Application of a non-linear confinement sensitive constitutive model to mine scale simulations subject to varying levels of confining stress (LR2 model)

on Jun 12, 2012 in Downloads, Papers

Application of a non-linear confinement sensitive constitutive model to mine scale simulations subject to varying levels of confining stress (LR2 model)

V. Levkovitch, F. Reusch, Beck Engineering, Germany
D. Beck, Beck Engineering, Sydney, Australia

The Mohr failure envelope for rock materials is a convex curve strongly dependent on the level of confinement and truncated at low normal stresses. The most commonly applied failure criterion – the Mohr-Coulomb criterion – matches the observed failure envelope poorly. Using this criterion it is not possible to accurately describe rock failure over the whole range of expected confinement conditions for many prob-lems and instead the engineer must choose parameters that will be applicable over only a limited range of confining stress. Accordingly, to achieve satisfactory results in a numerical simulation where operating condi-tions are ranging from open pit to deep underground a more realistic non linear failure criterion and plastic strain potential are required. In this paper we will focus on the application of a modified Menétrey and Willam constitutive model, utilising a smooth approximation of the Hoek-Brown failure criterion, to better account for the effects of varying confinement on the yield potential and the relationship between stress and strain.

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