Rock Fracture Mechanics with Displacement Discontinuity Method: Numerical Rock Fracture Mechanics, Higher Order Displacement Discontinuity Method, Crack Initiation and Propagation

Although the crack branching (bifurcation) is usually considered as a dynamic process, a quasi-static analysis of the crack branching mechanism is proposed by using linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) concepts of stress intensity factors (SIFs) and a modified higher order displacement discontinuity method. Based on these concepts, it has been concluded that the secondary cracks may start their propagation and causing crack branching phenomenon at the kink points. In this approach, a semi-analytical higher order displacement discontinuity method is sophisticated with the higher order displacement discontinuity formulations near the kink points and the cracks are traversing and discretizing in counterclockwise directions. Each kink point is considered as two overlapped crack tips and the mixed mode stress intensity factors near the kink (for both left and right sides of the kink) are computed.