Prediction of deformation behavior of jointed rock mass around cavern considering stress dependency of joint stiffness

A numerical procedure using a crack tensor is one method of analyzing a jointed rock mass. In this study, excavation analyses for a large-scale underground power station cavern are carried out with the finite element analysis modeling of the jointed rock mass by the crack tensors. The purpose of analyses is to investigate the influence of the stress dependency of joint stiffness on the stress and deformation around the cavern. The numerical results reveal that the numerical procedure newly taking into account the stress dependency of joint stiffness can be used to predict the deformation of the jointed rock mass more accurately than the conventional method for approximating the joint stiffness using constant values.