Material Modelling of Pare rock mass by Finite Element Back Calculation Technique

Abstract

River Valley Projects possess great significance for the development of developing countries. They are used for various purposes like irrigation, hydroelectricity generation, water supply, flood control etc. In this regard the determination of the properties of the rock mass of the site becomes essential, which can be done with the help of in-situ tests as well as laboratory tests. But, conducting a greater number of in-situ tests in the field is not feasible, forcing one to use the tools like Finite element codes like Plaxis 3D AE for determining the properties of the rock mass. In this research work, an attempt has been made to derive the properties of the rock mass by back calculation technique using the results of In-situ Plate load test. An appropriate material modelling is very important in any Finite Element analysis to arrive at solutions close to the exact values, necessitating the selection of appropriate constitutive model. In this context, the suitability of the four constitutive models viz. Jointed Rock mass model, Hoek-Brown model, Mohr-coulomb model and Hardening Soil model, appropriate to Pare Rock mass is examined. Through this study, a systematic approach has been adopted for the simulation of rock mass properties of the Pare Hydroelectric Project site with the help of numerical modelling.