Abstract:

The presence of discontinuities in a rock mass may have a significant influence on shear strength. The most popular method currently used to determine the joint shear strength is a direct shear test which can be performed by using a direct shear apparatus. In this article, the direct shear tests on jointed rock under constant normal load condition are carried out using the code FLAC3D. A rough joint of rock sample is simulated via using 3D-scanned data. The shear behaviour of rock joint at a given different normal stresses corresponded well to those observed in laboratory tests. The numerical simulation results also show that the normal stress concentration at contact areas, especially at the tips of asperities, is higher in comparison to initial applied normal stress and can lead to failure of these parts.