Author:
Contreras Inga Carlos Efrain,Walton Gabriel,Holley Elizabeth
Abstract
The ability to predict the mechanical behavior of brittle rocks using bonded block models (BBM) depends on the accuracy of the geometrical representation of the grain-structure and the applied micro-properties. This paper evaluates the capabilities of BBMs for predictive purposes using an approach that employs published micro-properties in combination with a Voronoi BBM that properly approximates the real rock grain-structure. The Wausau granite, with Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) of 226 MPa and average grain diameter of 2 mm, is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the predictive approach. Four published sets of micro-properties calibrated for granites with similar mineralogy to the Wausau granite are used for the assessment. The effect of grain-structure representation in Voronoi BBMs is analyzed, considering grain shape, grain size and mineral arrangement. A unique contribution of this work is the explicit consideration of the effect of stochastic grain-structure generation on the obtained results. The study results show that the macro-properties of a rock can be closely replicated using the proposed approach. When using this approach, the micro-properties have a greater impact on the realism of the predictions than the specific grain-structure representation. The grain shape and grain size representations have a minor effect on the predictions for cases that do not deviate substantially from the real average grain geometry. However, the stochastic effect introduced by the use of randomly-generated Voronoi grain-structures can be significant, and this effect should be considered in future studies.
Funder
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Subject
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment,Geography, Planning and Development
Cited by
5 articles.
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