Numerical homogenization study on the effects of columnar jointed structure on the mechanical properties of rock mass

Columnar jointed structures are often observed in basalt rock masses and play an important role in controlling the mechanical behaviors. In this paper, a homogenization-based modeling method is proposed to study the effects of columnar jointed structure on the mechanical properties of rock masses. Firstly, a modified constrained centroid Voronoi tessellation (CCVT) algorithm is developed to generate realistic columnar jointed structures. Secondly, a numerical homogenization study is conducted with the models to estimate their mechanical parameters. Comparisons with in-situ testing results indicate that the homogenization-based modeling method using a periodic boundary condition gives satisfactory estimations of the mechanical properties. A parametric study shows that the elastic parameters of columnar jointed rock mass are closely dependent on the characteristics of the columnar joints: joint density, thickness, coefficient of variation, and infilled material property. The findings in this study are useful for understanding the mechanical properties of columnar jointed rock masses as well as crystalline rocks.