Numerical modelling of rock materials with polygonal finite elements

This article presents some preliminary results on numerical modeling of rock ma-terials with polygonal finite elements. A method to describe the rock microstructure based onVoronoi diagrams, representing the rock grain texture, is sketched. In this method, the mineralsconstituting the rock are represented as Voronoi cells which themselves are polygonal finite ele-ments. A three-point bending problem under plane stress linear elasticity condition is solved inorder to compare the performance of polygonal elements to ordinary finite elements. Moreover,it is demonstrated by solving the stress state in uni-axial compression that the heterogeneitydescribed with the present method results in short_range tensile stresses which could initiatemode-I cracks.

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