The two-dimensional boundary element code, FRACOD 2D , is a computer program developed for simulation of fracture initiation and propagation and rock failure analysis. It was designed with the aim of predicting the fracture propagation and interaction of randomly distributed fractures in an elastic rock medium. It can handle both tensile and shear failures and it makes use of the Displacement Discontinuity Method (DDM). With a normal PC the code can simulate tens of non-symmetrical discontinuities in a rock mass. FRACOD 2D can also be applied for materials like concrete, glass and ceramics.

A fracture propagation criterion by Shen and Stephansson (1993) is incorporated into the code. In this criterion the resultant strain energy release rate (G) at the fracture tip is divided into two parts, one due to mode I deformation (tensile G I ) and one due to mode II deformation (shear, G II ). The sum of their normalized values is used to determine the failure load and its direction. Both tensile and shear fracture propagation have been successfully simulated by FRACOD 2D and verified by laboratory and field tests.

The input data includes the model geometry and geometry of pre-existing fractures, boundary conditions, far-field stresses and elastic properties of the rock mass, fracture toughness, fracture stiffness of pre-existing and created fractures, fracture friction and cohesion.

FRACOD 2D is created for running on PCs with MS Windows platform. It provides a user's interface that enables to monitor the fracture growth during calculation.

One of its major applications has been stability analysis of rock excavation like deposition boreholes and tunnels related to radioactive waste disposal.

A demo version of the code is now available for our clients. Please feel free to try the Evaluation version three months for free. Just mail your address to info@fracom.fi or contact any of our employees, see the Contact Page

FRACOM perform analysis with the code, sell the code or hire it for a certain project.

You can find literature about FRACOD 2D on the REFERENCE LIST . You can download the User's manual and some recent papers on DOWNLOADS .