is proposed to study brittle rock failure. Plane strain problems are solved using 3DEC to reduce computation time. A parametric study of inter- and intra-grain contact properties is conducted and a calibration procedure is suggested for determining micro-mechanical properties of granular materials. The modeling results indicate that inter- and intra-grain contact strength heterogeneity affects not only the peak strength of rock but also the microcrack spatial location and hence the fracture development path and fracture pattern.