In the modeling of rock mechanics and rock engineering problems, one is faced with the choice of continuum or discrete methods, depending on the problem scale and the geometry of the discontinuous features in rock and in rock masses. Typically, continuum methods are used when no fractures or many fractures are present, whereas discrete methods are more appropriate for describing moderately fractured media containing a limited number of discontinuities.
Continuum modeling by closed-form solutions was used very early in “rock mechanics and the design of structures in rock” (Obert and Duvall 1967), soon to be superseded by numerical methods, mainly the finite element method, FEM (Zienkiewicz and Cheung 1967). With the rock mass being recognized as “made up of a large number of elements… influenced by two basic properties, its immense anisotropy and discontinuity…” (Müller 1974), the attention moved to discontinuum modeling.
With the well-known “Goodman joint element” (Goodman et al. 1968) implemented in FEM codes, discontinuum modeling became possible, although large-scale opening, sliding, and complete detachment was not permitted. It was only with the landmark paper presented in Nancy, France, by Peter Cundall (1971) that the representation of rock masses as “blocky rock systems” was initiated with the discrete element method (DEM).
A remarkable development of DEM took place in the following years (e.g., Jing 2003; Sainsbury et al. 2011). These methods are enjoying, today, a wide application in rock mechanics and rock engineering by the research community and practicing engineers, in 2D and 3D simulations, in static and dynamic conditions. At the same time, efforts are being undertaken to develop alternative formulations for dealing with discontinuum modeling, including fracturing and coupled processes simulations.
The Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering Journal has edited this special issue with the intent of providing a view of present trends, with a number of recently received papers, where some of the above-mentioned discontinuum modeling aspects are discussed. However, it is not the intent to provide our readers with a comprehensive presentation of the state-of-the-art of this type of modeling.
References
Cundall PA (1971) A computer model for simulating progressive large scale movements in blocky rock systems. In: Proceedings of the international symposium on rock fracture, Nancy, October 1971. International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM), vol 1, paper no. II–8, pp 129–136
Goodman RE, Taylor RL, Brekke TL (1968) A model for the mechanics of jointed rock. J Soil Mech Found Div ASCE 94(SM3):637–659
Jing L (2003) A review of techniques, advances and outstanding issues in numerical modelling for rock mechanics and rock engineering. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 40(3):283–353
Müller L (1974) Technical parameters of rock and rock masses. In: Rock mechanics, course held in 1972 at the Department of Mechanics of Solids, International Centre for Mechanical Sciences (CISM), Udine, Italy. Springer, New York, pp 16–34
Obert L, Duvall WI (1967) Rock mechanics and the design of structures in rock, 1st edn. Wiley, New York, 650 pp
Sainsbury D, Hart R, Detournay C, Nelson M (2011) Continuum and distinct element numerical modeling in geomechanics. In: Proceedings of the 2nd international FLAC/DEM symposium, Melbourne, Australia, February 2011
Zienkiewicz OC, Cheung YK (1967) The finite element method in structural and continuum mechanics, 1st edn. McGraw-Hill, London, p 272
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Barla, G. Editorial. Rock Mech Rock Eng 45, 647 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-012-0302-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-012-0302-6