| The process of fracture formation due to volume changing processes has been studied
numerically in a variety of different settings, e.g. fracture initiation in general volume
increasing reactions by Ulven et al.[4], weathering of dolerites by Røyne et al.[2], and
volume reduction during chemical decomposition prosesses by Malthe-Sørenssen et al.[1].
Common to many previous works is that the simulations were performed in a 2D setting, due
to computational limitations.
Fractures observed both in field studies and in experiments are in many cases three
dimensional. It remains an open question in what cases the simplification to 2D systems is
applicable, and when a full 3D simulation is necessary.
In this study, we use a newly developed 3D code combining elements from the discrete
element model (DEM) with elements from Peridynamics[3]. We study fracture formation in
fully three dimensional simulations, and compare them with simulation results from 2D
DEM, thus gaining insight in both qualitative and quantitative differences between results
from 2D and 3D simulations.
References
[1]Malthe-Sørenssen, A., Jamtveit, B., and Meakin, P., “Fracture Patterns
Generated by Diffusion Controlled Volume Changing Reactions,” Phys. Rev. Lett.
96, 2006, pp. 245501-1 – 245501-4.
[2]Røyne, A., Jamtveit, B., and Malthe-Sørenssen, A., “Controls on rock
weathering rates by reaction-induced hierarchial fracturing,” Earth Planet. Sci.
Lett. 275, 2008, pp. 364 – 369.
[3]Silling, S. A., “Reformulation of elasticity theory for discontinuities and
long-range forces,” J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 48, Issue 1, 2000, pp. 175 – 209
[4]Ulven, O. I., Storheim, H., Austrheim, H., and Malthe-Sørenssen, A.,
“Fracture Initiation During Volume Increasing Reactions in Rocks and
Applications for CO2 Sequestration”, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 389C, 2014, pp.
132 – 142. |