Polyhedral modelling of rock mass structure

The development and application of polyhedral modellers to geo-mechanics has been an important advance in the accurate modelling of rock mass structure. The representation of rock mass discontinuities with finite persistence has necessitated the development of modellers capable of automatic identification of complex polyhedra (rock blocks). The work described in this paper extends previous developments and details a robust algorithm capable of identification of rock blocks generated from the partial or complete intersection of large numbers of both planar and curved rock mass discontinuities. It summarises some important modifications to the published literature on polyhedral modelling theory as it pertains to the synthesis of rock mass structure.