An explicit time integration scheme of numerical manifold method

The traditional numerical manifold method (NMM) has the advantage of simulating a continuum and a discontinuum in a unified framework based on a dual cover system. However, since an implicit time integration algorithm is used, the computational efficiency of the original NMM is very low, especially when more contacts are involved. The present study proposes an explicit version of the NMM. Since a lumped mass matrix is used for the manifold element, the accelerations by the corresponding physical covers can be solved explicitly without forming a global stiffness matrix. The open-close iteration is still applied to ensure computational accuracy. The developed method is first validated by two examples, and a highly fractured rock slope is subsequently simulated. Results show that the computational efficiency of the proposed explicit NMM has been significantly improved without losing the accuracy. The explicit NMM is more suitable for large-scale rock mass stability analysis and it deserves to be further developed for engineering computations in rock engineering. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.