Micromechanics-Based Continuum Model for Geological Material

Mechanical behaviors of geological material are governed by the existences and behaviors of microstructures such as joints or microcracks in rock mass. To find solutions to engineering problems such as design of a large scale cavern in jointed rock mass, the problems must be set as mathematical problems or boundary value problems in many cases.“Micromechanics-based Continuum (MBC) Modeling” provides a constitutive equations in the equivalent continuum problem by taking average of strain and stress over a representative volume element. This article introduces some examples of the application of the MBC modeling to geological materials and demonstrates how successfully the MBC modeling answers engineering requests.