Creation of a 3D geomechanical model to assess rock mass stability

Abstract

The use of 3D geomechanical models to assess rock stability is a common practice in present-day research. Creation of a 3D geomechanical model represents a key stage in studying the stress-and-strain state of rocks. The paper presents a theoretical overview of the rock stress-and-strain state calculation. The main objective of the research is to create a geomechanical numerical model aimed at describing the stress-and-strain state of rocks. Distribution of the stress tensor components for different directions of the forces applied and other boundary conditions was determined during the stress-and-strain modeling in order to determine the limits of their changes. Modeling of the stress-and-strain state in a 3D formulation was performed using the finite element method in the COMSOL Multiphysics software suite, which is a common approach among the researchers.