Abstract
The deformation and strength characteristics of jointed rocks are highly affected by the condition of joint patterns in the rocks, which is not easy to estimate from normal exploration methods. Therefore, random or regular distribution of joints is usually adopted in the numerical discritization. This paper proposes a method to analyse the behavior of a jointed rock mass using the Voronoi tessellation for the element discritization. The distinct element method (DEM) is applied to track the elements which are in motion due to applied loads. Uniaxial compression tests, direct shear tests on jointed rock specimens were simulated in different conditions to demonstrate the capability of the proposed method. Also the problems of bearing capacity and slope stability in jointed rock masses are investigated by the method and it is clearly shown that the special features of the failure modes in the jointed rocks can be modelled by the proposed method.
