A development of the discontinuous deformation analysis for rock fall analysis

Discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA), a discrete numerical analysis method, is used to simulate the behaviour of falling rock by applying a linear displacement function in the computations. However, when a block rotates, this linear function causes a change in block size called the free expansion phenomenon. In addition, this free expansion results in contact identification problems when the rotating blocks are close to each other. To solve this problem of misjudgment and to obtain a more precise simulation of the falling rock, a new method called Post‐Contact Adjustment Method has been developed and applied to the program. The basic procedure of this new method can be divided into three stages: using the linear displacement function to generate the global matrix, introducing the non‐linear displacement function to the contact identification, and applying it to update the co‐ordinates of block vertices. This new method can be easily applied to the original DDA program, demonstrating better contact identification and size conservation results for falling rock problems than the original program. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Boundary setting method for the seismic dynamic response analysis of engineering rock mass structures using the discontinuous deformation analysis method

Large deformations and discontinuous problems can be calculated using the discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) method by solving time steps, and this method is suitable for simulating the seismic dynamic response of engineering rock mass structures. However, the boundary setting must be carefully analyzed. In this paper, four boundary settings for the DDA method are investigated. First, the contributions to the DDA equations for nonreflecting boundaries (including the viscous boundary and the viscoelastic boundary) are deduced based on the Newmark method. Second, a free‐field boundary is introduced in the DDA method with boundary grid generation and coupling calculation algorithms to accurately simulate external source wave motion, such as earthquakes. Third, seismic input boundary treatments are intensively examined, and the force input method is introduced based on nonreflecting boundaries. Finally, the static‐dynamic unified boundary is implemented to ensure consistent boundary transformation. The boundary setting method in the DDA method is discussed, and the suggested treatments are used to analyze the seismic dynamic response of underground caverns. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

非连续变形分析中块体大转动问题研究

原有非连续变形分析（DDA）采用一阶近似后的位移增量表达式更新块体构形,推导相关子矩阵,且对不同时步计算出的应变增量直接叠加,当模拟的块体发生大转动时往往会产生较大误差。为考虑块体转动与变形的耦合作用,引入先变形、后转动的块体位移增量表达式。重新推导了惯性力子矩阵,将块体转动时的离心力与科氏力加到荷载矩阵中。计算时对应变分量及其相关变量进行坐标变换与修正,并采用新引入的位移增量表达式计算块体顶点位移,进行后接触修正与更新块体构形。数值算例表明,改进后的程序能够消除转动带来的误差,自动考虑了块体转动时离心力和科氏力引起的变形,应变计算精度更高。改进方法克服了块体体积自由膨胀、应变场畸变等问题,给出了合理的块体应变。     

Variational inequality-based particle discontinuous deformation analysis

Orienting the circular and rigid particle medium, the variational inequality-based discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) is established. In the proposed DDA, the global stiffness matrix, the penalty parameters, and the open-close iteration are successfully avoided. The contact constraint is transferred into the problem of variational or quasi-variational inequalities. And explicit variational expression on the contact force is firstly established. To speed up the rate of solving contact force, on the basis of the two-stage prediction-correction method, we design a compatibility iteration algorithm (PPC-CI). The C++ code is developed in multicore environment through the open multi-processing (OpenMP) in order to take advantage of the parallelizable features of the new DDA. Numerical tests suggest that the presented DDA is effective and promising.     

基于OpenMP的非连续变形分析并行计算方法

非连续变形分析（DDA）方法严格满足平衡要求和能量守恒,具有完全的运动学及数值可靠性,但对大规模岩土工程问题的数值模拟耗时太长,尤其是线性方程组求解,并行计算可以很好地解决该问题。首先基于DDA方法的基本理论,阐述了适用于DDA方法中的基于块的行压缩法和基于“试验-误差”迭代格式的非零位置记录;其次,引入块雅可比迭代法并行求解DDA方法的线性方程组,并改进了相应的非零存储方法;最后,基于OpenMP实现了DDA线性方程组求解并行计算,并将其应用于地下洞室群的破坏过程分析,以加速比为并行效率的指标评价,结果表明,该并行计算策略可以极大提高DDA的计算效率,而且适合各种规模的问题。     

节理岩质边坡变形的DDA模拟

对原非连续变形分析方法（DDA方法）中边界约束方法进行了推广，将其应用于节理岩质边坡变形规律的数值模拟，并利用模型实验结果验证了推广方法的正确性。     

膨胀土边坡稳定性非连续变形分析新方法

许多膨胀土边坡在长期的地质和干湿循环的自然气候作用下裂隙逐渐发展,以致被裂隙分割成块体系统。将膨胀土边坡看成是一个具有非饱和土本构关系、块体间存在摩擦力和膨胀力和具有牵引式滑动及时空效应特点的块体系统,建立了一种新的边坡稳定性非连续变形分析方法,并应用于某高速公路段膨胀土边坡稳定性的分析中,获到了很好的效果。     

非连续变形分析方法中的阻尼问题研究

定量研究了非连续变形分析(DDA)方法中的黏性阻尼与数值阻尼。首先,基于Newmark直接积分法,推导了块体系统的运动方程。其次,通过动力学中的黏性阻尼理论建立了DDA中动力系数、时间步长与黏性阻尼比的关系式,探讨了DDA中的常加速度积分方案的数值阻尼分区及阻尼比计算方法,进而得到两种阻尼共同作用时的阻尼比表达式,并分析了频域内阻尼比的分布情况。最后,以谐振激励下的块体振动为例,通过对比不同阻尼作用下块体位移的DDA计算值与理论解,验证了本文提出的阻尼比计算公式的正确性。研究表明：黏性阻尼对低频的衰减作用明显,数值阻尼则可以很快地消除高频干扰,而二者共同作用下可降低阻尼的频率相关性。该研究成果为DDA的振动、波动等动力计算的阻尼取值提供了理论依据。     

Generalized contact model for polyhedra in three‐dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis

We present a generalized contact computation model for arbitrarily shaped polyhedra to simplify the contact analysis in discontinuous deformation analysis. A list of generalized contact constraints can be established for contacting polyhedra during contact detection. Each contact constraint contains information for 2 contact points, unique contact plane, and related contact modes (open, locked, or sliding). Computational aspects of the generalized contact model include identification of contact positions and contact modes, uniform penalty formulation of generalized contact constraint, and uniform updating of contact modes and contact planes in the open‐close iteration. Compared with previous strategies, the generalized contact computation model has a simpler data structure and fewer memory requirements. Meanwhile, it simplifies the penalty formulation and facilitates the open‐close iteration check while producing enough accuracy. Illustrative examples show the ability of the method to handle the full range of polyhedral shapes.     

Review of validation of the discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) method

Over the last decade, researchers in the discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) community have dedicated a great deal of effort to document the accuracy of the method by performing validation studies. This paper contains a summary of more than 100 published and unpublished validation studies which comprise the body of DDA validation information to which the authors have access. The studies are grouped into three general categories: (a) validation with respect to analytical solutions, (b) validation with respect to results of other numerical techniques, and (c) validation with respect to laboratory and field data. Three general techniques for validation are described: qualitative assessment visually examining runtime behaviour of simulations, semi‐quantitative assessment comparing numerical results of simulations, and quantitative where numerical simulation results are evaluated in detail with respect to similar analytical, laboratory or field results. We find that for many of the problems addressed by the papers in this review, DDA performs more than adequately for engineering analysis. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unified displacement boundary constraint formulation for discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA)

Displacement boundary constraints in discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) are applied using stiff penalty springs. A co‐ordinate‐free formulation for displacement boundary constraints is presented here for DDA, which unifies previous derivations for points of fixity, and for points constrained to induce or prohibit block motion in specified directions as a function of location or time. Examples for each type of constraint are used to illustrate the behaviour of the algorithm and provide a link with previous formulations for each case. The new, unified formulation has five benefits: (1) simple to express algorithmically; (2) easy to program and verify; (3) penalty values in different directions may be chosen to allow fixed points, lines, curves or planes; (4) formulation works for 2D and 3D; (5) displacement constraint may be a function of time or location or both. Feedback in the algorithm may induce internal resonance in homogeneously deformable discrete elements used in DDA, and resonance in block‐to‐block contact interactions. Consequently, high mass problems with insufficient damping may suffer from excessive ‘vibrational hammering’, inducing physically implausible behaviour such as elastic rebound. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nodal-based three-dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis (3-D DDA)

This paper presents a new numerical model that can add a finite element mesh into each block of the three-dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis (3-D DDA), originally developed by Gen-hua Shi. The main objectives of this research are to enhance DDA block’s deformability. Formulations of stiffness and force matrices in 3-D DDA with conventional Trilinear (8-node) and Serendipity (20-node) hexahedral isoparametric finite elements meshed block system due to elastic stress, initial stress, point load, body force, displacement constraints, inertia force, normal and shear contact forces are derived in detail for program coding. The program code for the Trilinear and Serendipity hexahedron elements have been developed, and it has been applied to some examples to show the advantages achieved when finite element is associated with 3-D DDA to handle problems under large displacements and deformations. Results calculated for the same models by use of the original 3-D DDA are far from the theoretical solutions while the results of new numerical model are quite good in agreement with theoretical solutions; however, for the Trilinear elements, more number of elements are needed.     

考虑时程竖向加速度的Newmark滑块位移法

利用改进的Newmark滑块位移法,采用时程竖向加速度计算屈服角加速度,运用拟静力极限平衡分析和地震动力反应分析计算土工结构地震永久变形。算例计算结果表明,屈服角加速度计算采用时程竖向加速度得到的滑动位移位于竖向加速度假定恒定向上或向下之间。适当改变筑坝土石料的动力刚度,研究了滑动体位移关于动力刚度的敏感性,为土工建筑物的抗震设计提供依据。     

Comparative study of Sarma's method and the discontinuous deformation analysis for rock slope stability analysis

This paper presents a comparative study of two methods, Sarma's method and the discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA), for rock slope stability analysis. The comparison concerns the stability analysis of two classic rock slopes. The study shows that the DDA, which accounts for the block kinematics, provides a very different factor of safety as compared with Sarma's method. More realistic reaction forces around each rock block can be obtained by the DDA, including the thrust forces between rock blocks and the forces between the base and the blocks. The DDA's result shows two possible directions for the relative movement between two contiguous blocks at the initiation of slope failure. It also indicates that the limit equilibrium condition may not occur along the interfaces of rock blocks at the initiation of slope failure. The determination of realistic interaction forces around each block will be very important in rock slope stability analysis if nonlinear failure criteria are considered.     

Effects of dynamic shear strength and time-histories stress analysis on newmark sliding block analyses

A simplified procedure for evaluating aseismic stability of slope subjected to earthquake shaking, in which the effect of dynamic shear strength and time-history stress on the yielding angular acceleration of sliding block is taken into account, is presented. The fundamental feature of this procedure is the dynamic shear strength. The numerical computations are performed by using the proposed method. It is shown that the computed sliding displacement for a given core dam, with either method of dynamic shear strength properly considered, is more rational compared with the conventional computational results based on static shear strength.     

Applying disk-based discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) to simulate Donghekou landslide triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake

In this paper, for the first time, disk-based discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) is applied to simulate a real landslide triggered by an earthquake. For this purpose, the kinematic behaviour of the Donghekou landslide triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake is simulated and the results obtained using disk-based DDA are compared with actual data. The comparisons show that there is a good agreement between the results obtained using disk-based DDA and observed data. The simulation results provided an understanding of the failure behaviour and temporal evolution of the landslide. This study shows that disk-based DDA is a practical numerical tool that can be used to simulate the post-failure behaviour of landslides triggered by an earthquake.     

非连续变形分析（DDA）线性方程组的高效求解算法

非连续变形分析(DDA)方法对大规模工程问题的数值模拟耗时太长,其中线性方程组求解耗时可占总计算时间的70%以上,因此,高效的线性方程组解法是重要研究课题。首先,阐述了适用于DDA方法的基于块的行压缩法和基于试验-误差迭代格式的非0位置记录;然后,针对DDA的子矩阵技术,将块雅可比迭代法 (BJ)、预处理的块共轭梯度法 (PCG,包括Jacobi-PCG、SSOR-PCG) 引入DDA方法,重点研究了线性方程组求解过程中的关键运算;最后,通过两个洞室开挖算例,分析了各线性方程组求解算法在DDA中的计算效率。研究表明：与迭代法相比,直解法无法满足大规模工程计算需要;BJ迭代法与块超松弛迭代法(BSOR)的效率差别不大,但明显不如PCG迭代法。因此,建议采用PCG迭代法求解DDA线性方程组,特别是SSOR-PCG值得推广;如果开展并行计算研究,Jacobi-PCG是较好的选择,当刚度矩阵惯性优势明显时,BJ迭代法同样有效。     

Highly efficient iterative methods for solving linear equations of three-dimensional sphere discontinuous deformation analysis

The efficiency of solving equations plays an important role in implicit-scheme discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA). A systematic investigation of six iterative methods, namely, symmetric successive over relaxation (SSOR), Jacobi (J), conjugate gradient (CG), and three preconditioned CG methods (ie, J-PCG, block J-PCG [BJ-PCG], and SSOR-PCG), for solving equations in three-dimensional sphere DDA (SDDA) is conducted in this paper. Firstly, simultaneous equations of the SDDA and iterative formats of the six solvers are presented. Secondly, serial and OpenMP-based parallel computing numerical tests are done on a 16-core PC, the result of which shows that (a) for serial computing, the efficiency of the solvers is in this order: SSOR-PCG > BJ-PCG > J-PCG > SSOR>J > CG, while for parallel computing, BJ-PCG is the best solver; and (b) CG is not only the most sensitive to the ill-condition of the equations but also the most time consuming under both serial and parallel computing. Thirdly, to estimate the effects of equation solvers acting on SDDA computations, an application example with 10 000 spheres and 200 000 calculation steps is simulated on this 16-core PC using serial and parallel computing. The result shows that SSOR-PCG is about six times faster than CG for serial computing, while BJ-PCG is about four times faster than CG for parallel computing. On the other hand, the whole computation time using BJ-PCG for parallel computing is 3.37 hours (ie, 0.061 s per step), which is about 36 times faster than CG for serial computing. Finally, some suggestions are given based on this investigation result.     

Accuracy of dynamic disk-based DDA with respect to a single sliding disk cluster

Disk clusters are developed to represent the shape of granular materials more precisely (compared to circular particles) and to minimise excessive rolling. Investigating the behaviour of dynamic disk-based discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) with disk clusters is very important to evaluate the applicability of disk-based DDA to dynamic problems in geomechanics. In this paper, the accuracy of disk-based DDA under dynamic conditions is studied by a comprehensive sensitivity analysis. The results obtained by disk-based DDA are compared with the analytical solutions of a disk cluster on an incline subjected to gravitational force only, and three different accelerations of increasing complexity with sinusoidal input functions as well as gravitational load. In this research, the effects of time step size and interface friction angles on the results are studied. Overall, most of the error for both velocity and displacement occurs at the beginning of the solution. With increasing friction angle, the initial perturbation of the solution increases in the case of sliding under gravitational force only, and decreases in the case of sliding under dynamic loads. This study shows that disk-based DDA predicts accurately the velocities and displacements derived with respect to the frictional resistance offered by the inclines.     

Seismic stability analysis of a rock block using the block theory and Newmark method

Seismic stability analysis of a rock block is an important issue in the field of rock mechanics and rock engineering. To solve this problem, the block theory and the Newmark method are combined, and a general method for seismic response of a rock block is introduced. First, the formation method of a three-dimensional rock block, which includes establishing a topological relationship among the block-polygon face-edge-vertex and dividing a complex block into convex subblocks, is presented, and the simplex integration method is employed to calculate the volume of a rock block and the areas of the polygonal faces. Second, the assumptions and algorithms of the general method for seismic response of a rock block are detailed. The dynamic analysis is carried out in time step. In each time step, the key technologies including analysis of the seismic force and motion mode, trial of the incremental displacement, check for the block entrance, and update of the motion parameters are performed in order. Last, two verification examples and three application examples including a wedge, a rock block of slope, and a combined rock block are used to analyze the correctness and practicality of the general method. The results show that, for a given ground motion record, the Newmark program can effectively simulate the dynamic response process of the motion mode, velocity, and safety factor of the rock block, and the permanent displacement under the earthquake action is obtained, which provides a quantitative parameter to evaluate the dynamic stability of a rock block.