Simple Joints in UDEC

An UDEC simulation consists of weak joints embedded within an intact rock sample that is being subjected to a biaxial test to observe how internal damage propagates from and interacts between the two cracks. The intact rock is represented using a voronoi tessellation of blocks with strong contact properties. When bonded contacts fail, damage extends throughout the specimen.

Using the new GUI version of UDEC, block displacements are shown in the left-hand-side plot, damage is shown in the middle plot, and the vertical displacement versus the axial stress is shown (as measured from the top and bottom of the sample) in the right-hand-side plot.

Although the joints need to extend across the sample in UDEC, by varying the contact properties between weak joints and intact rock values, the joint extent can be limited to reflect the actual system.

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