Published 6 issues per year
ISSN Print: 1543-1649
ISSN Online: 1940-4352
Indexed in
Modeling of Mechanical Behavior of Geomaterials on the Mesoscale
ABSTRACT
To analyze deformation of geomaterials with space and time, two modeling methods are described: a dynamic method where fracture is taken into account explicitly with special emphasis on crack system formation, their coalescence, etc.; a quasi-static method where specific consideration is given to the influence of temperature at quasi-static loading. The constitutive equations used take into account the dilatancy effects, damage accumulation, and degradation of mechanical properties. Consideration is given to calculation examples of deformation and damage localization observed at various scales, namely, from small laboratory samples up to huge crustal elements. In the framework of the dynamic approach, the formations of bands of localized deformation in the vicinity of a failed inclusion and within a medium layer in shear are obtained. Features of strain localization for several geological models of the lithosphere are presented. In the framework of the quasi-static approach, the formation of ring-like structures under cooling of a heterogeneous media is discussed. These problems are considered as the problems of mesoscale since essential meso-constituents are taken into account.