Effect of Grain Level Anisotropy on Numerical Rock Fracture Behaviour under Dynamic Loading

Abstract

The effect of rock crystal anisotropy is tested in numerical simulation of rock fracture at the laboratory sample level of scale. For this end, a numerical model based on the embedded discontinuity finite element method is applied here in simulations of uniaxial tension test on granitic rock. The rock material, consisting of Quartz (trigonal), Feldspar (triclinic) and Biotite (taken hexagonal here), is described as a linear elastic (up to fracture) heterogeneous and anisotropic material, which fails upon reaching the tensile strength of the individual constituent minerals. In the simulations of uniaxial tension test at two different levels of strain rate, the effect of averaged versus anisotropic elastic constants is tested. The results demonstrate that the effect of anisotropy is stronger at low strain rates (0.25 s-1 here), resulting in macrocrack planes at different locations for the isotropic and anisotropic material descriptions, while at higher rates (25 s-1 here) its notable effects disappear in the details of multiple macrocracks.