A comprehensive numerical model of rough rock joints is described in this paper. It consists of stress and path dependent coupling of shear stresses, shear displacements, dilation, normal stresses, joint closure and tension failure. The mobilisation or reduction of joint roughness during shearing is taken into account. The incorporation of the model into a non-linear finite element program is also described, as are the special numerical techniques used for obtaining numerical stability. The efficiency of the model and the algorithms are demonstrated by using them to: (a) simulate a simplified shear experiment; and (b) calculate the slope protection provided by two walls of drilled piles. (TRRL)     «

A comprehensive numerical model of rough rock joints is described in this paper. It consists of stress and path dependent coupling of shear stresses, shear displacements, dilation, normal stresses, joint closure and tension failure. The mobilisation or reduction of joint roughness during shearing is taken into account. The incorporation of the model into a non-linear finite element program is also described, as are the special numerical techniques used for obtaining numerical stability. The effi...     »