Application of Dominant Crack Algorithm (DCA) to dynamic tensile failure of rocks

Dominant crack algorithm (DCA) is a micromechanics model for tensile failure of brittle materials. In this model, both microscopic material parameters and the macroscopic material parameters are included to construct the material constitutive relation. The key concept of the model is the growth of the crack and thus the degradation of the material. The constitutive relations of the DCA model and the calculation procedure of the DCA modeling are first presented. The sensitivity analysis of the microscopic DCA parameters is then carried out. To apply the DCA modeling to Laurentian granite, a nonlinear regression method Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is utilized to obtain the microscopic DCA parameters. The comparison of the modeling results and the experimental results of dynamic tensile stress history shows that the DCA is applicable to the dynamic tensile strength of rock materials.