An exact implementation of the Hoek-Brown criterion in

FLAC (2D or 3D)

Abstract

This report presents a plastic stress update algorithm for the exact generalized Hoek-Brown criterion
(modhb) including the apex and corner singularities. The model builds on the constitutive efforts of Johan
Clausen and Lars Damkilde (2008). The plastic flow rule is taken to be non-associated with a plastic
potential which are similar to the yield criterion. Perfect plasticity and isotropic linear elasticity are
assumed. The stress update algorithm belongs to the class of algorithms termed return mapping, backward
Euler or implicit integration.

The Hoek-Brown criterion

The material parameters for the rock mass are derived from two parameters relating to the intact rock
material, coupled with two parameters which characterize the quality of the in-situ rock mass. The intact
rock parameters are the uniaxial compressive strength of the intact rock material, , and the petrographic
constant, mi. The first in-situ parameter is the Geological Strength Index, GSI, which is a qualitative
classification number for rock masses, see e.g. reference (Marinos et al., 2005). The second in-situ
parameter is the disturbance factor, D, which ranges from 0 to 1 (Hoek et al., 2002). For undisturbed rock
masses D = 0. Based on these parameters the failure criterion is written as (J. Clausen and L. Damkilde,
2008):
́
́ ́ ́ (1)
́

where ́ ́ ́ are the effective principal stresses. In Eq. (1) compression is taken as positive, which
is often the case in rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering. Later on in this paper tension will be
taken as positive and this is denoted by , , without a prime. The empirically determined parameters
mb, s and a are given by

(2)

(3)

(4)

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T
The rock mass
m modulu
us of elasticcity, Erm, can
c be estim
mated using the folloowing (E. H
Hoek, M.
D
Diederichs,20
006)
⁄
⁄ . 10 (5)

orr, if the intacct rock modu

ulus, Ei, is kn
nown
⁄
0.02 ⁄ (6)

T on’s ratio, ν,
Typical valuees of Poisso ν for rock masses
m are ggiven in (E. Hoek, E. T
T. Brown, 19997). The
H
Hoek-Brown criterion in full three-dimensional principal
p streess space cann be seen on Figure 1a.

(a) (b)

Figure 1. (a) The Hoek-B

F Brown criterion in princiipal stress sppace. The hyydrostatic strress axis is ddenoted p.
(b
b) the four diifferent stresss returns.

S
Stress upda
ate for Ho
oek-Brown
n plasticity
y

Inn order to ob
btain unknow
wn stress in
ncrement, thee predictor sstress state iin the general stress spaace, , is
giiven using an
a incrementtal elastic strress-strain laaw. The princcipal predicttor stresses, , are thenn found by
sttandard meth ncipal stress space the sttress is then returned to the yield suurface and thhe updated
hods. In prin
sttress is then
n back transformed into xyz-space. For Hoek-B
Brown plastiicity four diifferent stress returns
appply, as can be seen on Figure
F 1b,
– Return to th
he yield surfa
face
– Return to th
he curve l1
– Return to th
he curve l2
– Return to th
he apex

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The first step is to determine whether the stress should be returned to the apex. If this is the case the
updated stress is simply the apex stress. If the stress is not to be returned to the apex, a yield surface or the
edges return is initiated. A detailed description of the constitutive model, its simulative potential is given
in (Clausen, 2007).

Model input parameters

Model Parameters (modhb)

Name Description
young (or bulk) Young's modulus (or bulk modulus)

poisson (or shear) Poisson's ratio (or shear modulus)

comp Uniaxial compressive strength of the intact rock
m "friction" parameter of the rock mass
s Hoek-Brown parameter
a Curvature parameter in the Hoek-Brown criterion
mg "dilation" parameter of the rock mass
sg Hoek-Brown plastic potential parameter
ag Curvature parameter in the Hoek-Brown plastic potential

Included documents / files

modelModHB2D32.dll
modelModHB2D32.dll
modelModHB3D32.dll
modelModHB3D64.dll
a DLL file of the ModHB model compiled with Microsoft Visual C++
2005 at 32bit for FLAC v6.0.
a DLL file of the ModHB model compiled with Microsoft Visual C++
2005 at 32bit for FLAC v7.0.
a DLL file of the ModHB model compiled with Microsoft Visual C++
2005 at 32bit for FLAC-3D v.4.00.32 32bit.
a DLL file of the ModHB model compiled with Microsoft Visual C++
2005 at 64bit for FLAC-3D v.4.00.32 64bit.

modelModHB3D32.dll a DLL file of the ModHB model compiled with Microsoft Visual C++
2010 at 32bit for FLAC-3D v.5.00.86 32bit.
modelModHB3D64.dll a DLL file of the ModHB model compiled with Microsoft Visual C++
2010 at 32bit for FLAC-3D v.5.00.86 64bit.
Example2D.dat example input file test for FLAC2D.
Example3D32.dat example input file test for FLAC3D-32bit.
Example3D64.dat example input file test for FLAC3D-64bit.

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Contact address

University of California, Berkeley

Civil and Environmental Engineering, Geoengineering Department
PhD. Candidate Roozbeh Geraili Mikola / Prof. Nicholas Sitar
Davis Hall
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, California
94720-1710
Phone: (510) 643-8623
Fax: (510) 642-7476
e-mail: roozbehg@berkeley.edu / sitar@ce.berkeley.edu

AALBORG University
Department of Civil Engineering, Division of Structural Mechanics
Ass. Prof. Johan Clausen
Sohngårdsholmsvej 57,
9000, Aalborg
Denmark
Phone: 9940 7234
Fax: 9940 8552
e-mail: jc@civil.aau.dk

Acknowledgments

This work was performed with funding from NSF-NEES-CR Grant No. CMMI-0936376: Seismic Earth
Pressures on Retaining Structures through collaborative project Between University of California,
Berkeley and Itasca Consulting Group Inc. Programs FLAC2D and FLAC3D were generously made
available by Itasca Consulting Group Inc. under collaborative research agreements.

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References

 J. Clausen, L. Damkilde, An exact implementation of the Hoek–Brown criterion for elasto-plastic finite
element calculations in International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 45 (2008) , 831-847.
 J. Clausen, Efficient non-linear finite element implementation of elasto-plasticity for geotechnical
problems. Ph.D. thesis, 2007, (http://vbn.aau.dk/files/14058639/JCthesis.pdf).
 E. Hoek, E. T. Brown, Practical estimates of rock mass strength, International Journal of Rock Mechanics
& Mining Sciences 34 (8) (1997), 1165–1186.
 E. Hoek, M. S. Diederichs, Empirical estimation of rock mass modulus, International Journal of Rock
Mechanics & Mining Sciences 43 (2006), 203–215.
 E. Hoek, C. Carranza-Torres, B. Corkum, Hoek-Brown failure criterion - 2002 edition, in: Proceedings of
the North American Rock Mechanics Society Meeting in Toronto in July 2002, 2002.
 V. Marinos, P. Marinos, E. Hoek, The geological strength index: applications and limitations, Bulletin of
Engineering Geology and the Environment 64 (2005), 55–65.