Multiscale modelling of hydro-mechanical processes in geomaterials with evolving weak/strong discontinuities

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Geomaterials underpin the performance of key infrastructures in civil/mining engineering and energy extraction industries. Accurate modelling and predicting the mechanical behaviours of geomaterials are therefore vitally important. As typical granular materials, geomaterials are essentially multiscale and multiphase. Their macroscopic responses are decisively dictated by the underlying interactions among the constituent particles and their microstructures. Meanwhile, the pores of geomaterials are often fully or partially saturated with fluids like water. The coupling between the deformation of the solid matrix and the fluid flow leads to many complex yet intriguing phenomena including shear banding and fracturing. Due to the material nonlinearity and the coupling effects, as well as the lack of a robust numerical tool to account for both multiscale and multiphase characters, it remains a challenging task to accurately model and characterise geomaterials.