A four-way enhanced numerical manifold method for crack propagation and failure analysis of rock slopes

A four-way enhanced numerical manifold method (NMM) is proposed in order to simulate crack propagation in rock media and progressive failure of jointed rock slopes. Specifi-cally, the original NMM is improved in the following four aspects: (1) An enriched lo -cal approximation is employed to characterize singularity and discontinuity of the dis-placement/stress fields near the crack tip. (2) A modified generalized Duffy transforma-tion is proposed to improve the accuracy of numerical integration associated with the 1/ r and 1 / root r singularities. (3) A critical length cracking criterion is introduced to determine propagation length and direction for both tensile-shear and compressive-shear cracks in rock mass. (4) A cone-complementary-based contact formulation is incorporated to re-solve the cohesive/frictional contact phenomena between discontinuous interfaces more accurately. Some examples demonstrate the performance and application prospect of the presented NMM in stability and failure analysis of the jointed rock slopes. (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Automated summary

The four-way enhanced numerical manifold method (NMM) improves the simulation of crack propagation in rock media and progressive failure of jointed rock slopes by enhancing local approximation, numerical integration accuracy, cracking criterion, and contact formulation. Examples demonstrate the performance and application prospect of the presented NMM in stability and failure analysis of jointed rock slopes.