A coupling model of the discontinuous deformation analysis method and the finite element method

Neither the finite element method nor the discontinuous deformation analysis method can solve problems very well in rock mechanics and engineering due to their extreme complexities. A coupling method combining both of them should have wider applicability. Such a model coupling the discontinuous deformation analysis method and the finite element method is proposed in this paper. In the model, so-called line blocks are introduced to deal with the interaction via the common interfacial boundary of the discontinuous deformation analysis domain with the finite element domain. The interfacial conditions during the incremental iteration process are satisfied by means of the line blocks. The requirement of gradual small displacements in each incremental step of this coupling method is met through a displacement control procedure. The model is simple in concept and is easy in numerical implementation. A numerical example is given. The displacement obtained by the coupling method agrees well with those obtained by the finite element method, which shows the rationality of this model and the validity of the implementation scheme.