• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1998.05a
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• pp.35-81
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• 1998

Distinct Element Method(DEM) has a great advantage to model the discontinuous behaviour of jointed rock masses such as rotation, sliding, and separation of rock blocks. Geometrical data of joints by a field monitoring is not enough to model the jointed rock mass though the results of DE analysis for the jointed rock mass is most sensitive to the distributional properties of joints. Also, it is important to use a properly joint law in evaluating the stability of a jointed rock mass because the joint is considered as the contact between blocks in DEM. In this study, a stochastic modelling technique is developed and the dilatant rock joint is numerically modelled in order to consider th geometrical and mechanical properties of joints in DE analysis. The stochastic modelling technique provides a assemblage of rock blocks by reproducing the joint distribution from insufficient joint data. Numerical Modelling of joint dilatancy in a edge-edge contact of DEM enable to consider not only mechanical properties but also various boundary conditions of joint. Preprocess Procedure for a stochastic DE model is composed of a statistical process of raw data of joints, a joint generation, and a block boundary generation. This stochastic DE model is used to analyze the effect of deviations of geometrical joint parameters on .the behaviour of jointed rock masses. This modelling method may be one tool for the consistency of DE analysis because it keeps the objectivity of the numerical model. In the joint constitutive law with a dilatancy, the normal and shear behaviour of a joint are fully coupled due to dilatation. It is easy to quantify the input Parameters used in the joint law from laboratory tests. The boundary effect on the behaviour of a joint is verified from shear tests under CNL and CNS using the numerical model of a single joint. The numerical model developed is applied to jointed rock masses to evaluate the effect of joint dilation on tunnel stability.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.401-410
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• 2003

This study investigates the biomechanical efficacies of various cement augmentation techniques with or without pressurization for varying degrees of osteoporotic femur. For this study, a biomechanical analysis using a finite element method (FEM) was undertaken to evaluate surgical procedures, Simulated models include the non-cemented(i.e., hip screw only, Type I), the cement-augmented(Type II), and the cemented augmented with pressurization(Type III) models. To simulate the fracture plane and other interfacial regions, 3-D contact elements were used with appropriate friction coefficients. Material properties of the cancellous bone were varied to accommodate varying degrees of osteoporosis(Singh indices, II∼V). For each model. the following items were analyzed to investigate the effect surgical procedures in relation to osteoporosis of varying degrees : (a) von Mises stress distribution within the femoral head in terms of volumetric percentages. (b) Peak von Mises stress(PVMS) within the femoral head and the surgical constructs. (c) Maximum von Mises strain(MVMS) within the femoral head, (d) micromotions at the fracture plane and at the interfacial region between surgical construct and surrounding bone. Type III showed the lowest PVMS and MVMS at the cancellous bone near the bone-construct interface regardless of bone densities. an indication of its least likelihood of construct loosening due to failure of the host bone. Particularly, its efficacy was more prominent when the bone density level was low. Micromotions at the interfacial surgical construct was lowest in Type III. followed by Type I and Type II. They were about 15-20% of other types. which suggested that pressurization was most effective in limiting the interfacial motion. Our results demonstrated the cement augmentation with hip screw could be more effective when used with pressurization technique for the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures. For patients with low bone density. its effectiveness can be more pronounced in limiting construct loosening and promoting bone union.