Building Blocks works seamlessly with the FLAC3D 6.0 extruder tool and new Model Pane. Building Blocks includes a library of model primates and users can also add and load their own building block sets.
This tutorial will guide you through the main steps required to build a simple PFC model with 30 interacting balls in a box using the linear contact model.
A major use of DFN models for industrial applications is to evaluate permeability and flow structure in hardrock aquifers from geological observations of fracture networks. The relationship between the statistical fracture density distributions and permeability has been extensively studied, but there has been little interest in the spatial structure of DFN models, which is generally assumed to be spatially random (i.e., Poisson). In this paper, we compare the predictions of Poisson DFNs to new DFN models where fractures result from a growth process defined by simplified kinematic rules for nucleation, growth, and fracture arrest.