Numerical simulation of the effect of internal hole defect size on the mechanical properties of limestone

To better understand the effect of the size of hole defects on the mechanical properties of a rock mass, the two-dimensional particle flow discrete element code (PFC2D) is applied to establish rock mass models with single circular hole defects of different diameters. Uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) tests are conducted on each model by only taking the defect size (area) as a variable. This study analyzes each model’s stress-strain, contact force chain, crack evolution, meso-damage and failure, and mechanical properties. The results showed that with the size enlargement of the circular hole defects, each model’s UCS and elastic modulus gradually decrease, and the defect size is negatively correlated with the mechanical strength of the rock samples. The size of the hole defects affects the entire process of contact force chain and crack evolution. The larger the aperture dimension of the circular hole defects in each model, the greater the concentration degree of the contact force chain, the earlier the crack initiation, and the higher the degree of crack coalescence in the post-peak stage. The number of cracks decreases as the hole size increases, and the model is more prone to failure. Rock models’ strength and failure characteristics with different numbers and arrangements of hole defects are discussed under the same defect area condition.