Simulating Hydraulic Fracturing Processes in Cement Composites using TOUGH-RBSN

This paper presents the coupled hydro-mechanical simulation tool, TOUGH-RBSN, to investigate fundamental aspects of hydraulic fracture of cement-based composites. The TOUGHRBSN simulator is based on the effective linking of two numerical methods: TOUGH2, a finite volume method for simulating mass transport within a permeable medium; and a lattice model based on the rigid-body-spring network (RBSN) concept. The material is represented as a threephase composite consisting of a mortar matrix, coarse aggregate inclusions, and matrix–inclusion interfaces. Local fracture permeabilities and porosities are based on the crack apertures computed by the mechanical model. The simulator is used to study the effects of weak interfaces on the hydraulic fracturing processes.