Dynamic analysis by FEM of blast-induced ground vibrations

Resumo

Peak particle velocities (PPV) are fundamental for understanding and managing blast-induced ground
vibration levels and their impact on neighboring structures. Given that the numerical analysis of seismic vibrations
has been revealed as a method that may substantially contribute to estimating PPV levels, this research employs a
numerical approach using the finite element method (FEM) to evaluate blast-induced ground vibration in rock
masses. A dynamic module of the stress-strain analysis was developed in ANLOG software based on the FEM
displacement formulation to estimate the variations of displacement, strain, and stress induced by blasting. Since
Rayleigh damping coefficients are frequently used in FEM analysis to model the effect of physical damping in
geological mediums, a study was conducted to determine the effect of Rayleigh coefficients on the PPV numerical
attenuation law. After understanding the influence of the Rayleigh coefficients on the results, the PPV numerical
attenuation law is obtained using ANLOG. It shows good agreement with values estimated by empirical methods
and numerical results available in the specialized literature.