The Distinct Element Method — Application to Structures in Jointed Rock

This paper presents a brief review of the distinct element method (DEM) with particular emphasis on techniques for handling contact detection. In addition, various approaches for parallelization are considered. Our primary focus is on applying the DEM to simulations of the attack and defense of buried facilities. Some continuum approaches to this problem are discussed along with results from underground explosions. Finally, our DEM code is used to simulate dynamic loading of a tunnel in jointed rock and preliminary results are presented demonstrating the suitability of the DEM for this application.