A pressure pulse is being applied to the tunnel boundary with a frequency of 4 Hz over tens of milliseconds. Quiet (i.e., viscous) boundaries have been applied to all but the top of the model, which remains a free surface.
This video demonstrates using a library set of Building Blocks as a starting point for creating a new model. In this example, cylindrical blocks are snapped together to represent a tunnel and intersected with other blocks representing a nearby wall.
This tutorial will guide you through the main steps required to build a simple PFC model with 30 interacting balls in a box using the linear contact model.
A major use of DFN models for industrial applications is to evaluate permeability and flow structure in hardrock aquifers from geological observations of fracture networks. The relationship between the statistical fracture density distributions and permeability has been extensively studied, but there has been little interest in the spatial structure of DFN models, which is generally assumed to be spatially random (i.e., Poisson). In this paper, we compare the predictions of Poisson DFNs to new DFN models where fractures result from a growth process defined by simplified kinematic rules for nucleation, growth, and fracture arrest.
As part of the Hybrid Stress Blast Model (HSBM) project, Itasca has developed software to model the rock blasting process.