Learning

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Software Tutorials

PFC 7 Creation of a Synthetic Rock Mass (SRM) Specimen

This tutorial will guide you through how to create a fractured Synthetic Rock Mass (SRM) specimen.

Working with Building Blocks in FLAC3D 6 (Part 2)

This video demonstrates filling the empty space between key model elements and out to the far field boundary using Building Blocks in FLAC3D 6.

PFC 7 Generating A Bonded Assembly

This tutorial will guide you through how to create a simple material using the linear parallel bond-model.

Technical Papers

Quantifying the Effect of Localized Depressurization on a Deep Underground Ore Body at the Mcarthur River Mine through Cross Hole Hydraulic Testing and Groundwater Modeling

The McArthur River mine in northern Saskatchewan is the largest single producer of uranium in the world.

The role of rock mass heterogeneity and buckling mechanisms in excavation performance in foliated ground at Westwood Mine, Quebec

Operations at Westwood mine in Quebec, Canada were temporarily halted in May 2015 after three large-magnitude seismic events occurred over two days. The mechanisms leading to these events, which caused severe damage to several accesses, were not well understood at first. This paper presents the key aspects of FLAC3D back-analysis modelling, which include (1) an anisotropic rock mass strength model with properties derived from field and laboratory strength testing, and (2) a scheme to account implicitly for the deconfinement that accompanies buckling around excavations.

Blast Movement Simulation Through a Hybrid Approach of Continuum, Discontinuum, and Machine Learning Modeling

This work presents a hybrid modeling approach to efficiently estimate and optimize rock movement during blasting. A small-scale continuum model simulates early-stage, near-field blasting physics and generates synthetic data to train a machine learning (ML) model. Key parameters such as expanded hole diameter, burden velocity, and gas pressure are obtained through the ML model, which then inform a discontinuum model to predict far-field muckpile formation. The approach captures essential blast physics while significantly accelerating blast design optimization.