Modeling stress wave propagation in rocks by distinct lattice spring model

In this paper, the ability of the distinct lattice spring model (DLSM) for modeling stress wave propagation in rocks was fully investigated. The influence of particle size on simulation of different types of stress waves (e.g. one-dimensional (1D) P-wave, 1D S-wave and two-dimensional (2D) cylindrical wave) was studied through comparing results predicted by the DLSM with different mesh ratios (lr) and those obtained from the corresponding analytical solutions. Suggested values of lr were obtained for modeling these stress waves accurately. Moreover, the weak material layer method and virtual joint plane method were used to model P-wave and S-wave propagating through a single discontinuity. The results were compared with the classical analytical solutions, indicating that the virtual joint plane method can give better results and is recommended. Finally, some remarks of the DLSM on modeling of stress wave propagation in rocks were provided.