Abstract
Rock failure is often controlled by fracture initiation, propagation and coalescence, especially in hard rocks where explicit fracturing rather than plasticity is the dominant mechanism of failure. Prediction of the explicit fracturing process is therefore necessary when the rock mass stability is investigated for engineering purposes. However, the fracture mechanics approach is rarely used in practical rock engineering design partly due to the inadequate understanding of complex fracturing processes in jointed rock mass, and partly due to the lack of tools which can realistically predict the complex fracturing phenomenon in rock mass.
Since the 1990s, a new approach to simulating rock mass failure problems has been developed using a numerical code called FRACOD. FRACOD is a code that predicts the explicit fracturing process in rocks using fracture mechanics principles. Over the past three decades, significant progress has been made in developing this approach to a level that it can predict actual rock mass stability at an engineering scale. The code includes complex coupling processes among the rock mechanical response, thermal process and hydraulic flow, making it possible to handle coupled problems often encountered in geothermal extraction, hydraulic fracturing, nuclear waste disposal, and underground LNG storage.
During the last three decades, numerous application cases have been conducted using FRACOD, which include: borehole stability in deep geothermal reservoir, pillar spalling under mechanical and thermal loading; prediction of tunnel and shaft stability and excavation disturbed zone (EDZ), etc.
This Chapter summarizes the theoretical fundamentals of the fracture mechanics approach with FRACOD, and the most recent developments. Several validation cases are included in this chapter to demonstrate the validity of this approach.
Ove Stephansson died before publication of this work was completed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Backers T, Stephansson O, Rybacki E (2002) Rock fracture toughness testing in mode II- punch-through shear test. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 39(6):755–769
Barton N (2007) Rock quality, seismic velocity, attenuation and anisotropy. Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 0-415-39441-4
Barton N, Shen B (2017) Risk of shear failure and extensional failure around over-stressed excavations in brittle rock. J Rock Mech Geotech Eng 9(2):210–225
Bodvarsson G (1969) On the temperature of water flowing through fractures. J Geophys Res 74(8):1987–1991
Crouch SL, Starfield AM (1983) Boundary element methods in solid mechanics. George Allen & Unwin, London
Fairhurst C, Cook NGW (1967) The phenomenon of rock splitting parallel to the direction of maximum compression in the neighbourhood of a surface. Proc 1st Cong ISRM, Lisbon 1:687–692
Itasca (2004) UDEC version 4.0 – theoretical and background (Fluid flow in joints). Itasca Consulting Group, Inc, Minneapolis
Klee G, Bunger A, Meyer G, Rummel F, Shen B (2011) In situ stresses in borehole blanche-1/South Australia derived from breakouts, core discing and hydraulic fracturing to 2 km depth. Rock Mech Rock Eng 44:531–540
Li VC (1991) Mechanics of shear rupture applied to earthquake zones. In: Atkinson KB (ed) Fracture mechanics of rock. Academic, London, pp 351–428
Louise C (1969) A study of groundwater flow in jointed rock and its influence on the stability of rock masses (Imperial College, Rock Mech. Research Report No. 10, 1969)
Min K-B, Rutqvist J, Tsang C-F, Jing L (2005) Thermally induced mechanical and permeability changes around a nuclear waste repository—a far-field study based on equivalent properties determined by a discrete approach. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 42:765–780
Petit J-P, Barquins M (1988) Can natural faults propagate under mode II conditions? Tectonics 7(6):1243–1256
Rao Q (1999) Pure shear fracture of brittle rock – a theoretical and laboratory study. PhD Thesis, Lulea University of Technology
Reyes O, Einstein HH (1991) Failure mechanism of fractured rock — a fracture coalescence model. Proc 7th Int Con on Rock Mechanics 1:333–340
Rinne M (2000) Propagation of rock fractures in the vicinity of a canister hole for spent nuclear fuel. Licentiate Thesis. Royal Institute of Technology, Engineering Geology. Stockholm, Sweden. ISBN 91-7170-617-8
Rinne M (2008) Fracture mechanics and subcritical crack growth approach to model time-dependent failure in brittle rock. Doctoral dissertation. Helsinki University of Technology, Rock Engineering. ISBN 978-951-22-9434-3. http://lib.tkk.fi/Diss/2008/isbn9789512294350/
Rinne M, Shen B (2007) Numerical simulation of core tests using FRACOD in understanding and characterizing of the Excavation Disturbed Zone (EDZ). DECOVALEX Task B Phase 2 report. In Hudson and Jing 2007. SKI Report 2007:08. Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate
Rinne M, Shen B, Lee H-S, Jing L (2003) Thermo-mechanical simulations of pillar spalling in SKB APSE test by FRACOD. In: GeoProc International Symposium, Stockholm, Sweden, August 2003
Rinne M, Shen B, Lee H-S (2004) Modelling of fracture development of APSE by FRACOD. Äspö Pillar Stability Experiment. R-04-04. Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co (SKB), Stockholm, Sweden
Rutqvist J, Chijimatsu M, Jing L, De Jonge J, Kohlmeier M, Millard A, Nguyen TS, Rejeb A, Souley M, Sugita Y, Tsang C-F (2005) Numerical study of the THM effects on the near-field safety of a hypothetical nuclear waste repository – BMT1 of the DECOVALEX III project. Part 3: effects of THM coupling in fractured rock. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 42:745–755
Shen B (1993) Mechanics of fractures and intervening bridges in hard rocks. Doctorate Thesis, Royal Institute of Technology, ISBN 91-7170-140-0
Shen B (2008) Borehole breakout and in situ stresses. SHIRMS 2008 1:407–418
Shen B, Shi J (2016) Analysis of fracturing-hydraulic coupling in transversely isotropic rocks and a case study on CO2 sequestration. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 88:206–220
Shen B, Stephansson O (1993) Numerical analysis of mixed mode I and mode II fracture propagation. Special issue for the 34th U.S. Symposium of rock mechanics. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 30:861–867
Shen B, Stephansson O (1994) Modification of the G-criterion of crack propagation in compression. Int J Eng Fract Mech 47(2):177–189
Shen B, Stephansson O, Einstein HH, Ghahreman B (1995) Coalescence of fractures under shear stresses in experiments. J Geophys Res 100(B4):5975–5990
Shen B, Stephansson O, Rinne M (2002) Simulation of borehole breakouts using FRACOD2D. Oil & Gas Science and Technology – Revue de l’IFP, special issue for International Workshop of Geomechanics in Reservoir Simulation – 5 to 7 December 2001 – IFP. Rueil-Malmaison, France 57(5):579–590
Shen B, Stephansson O, Rinne M, Lee H-S, Jing L, Roshoff K (2004) A fracture propagation code and its applications to nuclear waste disposal. Int J Rock Mech Mining Sci 41(3):448–449. Paper 2B 02 — SINOROCK2004 Symposium
Shen B, Kim H-M, Park E-S, et al (2008) Coupled thermal-fracture behaviour of rock: laboratory tests and numerical code development. CSIRO Exploration and Mining Report P 2008/2677
Shen B, Kim HM, Lee JM, Lee HS, Junker R, Rinne M, Backers T, Stephansson O (2009) Coupled thermal/fracturing process of rocks. In: 43rd US Rock Mechanics Symposium, Asheville, ARMA 09-65, pp 1–8
Shen B, Stephansson O, Rinne M, Amemiya K, Yamashi R, Toguri S, Asano H (2011) FRACOD modelling of rock fracturing and permeability change in excavation-damaged zone. Int J Geomech 11:302–331
Shen B, Kim HM, Park ES, Kim TK, Wuttke M, Rinne M, Backers T, Meier T, Stephansson O (2012) Multi-region boundary element analysis for coupled thermal-fracturing processes in geomaterials. Rock Mech Rock Eng 46:135–151
Shen B, Guo H, Ko TY, Lee SC, Kim J, Kim HM, Park ES, Wuttke M, Backers T, Rinne M, Stephansson O (2013) Coupling rock fracture propagation with thermal and fluid flow processes. Int J Geomech 13:794–808
Shen B, Stephansson O, Rinne M (2014) Modelling rock fracturing processes: a fracture mechanics approach using FRACOD. Springer (publisher), 173p, ISBN 978-94-007-6903
Shi J, Shen B (2014) Approximation schemes of stresses on elements for the three dimensional displacement discontinuity method. Eng Anal Bound Elem 48:63–72
Shi J, Shen B, Stephensson O, Rinne M (2014) A three-dimensional crack growth simulator with displacement discontinuity method. Eng Anal Bound Elem 48:73–86
Siren T, Uotinen L, Rinne M, Shen B (2014) Fracture mechanics modelling of an in situ concrete spalling experiment. Rock Mech Rock Eng 48(4):1423–1438. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-014-0646-1
Stephansson O, Shen B, Rinne M, et al (2003) Geomechanical evaluation and analysis of research shafts and galleries in MIU projects, Japan. In: Environmental rock engineering. Proceedings the 1st Kyoto international symposium on underground environment – role of geo-technology to the underground environment. March 17018, 2003/Kyoto Japan, pp 39–45
Tsang C-F, Jing L, Stephansson O, Kautsky F (2005) The DECOVALEX III project: a summary of activities and lessons learned. Int J Rock Mech & Mining Sci 42(5–6):593–612
Xie LM, Min K-B, Shen B (2014) Displacement discontinuity method modelling of hydraulic fracturing with pre-existing fractures. In: Proceeding of 48th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, ARMA 14-7464
Acknowledgements
The authors would also like to thank our collaborative partners in the International Collaboration Project on Coupled Fracture Mechanics Modelling, including but not limited to Prof. Yunliang Tan, Dr. Johannes Suikkanen, Dr. Eui Seob Park, Dr. Yongbok Jung, Dr. Kwang Yeom Kim, Dr. Li Zhuang, Prof. Xiaochun Li, Dr. Bin Bai, Prof. Chun’an Tang, Prof. Ki-Bok Min, Dr. Linmao Xie, Dr. Jonny Rutqvist, Prof. Simon Loew, Prof. Mikael Rinne, Prof Günter Zimmermann, Dr. Arno Zang and Prof. Weiguo Liang. Our appreciation is extended to Dr. Hua Guo and Dr. Jingyu Shi for their involvement and support. This work is partially supported by Shandong Province’s Taishan Scholar Talent Team Support Plan for Advantaged & Unique Discipline Areas.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shen, B., Stephansson, O., Rinne, M. (2020). Modelling Rock Fracturing Processes with FRACOD. In: Shen, B., Stephansson, O., Rinne, M. (eds) Modelling Rock Fracturing Processes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35525-8_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35525-8_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-35524-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-35525-8
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)