Investigation of the failure mechanisms of hard, competent rock lying on a soft, incompetent base by PFC2D

The geomechanic principles for the fracture processes of hard, competent rock lying on a soft, incompetent base are investigated using PFC^2D . The failure mechanisms of this system are primarily determined by the breaking and slipping of hard, competent rock and the squeezing out of the base material. The calculations shall show that the use of PFC makes it possible to model fracture processes in hard rock, ductile material behavior of the base material and run-out. The analyses are verified by comparisons with FLAC calculations.