Dynamic fracture process analysis in rock-like materials for axisymmetric problem

Dynamic fracture mechanics in rock-like materials such as concrete and rocks due to application of blast-loads is quite important engineering topic because blasting is cost-effective high-speed fragmentation technique. To understand the mechanism in detail, reasonable numerical simulation method to analyze the 3-D complicated fracture process is required. In the application of detonation or deflagration of explosives, cylindrical charge is often adopted and axisymmetric condition can be applicable to this case, reducing the 3-D problem to 2-D one. Thus we developed a new method to conduct 3-D fracture simulation for rock-like materials based on the finite element method under the axisymmetric condition. We explained the methodology in detail. We showed the applicability of the proposed method to the evaluation of the fracture process for the class of problem where the axisymmetry holds.