ABSTRACT
Because of the capabilities of allowing large displacements and rotations of discrete blocks (including the complete detachment) and of modeling complex constitutive behaviors for both rock blocks and the discontinuities, the 3-D Distinct Element Code (3DEC) was chosen to investigate the rock mass stabilities for the present case study. This chapter introduces some underlying concepts and their corresponding numerical formulations. For example, general information is provided for the scheme of contact detection, the mechanical calculation cycle and the discretization technique in 3DEC. Then the details of the block and joint constitutive models and the rock reinforcement element relevant to this study are presented. They form the basis of understanding the numerical code and the theories of numerical simulations conducted in Chapter 7.
