CALIBRATION OF A UNIAXIAL COMPRESSION TEST FOR ROCK USING THE DISCRETE ELEMENT METHOD IN LS-DYNA

The discrete element method (DEM) was combined with the finite element method (FEM) approach to investigate the numerical response of granite material under uniaxial compression loading. A calibration analysis was performed in this study using the commercial software LS-DYNA. The aim of this work was to calibrate the micro-parameters in a numerical simulation using a bonded particle model of granite rock. In this DEM-FEM simulation, the rock specimen was modelled in DEM, while the steel plates were simulated using FEM. The numerical analysis was then compared to experimental data from a standard uniaxial compression test. The results show that the DEM-FEM simulation can reproduce the trends in the experimentally observed stress-strain curve for granite rock under uniaxial compressive loading. Comparisons were carried out of the values for UCS and Young's modulus from experimental data and numerical analysis, and these showed that the UCT DEM/BPM model fits within the range of values for UCS and Young's modulus from laboratory test results, i.e. 52.63–87.96 MPa and 10.13–20.76 GPa.