SUMMARY
Stress-induced damage of sparsely fractured rockmasses around excavations has historically been modeled using continuum methods, but these approaches are highly phenomenological in nature and, as a consequence of their formulation, cannot be used to predict the influence of rock reinforcement on ground behaviour. Relatively new discontinuum tools such as bonded block models (BBMs) have the potential to overcome these limitations. This paper documents recent advances in bonded block modeling at both the laboratory and field scales, with an emphasis on research by the authors. Additionally, the following critical questions about BBMs are answered: (1) What physical phenomena can BBMs reproduce, and how does this depend on the choices made during model development? (2) Can BBMs reproduce field-scale behaviour (not just in terms of strength, but also deformation and dilation characteristics)? (3) Can BBMs quantitatively reproduce the influence that rockbolt reinforcement has on ground behaviour?

Svensk titel: FÖRDELAR MED BUNDEN BLOCKMODELLERING