3D random Voronoi grain-based models for simulation of brittle rock damage and fabric-guided micro-fracturing

A grain-based distinct element model featuring three-dimensional (3D) Voronoi tessellations (random poly-crystals) is proposed for simulation of crack damage development in brittle rocks. The grain boundaries in poly-crystal structure produced by Voronoi tessellations can represent flaws in intact rock and allow for numerical replication of crack damage progression through initiation and propagation of micro-fractures along grain boundaries. The Voronoi modelling scheme has been used widely in the past for brittle fracture simulation of rock materials. However the difficulty of generating 3D Voronoi models has limited its application to two-dimensional (2D) codes. The proposed approach is implemented in Neper, an open-source engine for generation of 3D Voronoi grains, to generate block geometry files that can be read directly into 3DEC. A series of Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) tests are simulated in 3DEC to verify the proposed methodology for 3D simulation of brittle fractures and to investigate the relationship between each micro-parameter and the model's macro-response. The possibility of numerical replication of the classical U-shape strength curve for anisotropic rocks is also investigated in numerical UCS tests by using complex-shaped (elongated) grains that are cemented to one another along their adjoining sides. A micro-parameter calibration procedure is established for 3D Voronoi models for accurate replication of the mechanical behaviour of isotropic and anisotropic (containing a fabric) rocks.