抄録
Manifold Method (MM) is a newly developed numerical tool in analyzing both continuous and discontinuous problems. By employing the concept of cover and two sets of meshes, MM can simulate the small and large-scale deformation of materialsas well as the failure and movement of block system. In the present paper the original MM is extended by adding the consideration of crack propagation in failure process into the numerical procedure. The extended version of MM is then applied to simulate the initiation and propagation of cracks in dam foundation with weak zone such as faults and joints. The failure process and corresponding bearing capacity are predicted, and the computed results are compared with those of the experiment. It is convinced that the extended version of MM can reproduce the initiation of cracks and the failure process reasonably well.
