PARAMETER DETERMINATION IN ELASTIC ANALYSIS OF JOINTED ROCK MASSES BY CRACK TENSOR THEORY

Stress strain relations of rock masses are considerably different from that of intact rocks due to the presence of geological discontinuities such as joints and faults. In this paper, finite element analyses on these discontinuous materials are performed by using the elastic compliance tensor in terms of “Crack Tensor” proposed by Oda (1983) with the conclusion that the crack tensor approach provides a sound basis for approximating linear and non-linear elastic behaviour of rock masses. It has also become clear that input parameters for the finite element analyses can be determined by analyzing conventional tests on geological materials both in laboratory and in-situ.