Abstract
An alternative three-dimensional lattice spring numerical model, in which matter is discretised into a system of mass points, is developed for the study of rock-like materials. The model includes a normal spring and a shear spring for each pair of lattice points. The deformation of the shear spring is evaluated by using the local strain. In this method, to obtain the local strain, the rotation-related term in the relative displacement vector is calculated by the Euler equation for the rotation of imaginal rigid sphere. Relationships between the stiffness of the springs and the macro material elastic constants of the matter, e.g. the Young modulus and the Poisson's ration, are derived. The explicit-finite difference scheme is adopted to solve the system of equation of motion. Numerical examples are presented to show the abilities and properties of this method in modeling for simulation of deformation and failure of rocks and concrete.
