Meshless numerical simulation on Frost cracking of rock masses containing random fissures under water-ice phase change

Abstract With the vigorous construction of water conservancy projects in the cold regions of western China, the frost heaving cracking problem of rock mass fissures in cold regions under the water-ice phase change seriously threatens the safety of projects. This study aims to explore the fracture la...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wenwei Zhu, Xingyi Yang, Bin Liu, Xuejiao Han, Shuyang Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09993-x
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract With the vigorous construction of water conservancy projects in the cold regions of western China, the frost heaving cracking problem of rock mass fissures in cold regions under the water-ice phase change seriously threatens the safety of projects. This study aims to explore the fracture laws of rock masses containing random fissures under frost heaving, providing a basis for frost-resistant design and disaster prevention in cold region projects. The study uses the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method. A failure coefficient, a discrete format of the heat conduction equation, and an equivalent thermal expansion coefficient method are introduced to build the model. The Monte Carlo method is used to generate random fissures, and numerical simulations are carried out by setting different fissure lengths, numbers, and dip angles. The results show that different fissure lengths, numbers, and dip angles have different effects on the frost heaving failure patterns of rocks. An increase in length makes secondary cracks more likely to overlap, the cracks become coarser, more complex, and their expansion accelerates. An increase in the number of fissures makes the crack distribution denser, the overlapping and merging of cracks accelerate, and they are distributed in blocks. Changes in the dip angle affect the crack direction, finally, through-going cracks can be formed. By comparing with previous experiments, the rationality of the simulation method is verified. Although the SPH method has certain advantages, there are differences between the simplifications of random fissures and the actual situation. In the follow-up, a three-dimensional SPH method should be developed and combined with non-destructive testing techniques to more accurately simulate the frost heaving mechanical behavior of rocks and support the construction of rock engineering in cold regions.
ISSN:2045-2322