Effect of stress interactions on anisotropic P-SV-wave dispersion and attenuation for closely spaced cracks in saturated porous media

Generally, local stress induced by individual crack hardly disturbs their neighbours for small crack densities, which, however, could not be neglected as the crack density increases. The disturbance becomes rather complex in saturated porous rocks due to the wave-induced diffusion of fluid pressures. The problem is addressed in this study by the comparison of two solutions: the analytical solution without stress interactions and the numerical method with stress interactions. The resultant difference of effective properties can be used to estimate the effect of stress interactions quantitatively. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the spatial distribution pattern of cracks strongly affects stress interactions. For regularly distributed cracks, the resulting stress interaction (shielding or amplification) shows strong anisotropy, depending on the arrangement and density of cracks. It has an important role in the estimation of effective anisotropic parameters as well as the incident-angle-dependency of P- and SV-wave velocities. Contrarily, randomly distributed cracks with a relative small crack density generally lead to a strong cancellation of stress interactions across cracks, where both the numerical and analytical solutions show a good agreement for the estimation of effective parameters. However, for a higher crack density, the incomplete cancellation of stress interactions is expected, exhibiting an incidence-angle dependency, slightly affecting effective parameters, and differentiating the numerical and analytical solutions.     

裂隙参数对衰减各向异性影响的数值模拟

Propagation through stress-aligned fluid-filled cracks and other inclusions have been claimed to be the cause of azimuthal anisotropy observed in the crust and upper mantle.This paper examines the behavior of seismic waves attenuation caused by the internal structure of rock mass,and in particular,the internal geometry of the distribution of fluid-filled openings Systematic research on the effect of crack parameters,such as crack density,crack aspect ratio(the ratio of crack thickness to crack diameter),pore fluid properties(particularly pore fluid velocity),VP/VS ratio of the matrix material and seismic wave frequency on attenuation anisotropy has been conducted based on Hudson’s crack theory.The result shows that the crack density,aspect ratio,material filler,seismic wave frequency,and P-wave and shear wave velocity in the background of rock mass,and especially frequency has great effect on attenuation curves.Numerical research can help us know the effect of crack parameters and is a good supplement for laboratory modeling.However,attenuation is less well understood because of the great sensitivity of attenuation to details of the internal geometry.Some small changes in the characteristics of pore fluid viscosity,pore fluids containing gas and liquid phases and pore fluids containing clay can each alter attenuation coefficients by orders of magnitude.Some parameters controlling attenuation are therefore necessary to make reasonable estimations,and anisotropic attenuation is worth studying further.     

Asymmetry in the time-lapse seismic response to injection and depletion

Large changes in seismic reflection amplitude have been observed around injectors, and result from the decrease in elastic‐wave velocity due to the increase in pore pressure in the reservoir. In contrast, the velocity change resulting from the decrease in pore pressure in depleting reservoirs is observed to be smaller in magnitude. Elastic‐wave velocities in sandstones vary with stress due to the presence of stress‐sensitive grain boundaries within the rock. Grain‐boundary stiffness increases non‐linearly with increasing compressive stress, due to increased contact between opposing faces of the boundary. This results in a change in velocity due to a decrease in pore pressure that is smaller than the change in velocity caused by an increase in pore pressure, in agreement with time‐lapse seismic observations. The decrease in porosity resulting from depletion is not fully recovered upon re‐pressurization, and this leads to an additional steepening of the velocity vs. effective stress curve for injection relative to depletion. This difference is enhanced by any breakage of cement or weakening of grain contacts that may occur during depletion and by the reopening or formation of fractures or joints and dilation of grain boundaries that may occur during injection.     

Characterizing the effect of elastic interactions on the effective elastic properties of porous,cracked rocks

Elastic interactions between pores and cracks reflect how they are organized or spatially distributed in porous rocks. The principle goal of this paper is to understand and characterize the effect of elastic interactions on the effective elastic properties. We perform finite element modelling to quantitatively study how the spatial arrangement of inclusions affects stress distribution and the resulting overall elasticity. It is found that the stress field can be significantly altered by elastic interactions. Compared with a non‐interacting situation, stress shielding considerably stiffens the effective media, while stress amplification appreciably reduces the effective elasticity. We also demonstrate that the T‐matrix approach, which takes into account the ellipsoid distribution of pores or cracks, can successfully characterize the competing effects between stress shielding and stress amplification. Numerical results suggest that, when the concentrations of cracks increase beyond the dilute limit, the single parameter crack density is not sufficient to characterize the contribution of the cracks to the effective elasticity. In order to obtain more reliable and accurate predictions for the effective elastic responses and seismic anisotropies, the spatial distribution of pores and cracks should be included. Additionally, such elastic interaction effects are also dependent on both the pore shapes and the fluid infill.     

Trajectory of fault-plane-induced tensile crack in relation to the primary stress field

Summary The predetermination of the trajectory of a tensile crack induced at the tip of a stress-free fault plane (open slit, in two dimensional approximation) was investigated. Both the primary field of the tensile component of principal stress and the primary field of the strain energy density factor were computed and compared with the trajectory of the subsequent tensile crack. It was found that it is not the field of the strain energy density factor, but the field of the tensile component of principal stress which determines the trajectory of the tensile crack. Moreover, this field is responsible for the trajectory of the tensile crack not only in its seismoactive phase of its development, but also in the following aseismic stage characterized by slow stable growth.     

Influence of pore pressure on velocity in low-porosity sandstone: Implications for time-lapse feasibility and pore-pressure study

As seismic data quality improves, time‐lapse seismic data is increasingly being called upon to interpret and predict changes during reservoir development and production. Since pressure change is a major component of reservoir change during production, a thorough understanding of the influence of pore pressure on seismic velocity is critical. Laboratory measurements show that differential pressure (overburden minus fluid pressure) does not adequately determine the actual reservoir conditions. Changes in fluid pressure are found to have an additional effect on the physical properties of rocks. The effective‐stress coefficient n is used to quantify the effect of pore pressure compared to confining pressure on rock properties. However, the current practice in time‐lapse feasibility studies, reservoir‐pressure inversion and pore‐pressure prediction is to assume that n= 1. Laboratory measurements, reported in both this and previous research show that n can be significantly less than unity for low‐porosity rocks and that it varies with porosity, rock texture and wave type. We report the results of ultrasonic experiments to estimate n for low‐porosity sandstones with and without microcracks. Our results show that, for P‐waves, n is as low as 0.4 at a differential pressure of 20 MPa (about 3000 psi) for a low‐porosity sandstone. Thus, in pore‐pressure inversion, an assumption of n= 1 would lead to a 150% underestimation of the pore pressure. Comparison of the effective‐stress coefficient for fractured and unfractured samples suggests that the presence of microfractures increases the sensitivity of P‐wave velocity to pore pressure, and therefore the effective‐stress coefficient. Our results show that the effective‐stress coefficient decreases with the differential pressure, with a higher differential pressure resulting in a lower effective‐stress coefficient. While the effective‐stress coefficient for P‐wave velocity can be significantly less than unity, it is close to one for S‐waves.     

基于等效介质理论的孔隙纵横比分布反演

孔隙纵横比是描述多孔岩石微观孔隙结构特征的重要参数,目前用于获取岩石完整孔隙纵横比分布的经典模型为David-Zimmerman(D-Z)孔隙结构模型,该模型假设岩石由固体矿物基质、一组纵横比相等的硬孔隙以及多组纵横比不等的微裂隙构成,并认为固体矿物基质和硬孔隙均不受压力影响,在此基础上,利用超声纵横波速度的压力依赖性反演岩石硬孔隙和各组微裂隙的孔隙纵横比及孔隙度.该方法的关键点在于以累积裂隙密度为桥梁,借助等效介质理论建立了岩石弹性模量和孔隙纵横比之间的内在联系.但在D-Z模型中,多重孔隙岩石累积裂隙密度的计算直接由单重孔隙裂隙密度公式实现,这种近似导致该模型在许多情况下难以获得良好的反演精度.为了完善经典D-Z模型,本文提出了一种基于虚拟降压的孔隙纵横比分布反演策略,通过多个假想降压过程实现累积裂隙密度的准确计算,并将基于DEM和MT的经典D-Z模型推广到KT和SCA中,结合四种等效介质理论建立了一套完整的反演流程.采用一系列砂岩和碳酸盐岩样品,测试了反演流程在实际岩芯孔隙纵横比提取中的应用效果,研究结果表明:与D-Z模型相比,本文方法的模拟结果与实际数据吻合更好,并同时适用于砂岩和碳酸盐岩;此外,通过分析四种等效介质理论的模拟结果发现,本文方法并不十分依赖于等效介质理论的选择,这些理论获得的孔隙结构参数随压力的变化趋势基本一致,数值上仅存在略微差异,且这种差异随着压力的增大逐渐消失.本文方法是经典D-Z孔隙结构模型的重要补充,对岩石孔隙结构表征、流体饱和岩石速度预测以及孔间喷射流效应的模拟具有十分重要的意义.     

Characterisation of Tensile Damage in Rock Samples Induced by Different Stress Paths

Cracks, induced by different stress states, are studied systematically on thin slices of crinoidal limestone samples. Samples damaged by tension are compared to samples in which first damage is induced by compressive stresses, followed by tensile stresses. To quantify the effect of the compressive stresses, samples only damaged by compression are also studied. The tensile stresses cause the occurrence of an intergranular crack. When the sample is first damaged by compressive stresses, former induced damage influences the growth of this crack. It results in an intergranular crack with a zigzag profile. The average orientation of the intergranular crack is, however, the same as in the samples damaged by tension only.     

波浪荷载作用下海底隧道-孔隙海床的动力分析

孔隙海床在波浪荷载作用下其有效应力减小、孔隙水压力增加,这将影响孔隙海床中隧道的稳定性,因此,研究在波浪荷载作用下孔隙海床与隧道的动力响应具有重要的工程意义。本文基于Biot的动力固结理论和弹性动力学理论建立波浪荷载作用下孔隙海床与海底隧道的动力分析模型,并同时考虑海底隧道与海床之间的接触效应、边界效应等对海底隧道内力的影响。最后通过变换海床的变形模量、渗透系数和海底隧道的半径、埋深等,观察其对海床土孔隙水压力和海底隧道内力的影响,为海底隧道的设计提供依据。     

1976年唐山7.8级地震震源过程的研究

本文提出唐山菱形块体在压缩载荷作用下震前应变积累和震时破裂滑动与稳定扩展的一个离散裂纹模型,它包括裂纹面的摩擦滑动和裂纹尖端稳定扩展两个过程。模型采用有限单元技术计算裂纹面的应力和变形及裂纹尖端的应力强度因子,并用库伦-纳维准则判断裂纹面是否发生摩擦滑动及用最大周向拉应力准则判断裂纹尖端扩展方向。模型预测与野外观测资料对比指出:裂纹模型能很好的表示1976年唐山地震震前积累和震时破裂传播的过程     

A Model for the Mechanical Behaviour of Bentheim Sandstone in the Brittle Regime

— The mechanical behaviour of Bentheim sandstone, a homogeneous quartz-rich sandstone with porosity of 22.8%, was investigated by triaxial compression tests conducted on dry samples. At confining pressures up to 35 MPa, the failure mode was characterized by a typical brittle deformation regime, as the samples showed dilatancy and failed by strain softening and brittle faulting. Previous studies have shown that the mechanical behaviour and failure mode of brittle porous granular rocks are governed by the time-dependent growth of microcracks. We analyse this process using the “Pore Crack Model” based on fracture mechanics analysis. It is consistent with the microstructure of porous granular rocks since it considers the growth of axial cracks from cylindrical holes in two dimensions. These cracks grow when their stress intensity factors reach the subcritical crack growth limit. Interaction between neighbouring cracks is introduced by calculating the stress intensity factor as the sum of two terms: a component for an isolated crack and an interaction term computed using the method of successive approximations. It depends on crack length, pore radius, pore density, and applied stresses. The simulation of crack growth from cylindrical holes, associated with a failure criterion based on the coalescence of interacting cracks, is used to compare the theoretical stress at the onset of dilatancy and at macroscopic rupture to the experimental determined values. Our approach gives theoretical results in good agreement with experimental data when microstructural parameters consistent with observations are introduced.     

Response mechanism of post-earthquake slopes under heavy rainfall

This paper uses the catastrophic landslide that occurred in Zhongxing Town, Dujiangyan City, as an example to study the formation mechanism of landslides induced by heavy rainfall in the post-Wenchuan earthquake area. The deformation characteristics of a slope under seismic loading were investigated via a shaking table test. The results show that a large number of cracks formed in the slope due to the tensile and shear forces of the vibrations, and most of the cracks had angles of approximately 45° with respect to the horizontal. A series of flume tests were performed to show how the duration and intensity of rainfall influence the responses of the shaken and non-shaken slopes. Wetting fronts were recorded under different rainfall intensities, and the depth of rainfall infiltration was greater in the shaken slope than in the non-shaken slope because the former experienced a greater extreme rainfall intensity under the same early rainfall and rainfall duration conditions. At the beginning of the rainfall infiltration experiment, the pore water pressure in the slope was negative, and settling occurred at the top of the slope. With increasing rainfall, the pore water pressure changed from negative to positive, and cracks were observed on the back surface of the slope and the shear outlet of the landslide on the front of the slope. The shaken slope was more susceptible to crack formation than the non-shaken slope under the same rainfall conditions. A comparison of the responses of the shaken and non-shaken slopes under heavy rainfall revealed that cracks formed by earthquakes provided channels for infiltration. Soil particles in the cracks of slopes were washed away, and the pore water pressure increased rapidly, especially the transient pore water pressure in the slope caused by short-term concentrated rainfall which decreased rock strength and slope stability.     

有效应力变化对致密砂岩孔隙结构及弹性波响应的影响规律

致密砂岩气藏具有裂缝发育和有效应力高的特征,研究不同有效压力下孔、裂隙介质地震波传播特征,有利于地震解释与地下储层的识别.但是前人的研究较少考虑岩石内部微观孔隙结构特征与孔隙、裂隙间流体流动的关系.本文首先通过选取四川盆地典型致密砂岩岩样,在不同有效压力下对岩石样本进行超声波实验测量.然后基于实验测得的纵、横波速度进行裂隙参数反演,得到不同有效压力下致密砂岩样本的裂隙孔隙度.再将裂隙孔隙度和样本岩石物理参数代入双重孔隙介质模型,模拟得到不同有效压力下饱水致密砂岩样本纵横波速度频散和衰减的变化规律.结果表明模型预测的速度频散曲线与纵波速度实验测量结果能够较好的吻合.最后统计分析了致密砂岩裂隙参数,得到了致密砂岩储层裂隙参数随有效压力及孔隙度变化特征.依据实际岩石物理参数建立模型,其裂隙参数三维拟合结果能够较好描述致密砂岩裂隙结构与孔隙度、应力的关联,可为实际地震勘探中预测储层裂缝性质提供基础依据.     

Triggering Mechanisms of Slope Instability and their Relationship to Earthquakes and Tsunamis

— Submarine and shoreline slope failures that accompany large earthquakes and large tsunamis are triggered by several mechanisms. Triggering mechanisms range from direct effects, such as inertial forces from earthquake shaking, to indirect effects, such as rapid drawdown that occurs when an earthquake-generated tsunami first approaches a shoreline. Soil shear strength also plays an important role in earthquake-related slope failures. Earthquakes change the shear strength of the soil by inducing excess pore water pressures. These excess pore water pressures change with time after the earthquake, resulting in changes in shear strength and slope stability with time. This paper reviews earthquake-related triggering mechanisms for submarine and shoreline slope failures. The variation in shear strength with time following an earthquake is examined and it is shown that delayed slope failures after an earthquake can occur as a result of changes in earthquake-induced excess pore water pressures and shear strength with time.     

Comparison of stress-dependent geophysical,hydraulic and mechanical properties of synthetic and natural sandstones for reservoir characterization and monitoring studies

Synthetic rock samples can offer advantages over natural rock samples when used for laboratory rock physical properties studies, provided their success as natural analogues is well understood. The ability of synthetic rocks to mimic the natural stress dependency of elastic wave, electrical and fluid transport properties is of primary interest. Hence, we compare a consistent set of laboratory multi-physics measurements obtained on four quartz sandstone samples (porosity range 20–25%) comprising two synthetic and two natural (Berea and Corvio) samples, the latter used extensively as standards in rock physics research. We measured simultaneously ultrasonic (P- and S-wave) velocity and attenuation, electrical resistivity, permeability and axial and radial strains over a wide range of differential pressure (confining stress 15–50 MPa; pore pressure 5–10 MPa) on the four brine saturated samples. Despite some obvious physical discrepancies caused by the synthetic manufacturing process, such as silica cementation and anisotropy, the results show only small differences in stress dependency between the synthetic and natural sandstones for all measured parameters. Stress dependency analysis of the dry samples using an isotropic effective medium model of spheroidal pores and penny-shaped cracks, together with a granular cohesion model, provide evidence of crack closure mechanisms in the natural sandstones, seen to a much lesser extent in the synthetic sandstones. The smaller grain size, greater cement content, and cementation under oedometric conditions particularly affect the fluid transport properties of the synthetic sandstones, resulting in lower permeability and higher electrical resistivity for a similar porosity. The effective stress coefficients, determined for each parameter, are in agreement with data reported in the literature. Our results for the particular synthetic materials that were tested suggest that synthetic sandstones can serve as good proxies for natural sandstones for studies of elastic and mechanical properties, but should be used with care for transport properties studies.     

Analytical approximations of bulk and shear moduli for dry rock based on the differential effective medium theory

Differential effective medium theory has been applied to determine the elastic properties of porous media. The ordinary differential equations for bulk and shear moduli are coupled and it is more difficult to obtain accurate analytical formulae about the moduli of dry porous rock. In this paper, in order to decouple these equations we first substitute an analytical approximation for the dry‐rock modulus ratio into the differential equation and derive analytical solutions of the bulk and shear moduli for dry rock with three specific pore shapes: spherical pores, needle‐shaped pores and penny‐shaped cracks. Then, the validity of the analytical approximations is tested by integrating the full differential effective medium equation numerically. The analytical formulae give good estimates of the numerical results over the whole porosity range for the cases of the three given pore shapes. These analytical formulae can be further simplified under the assumption of small porosity. The simplified formulae for spherical pores are the same as Mackenzie's equations. The analytical formulae are relatively easy to analyse the relationship between the elastic moduli and porosity or pore shapes and can be used to invert some rock parameters such as porosity or pore aspect ratio. The predictions of the analytical formulae for experimental data show that the formulae for penny‐shaped cracks are suitable to estimate the elastic properties of micro‐crack rock such as granite, they can be used to estimate the crack aspect ratio while the crack porosity is known and also to estimate the crack porosity evolution with pressure if the crack aspect ratio is given.     

Modelling the stress-strain behaviour of saturated rocks undergoing triaxial deformation using complex electrical conductivity measurements

Measurement of complex electrical conductivity as a function of frequency is an extremely sensitive probe for changes in pore and crack volume, crack connectivity, and crack surface topography. Such measurements have been made as a function of pore fluid chemistry, hydrostatic confining pressure, as well as uniaxial and triaxial deformation. This paper will; (1) describe the effects of triaxial deformation on the complex electrical conductivity of saturated porous rocks, (2) use the electrical data to model the mechanical stress-strain behaviour, and (3) compare the modelled behaviour with the stress-strain behaviour measured during the deformation. Experimental conductivity data tracks how the rock undergoes compaction with progressive loss of crack volume, followed by dilatation due to new crack formation, growth of existing cracks, crack interlinkage, and finally failure, as axial strain is increased. We have used the complex electrical data to produce a direction-sensitive (anisotropic) crack damage parameter, and used it to calculate the effective Young's modulus by employing the models of Walsh and Bruner. Comparison of the synthetic stress-strain curves so produced, with the experimentally derived stress-strain curves shows good agreement, particularly for undrained tests. This modelling is an improvement on similar curves produced using isotropic crack damage parameters derived from acoustic emission data. The improvement is likely to be due to the directional sensitivity of the electrical conductivity measurement, and its ability to discriminate between the formation of isolated cracks, and those cracks that contribute to the inter-connected crack space i.e. those cracks upon which transport properties of the rock such as electrical conductivity, and mechanical properties depend most critically during triaxial deformation.     

Numerical modeling for wave–seabed–pipe interaction in a non-homogeneous porous seabed

An evaluation of the wave-induced pore pressures and effective stresses has been recognized by marine geotechnical engineers as an important factor in the design of marine pipelines. Most previous investigations for such a problem have considered the pipeline as a rigid material. Thus, the internal stresses within the pipeline have not been examined in the wave–seabed–pipe interaction problem. In this paper, we consider the pipeline itself to be an elastic material, and link the analysis of the pipeline with the wave–seabed interaction problem. Based on the numerical model presented, the effects of pipe geometry and variable soil characteristics on the wave-induced pore pressure and internal stresses will be discussed in detail. It is found that the internal normal stresses in the angular direction (σ_pθ) and shear stress (τ_p) within the pipe are much larger than the amplitude of wave pressure at the surface of the seabed.     

Compaction of a Rock Fracture Moderated by Competing Roles of Stress Corrosion and Pressure Solution

Unusually rapid closure of stressed fractures, observed in the initial stages of loading and at low temperatures, is examined using models for subcritical crack growth and pressure solution. The model for stress corrosion examines tensile stress concentrations induced at the Hertzian contact of propping fracture asperities, and mediates fracture growth according to a kinetic rate law. Conversely, pressure solution is described by the rate-limiting process of dissolution, resulting from the elevated stresses realized at the propping asperity contact. Both models are capable of following the observed compaction of fractures in novaculite. However, closure rates predicted for stress corrosion cracking are orders of magnitudes faster than those predicted for pressure dissolution. For consistent kinetic parameters, predictions from stress corrosion better replicate experimental observations, especially in the short-term and at low temperature when mechanical effects are anticipated to dominate. Rates and magnitudes of both stress corrosion and pressure solution are dependent on stresses exerted over propping asperities. Rates of closure due to stress corrosion cracking are shown to be always higher than for pressure solution, except where stress corrosion ceases as contact areas grow, and local stresses drop below an activation threshold. A simple rate law is apparent for the progress of fracture closure, defined in terms of a constant and an exponent applied to the test duration. For current experimental observations, this rate law is shown to replicate early progress data, and shows promise to define the evolution of transport properties of fractures over extended durations.     

Dynamic simulation of beam-like structure with a crack subjected to a random moving mass oscillator

In this paper,dynamic simulation of a beam-like structure with a transverse open crack subjected to a random moving mass oscillator is investigated.The simultaneous effect of a crack and a random oscillator has not been addressed up to now.The crack in the beam at different locations and with different depths is considered as one group of damage,each as an individual imperfection.In addition,bearing immobility is considered as another type of problem in the beam.Mass, stiffness,damping and velocity of th...