Modelling of Rock Joints Interface under Cyclic Loading

The problem of numerical simulation of the material interface response under monotonic and cyclic loading is of fundamental scientific and engineering importance. In fact, such interfaces occur in most engineering and geotechnical structures. The present work is devoted to the deformational response analysis of contact interfaces under monotonic and cyclic loads. The class of materials includes rock and structural joints, soil structure interfaces, masonry and cementitious joints, localized shear bands and so on.

The aim of the proposed model is to simulate the cyclic shear test under constant normal load. The associated dilatancy effect is associated with the configurational effects of asperity interaction or dilatancy of wear debris layer. The large primary asperities are assumed as responsible for interfacial dilation and small size asperities as governing frictional sliding and hysteresis response. The elliptic loading yield function is assumed to translate and rotate during progressive or reverse loading events. The model formulation is discussed and confronted with experimental data.