A DEM model for soft and hard rocks: Role of grain interlocking on strength

The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is increasingly used to simulate the behavior of rock. Despite their intrinsic capability to model fracture initiation and propagation starting from simple interaction laws, classical DEM formulations using spherical discrete elements suffer from an intrinsic limitation to properly simulate brittle rock behavior characterized by high values of UCS/TS ratio associated with non-linear failure envelopes, as observed for hard rock like granite. The present paper shows that the increase of the interaction range between the spherical discrete elements, which increases locally the density of interaction forces (or interparticle bonds), can overcome this limitation. It is argued that this solution represents a way to implicitly take into account the degree of interlocking associated to the microstructural complexity of rock. It is thus shown that increasing the degree of interlocking between the discrete elements which represent the rock medium, in addition to enhancing the UCS/TS ratio, results in a non-linear failure envelop characteristic of low porous rocks. This approach improves significantly the potential and predictive capabilities of the DEM for rock modeling purpose. A special emphasis is put on the model ability to capture the fundamental characteristics of brittle rocks in terms of fracture initiation and propagation. The model can reproduce an essential component of brittle rock failure, that is, cohesion weakening and frictional strengthening as a function of rock damage or plastic strain. Based on model predictions, it is finally discussed that frictional strengthening may be at the origin of the brittle ductile transition occurring at high confining pressures.