EQUIVALENT CONTINUUM FOR LARGE SCALE MODELING OF ROCK MASSES: AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH.

The method described in this paper provides an alternative approach for performing large-scale modeling of rock masses. This approach avoids making any assumptions, about the constitutive equations at the large scale that might invalidate the results of the analysis. The proposed scheme is conceptually very simple, is rigorous, and can be implemented in any nonlinear finite element code which does not require reformulation of the stiffness matrix. It is based on uncoupling the simulation at the global and at the macroscopic level; a disassociation that results in a manageable number of unknowns at each level of definition, which is beneficial from the numerical point of view, and allows the use of the most appropriate numerical code for the macroscopic representation.