• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.243-254
• /
• 2014

The present study introduces a numerical technique to simulate the mechanical behavior of brittle rock, based on a grain-based model combined with Universal Distinct Element Code (GBM-UDEC). Using the technique, the microstructure of rock sample was represented as an assembly of deformable polygonal grains, and the failure process with the evolution of micro tensile cracks under compression was examined. In terms of the characteristics of strength and deformation, the behaviors of the simulated model showed good agreement with the observations in the laboratory-scale experiments of rock.