Shear behaviour of fractured rock as a function of size and shear displacement

This paper presents laboratory results regarding the shear behaviour of an artificial tensile fracture generated in granite. We used a direct shear rig to test fractures of different sizes (from 100 mm to 200 mm) under various shear displacements up to 20 mm and cyclic shear stresses with constant normal stress of 10 MPa. To determine the evolution of surface damage and aperture during shear, cyclic loading was performed at designated shear displacements. These changes in the surfaces topography were measured with a laser profilometer ‘non-contact surface profile measurement system’. In addition, changes were also measured directly by using pressure-sensitive film.

The results showed that the standard deviation (SD) of the initial aperture of the sheared fracture significantly increases with both shear displacement and size, which result in an increase in the non-linearity of the closure curve (since the matedness of the fracture surfaces decreases with shear displacement). Therefore, we concluded that shear dilation is not only governed by the surfaces sliding over each other, but is also strongly influenced by the non-linearity of closure with shear displacement. Furthermore, while the shear stiffness of the fracture during the initial stage decreases with fracture size, it increases with fracture size in the residual stage. This can be attributed to the fact that only small asperities with short wavelengths were mainly damaged by shearing. Moreover the result showed that the damaged zones enlarge and localise with shear displacement, and eventually tend to form perpendicular to the shear displacement.     

Gouge Particle Evolution in a Rock Fracture Undergoing Shear: a Microscopic DEM Study

The evolution of gouge materials in rock fractures or faults undergoing shear can change fracture properties in terms of shear strength and dilation, fluid transmissivity and retardation for contaminants. In order to conceptually understand gouge mechanical behaviors including movement, microcracking, abrasion and redistribution, particle mechanics models were used to simulate single- and multi-gouge particles in a rough fracture segment undergoing shear. The results show that gouge particles behave in two different ways under low and high normal stresses, respectively. Under low normal stress, gouge particles mainly roll with the moving fracture walls, with little surface damage and small dilation during the shear process. Under high normal stress, gouge particles can be crushed into a few major pieces and a large number of minor comminuted particles, accompanied by more severe damage (abrasion and microcracking) in fracture walls and continuous fracture closure. The modeling results were also compared with published experiments and used to explain the observed macroscopic behaviors of rock fracture undergoing shear. The effects of microparameters used in the particle mechanics models on the simulation of gouge behaviors were also investigated through sensitivity analysis.     

Hydraulic Characteristics of Rough Fractures in Linear Flow under Normal and Shear Load

Summary A hydro-mechanical testing system, which is capable of measuring both the flow rates and the normal and shear displacement of a rock fracture, was built to investigate the hydraulic behaviour of rough tension fractures. Laboratory hydraulic tests in linear flow were conducted on rough rock fractures, artificially created using a splitter under various normal and shear loading. Prior to the tests, aperture distributions were determined by measuring the topography of upper and lower fracture surfaces using a laser profilometer. Experimental variograms of the initial aperture distributions were classified into four groups of geostatistical model, though the overall experimental variograms could be well fitted to the exponential model. The permeability of the rough rock fractures decayed exponentially with respect to the normal stress increase up to 5 MPa. Hydraulic behaviours during monotonic shear loading were significantly affected by the dilation occurring until the shear stress reached the peak strength. With the further dilation, the permeability of the rough fracture specimens increased more. However, beyond shear displacement of about 7 to 8 mm, permeability gradually reached a maximum threshold value. The combined effects of both asperity degradation and gouge production, which prohibited the subsequent enlargement of mean fracture aperture, mainly caused this phenomenon. Permeability changes during cyclic shear loading showed somewhat irregular variations, especially after the first shear loading cycle, due to the complex interaction from asperity degradations and production of gouge materials. The relation between hydraulic and mechanical apertures was analyzed to investigate the valid range of mechanical apertures to be applied to the cubic law. Received June 12, 2001; accepted February 26, 2002 Published online September 2, 2002     

Investigating the role of hydromechanical coupling on flow and transport in shallow fractured-rock aquifers

Fractured-rock aquifers display spatially and temporally variable hydraulic conductivity generally attributed to variable fracture intensity and connectivity. Empirical evidence suggests fracture aperture and hydraulic conductivity are sensitive to in situ stress. This study investigates the sensitivity of fractured-rock hydraulic conductivity, groundwater flow paths, and advection-dominated transport to variable shear and normal fracture stiffness magnitudes for a range of deviatoric stress states. Fracture aperture and hydraulic conductivity are solved for analytically using empirical hydromechanical coupling equations; groundwater flow paths and ages are then solved for numerically using groundwater flow and advection-dispersion equations in a traditional Toth basin. Results suggest hydraulic conductivity alteration is dominated by fracture normal closure, resulting in decreasing hydraulic conductivity and increasing groundwater age with depth, and decreased depth of long flow paths with decreasing normal stiffness. Shear dilation has minimal effect on hydraulic conductivity alteration for stress states investigated here. Results are interpreted to suggest that fracture normal stiffness influences hydraulic conductivity of hydraulically active fractures and, thus, affects flow and transport in shallow (<1 km) fractured-rock aquifers. It is suggested that observed depth-dependent hydraulic conductivity trends in fractured-rock aquifers throughout the world may be partly a manifestation of hydromechanical phenomena.     

Asperity Height and Aperture of an Artificial Tensile Fracture of Metric Size

Summary  A tensile fracture of about 1 m in length was created by indenting wedges in a block of granite, and the heights of the two fracture surfaces were measured using a large, non-contact surface profile measurement system with a laser profilometer to determine the aperture distribution of the fracture. Based on the measured data, the frequency characteristics of the asperity heights, the initial aperture (the aperture when the surfaces are in contact at a single point), and the size effect on the statistical properties were analyzed. The results can be summarized as follows:

Normal-stress dependence of fracture hydraulic properties including two-phase flow properties

A systematic approach has been developed for determining relationships between normal stress and fracture hydraulic properties, including two-phase flow properties. The development of a relationship between stress and fracture permeability (or fracture aperture and fracture closure) is based on a two-part Hooke’s model (TPHM) that captures heterogeneous elastic-deformation processes at a macroscopic scale by conceptualizing the rock mass (or a fracture) into two parts with different mechanical properties. The developed relationship was verified using a number of datasets in the literature for fracture closure versus stress, and satisfactory agreements were obtained. TPHM was previously shown to be able to accurately represent testing data for porous media as well. Based on the consideration that fracture–aperture distributions under different normal stresses can be represented by truncated-Gaussian distributions, closed-form constitutive relationships were developed between capillary pressure, relative permeability and saturation, for deformable horizontal fractures. The usefulness of these relationships was demonstrated by their consistency with a laboratory dataset.     

Effects of non‐uniform traction and specimen height in the direct shear test on stress and deformation in a rock fracture

In the direct shear test (DST), an internal moment is distributed within the rock specimen by non‐coaxial shear loads applied to the specimen, which cause non‐uniform distributions of both the traction on the loading planes and the stress and deformation in the specimen. To examine the validity of the DST for a rock fracture and to clarify the effect of specimen height, both the stress and deformation in a fracture in the DST were analyzed for specimens with three different heights using a three‐dimensional finite element method with quadratic joint elements for a fracture model. The constitutive law of the fracture considers the dependence of the non‐linear behavior of closure on shear displacement and that of shear stiffness on normal stress and was implemented in simulation code to give a conceptional fracture with uniform mechanical properties to extract only the effect of non‐uniform traction on the stress and deformation in the fracture. The results showed that both normal and shear stresses are concentrated near the end edges of the fracture, and these stress concentrations decrease with a decrease in the specimen height according to the magnitude of the moment produced by the non‐coaxial shear loads. Furthermore, although closure is greater near the end edges of the fracture, where normal stress is concentrated, this concentration of closure is not so significant within the range of this study because of the non‐linear behavior of closure, that is, closure does not significantly increase with an increase in normal stress at large normal stresses. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

充填物性质影响结构面剪切特性试验研究

通过自主研发的煤岩剪切-渗流耦合试验装置,开展了无充填结构面和充填石膏、岩屑、黄泥结构面的剪切试验。利用三维光学扫描技术,研究了结构面的三维形貌特征和裂隙开度演化。结果表明：充填结构面的峰值剪应力和法向位移由充填石膏、岩屑到黄泥依次递减,受充填物强度影响较大;无充填结构面由于直接接触,剪切后表面发生明显磨损,结构面粗糙度系数（JRC）整体减小且变化最为显著,充填石膏和岩屑结构面的JRC变化次之,充填黄泥结构面几乎没有变化;充填物破坏和结构面磨损主要受裂隙开度演化和局部应力集中的影响。随着剪切位移的增大,在裂隙开度较小的区域,应力分布较大,充填物易沿此处破碎,无充填结构面沿此处严重磨损。     

法向卸荷下贯通裂隙岩样压剪破坏特征研究

开展贯通裂隙岩样在法向卸荷下的压剪破坏研究,有助于更好地理解岩体裂隙在卸荷条件下的失稳特征。对单裂隙贯通岩样开展剪切应力峰前一系列法向卸荷破坏试验,分析了法向卸荷下试样裂隙的变形及能量演化规律。结果表明,法向卸荷下裂隙压剪失稳时的法向应力大于常规直剪试验的对应值,裂隙的抗剪能力减弱;剪切位移随法向应力减小而增大;卸荷变形比K随裂隙轮廓面积比Rs的增加而增大;卸荷过程中总变形能U0由减小转变为增加的现象可用于预测岩石裂隙卸荷失稳。研究结果对理解贯通裂隙岩体压剪卸荷失稳破坏具有一定参考意义。     

Shear localization,velocity weakening behavior,and development of cataclastic foliation in experimental granite gouge

Microstructural aspects of room-temperature deformation in experimental Westerly granite gouge were studied by a set of velocity stepping rotary-shear experiments at 25 MPa normal stress. The experiments were terminated at: (a) 44 mm, (b) 79 mm, and (c) 387 mm of sliding, all involving variable-amplitude fluctuations in friction. Microstructural attributes of the gouge were studied using scanning (SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), image processing, and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses. The gouge was velocity weakening at sliding distances >10 mm as a core of cataclasites along a through-going shear zone developed within a mantle of less deformed gouge in all experiments. Unlike in experiment (a), the cataclasites in experiments (b) and (c) progressively developed a foliation defined by stacks of shear bands. The individual bands showed an asymmetric particle-size grading normal to shearing direction. These microstructures were subsequently disrupted and reworked by high-angle Riedel shears. While the microstructural evolution affected the effective thickness and frictional strength of the gouge, it did not affect its overall velocity dependence behavior. We suggest that the foliation resulted from competing shear localization and frictional slip hardening and that the velocity dependence of natural fault gouge depends upon compositional as well as microstructural evolution of the gouge.     

直剪剪切速率对钙质砂强度及变形特征的影响

为深入研究剪切速率对钙质砂强度和变形特征的影响,对钙质干砂进行不同剪切速率条件下的直剪试验。研究结果表明,随剪切速率从0.1 mm/min增至2.4 mm/min时钙质砂抗剪强度先减小后增大,其内摩擦角亦呈现出先减小后增大趋势,临界剪切速率为1.6 mm/min;低法向应力条件下钙质砂试样随剪切速率的增加更易于呈现剪胀现象,高法向应力条件下剪切速率从0.1 mm/min增长至1.6 mm/min时试样整体剪缩量逐渐减小;当剪切速率继续从1.6 mm/min增长至2.4 mm/min时试样最大剪缩量逐渐增加;不同法向应力水平条件下钙质砂加载速率效应的细观机制不同,较低应力水平条件下钙质砂加载速率效应主要由试样内部颗粒错动、换位、重新排列引起,在较高应力水平条件下钙质砂加载速率效应主要由颗粒破碎引起。     

岩石多功能剪切试验测试系统研制

详细介绍了所研制的岩石多功能剪切试验测试系统的主要功能、技术指标和仪器组成,并开展了一系列相关力学试验。该试验测试系统主要包括试验装置、测量系统和控制系统3部分,最大法向拉伸应力为40 MPa,最大法向压缩应力为120 MPa,最大水平剪切应力为120 MPa,试样尺寸为50 mm?50 mm?50 mm;可开展多种力学试验,包括直接拉伸试验、直接剪切试验、拉伸-剪切试验和压缩–剪切试验。利用该试验测试系统对花岗岩进行试验研究,研究结果表明：直接拉伸试验中,试样发生脆性破坏,声发射信号瞬间达到峰值,破坏断面表现出拉伸破坏特征;直接剪切试验中,试样发生多次破坏,破坏瞬间声发射信号均发生突增,破坏断面表现出剪切破坏特征;拉伸-剪切试验中,试样在拉应力作用下剪切强度显著降低,声发射信号在破坏阶段表现强烈,破坏断面既有拉伸破坏特征也有一定的剪切破坏特征。上述力学试验结果,表明了所研制的岩石多功能剪切试验测试系统能够开展多种力学试验,为进一步研究岩石的剪切力学特性提供新的测试手段。     

Numerical modelling of fluid flow tests in a rock fracture with a special algorithm for contact areas

The fluid flow in rock fractures during shear processes has been an important issue in rock mechanics and is investigated in this paper using finite element method (FEM), considering evolutions of aperture and transmissivity with shear displacement histories under different normal stress and normal stiffness conditions as measured during laboratory coupled shear-flow tests. The distributions of fracture aperture and its evolution during shearing were calculated from the initial aperture, based on the laser-scanned sample surface roughness results, and shear dilations measured in the laboratory tests. Three normal loading conditions were adopted in the tests: simple normal stress and mixed normal stress and normal stiffness to reflect more realistic in situ conditions. A special algorithm for treatment of the contact areas as zero-aperture elements was used to produce more accurate flow field simulations, which is important for continued simulations of particle transport but often not properly treated in literature. The simulation results agree well with the measured hydraulic apertures and flow rate data obtained from the laboratory tests, showing that complex histories of fracture aperture and tortuous flow fields with changing normal loading conditions and increasing shear displacements. With the new algorithm for contact areas, the tortuous flow fields and channeling effects under normal stress/stiffness conditions during shearing were more realistically captured, which is not possible if traditional techniques by assuming very small aperture values for the contact areas were used. These findings have an important impact on the interpretation of the results of coupled hydro-mechanical experiments of rock fractures, and on more realistic simulations of particle transport processes in fractured rocks.     

A coupled compressible flow and geomechanics model for dynamic fracture aperture during carbon sequestration in coal

This paper presents the development of a discrete fracture model of fully coupled compressible fluid flow, adsorption and geomechanics to investigate the dynamic behaviour of fractures in coal. The model is applied in the study of geological carbon dioxide sequestration and differs from the dual porosity model developed in our previous work, with fractures now represented explicitly using lower-dimensional interface elements. The model consists of the fracture-matrix fluid transport model, the matrix deformation model and the stress-strain model for fracture deformation. A sequential implicit numerical method based on Galerkin finite element is employed to numerically solve the coupled governing equations, and verification is completed using published solutions as benchmarks. To explore the dynamic behaviour of fractures for understanding the process of carbon sequestration in coal, the model is used to investigate the effects of gas injection pressure and composition, adsorption and matrix permeability on the dynamic behaviour of fractures. The numerical results indicate that injecting nonadsorbing gas causes a monotonic increase in fracture aperture; however, the evolution of fracture aperture due to gas adsorption is complex due to the swelling-induced transition from local swelling to macro swelling. The change of fracture aperture is mainly controlled by the normal stress acting on the fracture surface. The fracture aperture initially increases for smaller matrix permeability and then declines after reaching a maximum value. When the local swelling becomes global, fracture aperture starts to rebound. However, when the matrix permeability is larger, the fracture aperture decreases before recovering to a higher value and remaining constant. Gas mixtures containing more carbon dioxide lead to larger closure of fracture aperture compared with those containing more nitrogen.     

应力腐蚀和压力溶解引起的裂隙开度-刚度变化对THMM耦合过程影响的数值模拟

在使用Yasuhara等建立的裂隙开度的应力腐蚀和压力溶解模型的基础上,考虑裂隙闭合量对裂隙刚度的影响,针对一个假设的位于非饱和双重孔隙-裂隙岩体中且有核素泄漏的高放废物地质处置模型,拟定两种计算工况：（1）裂隙的刚度系数是裂隙闭合量的线性函数;（2）裂隙刚度为常数,进行热-水-应力-迁移耦合的二维有限元数值模拟,考察了岩体中的温度、裂隙开度的闭合速率、闭合量、孔（裂）隙水压力、地下水流速、核素浓度、裂隙刚度和正应力的变化、分布等情况。结果表明,两种工况岩体中的温度场、孔（裂）隙水压力、地下水流速、核素浓度无明显差别;裂隙闭合基本由应力腐蚀产生;在相同计算时间内两种工况的裂隙闭合量较为接近,工况1略大;工况1中离玻璃固化体越近,裂隙刚度值越高,并且在玻璃固化体附近的应力值较大,且集中程度较高。     

渗透水压对节理应力-渗流耦合特性的影响试验研究

为研究渗透水压对节理应力-渗流耦合特性的影响,通过对6组人造节理试件恒定法向载荷和恒定法向刚度的压剪渗流试验,分析了应力和位移、节理水力开度以及透过率随剪切位移的变化趋势,获得了渗透水压对节理岩石应力-渗流耦合特性的影响规律。结果表明：节理试件的剪切应力和位移、水力开度以及透过率都与渗透水压密切相关。剪切应力随渗透水压的增大而减小,法向变形、水力开度和透过率却随渗透水压的增大而增大。在压剪渗流试验过程中,不同渗透压力的节理试件都发生了剪胀效应。研究可为深部岩体工程围岩遇水作用稳定性及渗流灾害控制技术提供科学的理论依据。     

不同连通率断续节理岩体直剪破坏特征

采用水刀切割加工灰岩原样,开展含Z型相交裂隙试样的室内直剪试验,系统地研究了剪应力-剪位移曲线,分析了预制裂隙倾角和法向应力对含Z型相交裂隙试样强度、变形及裂纹扩展的影响,并阐明了含Z型相交裂隙试样破坏演化机制。研究表明：①剪应力-剪位移曲线可分为预制裂隙(孔隙)压实阶段(初期下凹)、准线性变形阶段(中期线性波动)、峰前不稳定断裂发展阶段(后期上凸)及峰后强度残余阶段(陡降)4个变形破坏阶段;②相同裂隙倾角下裂隙岩体的峰值剪应力随法向应力增大而增大(近线性),且相同法向压力下裂隙岩体的峰值剪应力随裂隙倾角增大而减小(趋势渐缓);③裂隙宏观损伤裂纹演化过程可分为初始压密弹性阶段、裂纹扩展增长阶段及贯通断裂破坏阶段,且其破坏模式包括拉伸破坏、剪切破坏及拉剪混合破坏(拉伸-剪切贯通和剪切-拉伸-剪切贯通)。     

基于PIV技术的贯通单裂隙岩体压-剪破坏特征试验

基于PIV技术,采用相似材料预制贯通单裂隙岩体试件并开展压-剪试验,探究了裂隙开度对贯通单裂隙试件的强度、变形及破坏过程的影响.结果表明:(1)试件发生初始断裂时不同裂隙开度试验组应力均明显下降,且随着开度的增大裂隙岩体胶结部位塑性变形增强,岩体试件的特征应力值减小;(2)裂隙开度影响到裂隙和胶结部位变形在试件总变形中...     

Shear strengths of sandstone fractures under true triaxial stresses

True triaxial shear tests have been performed to determine the peak shear strengths of tension-induced fractures in three Thai sandstones. A polyaxial load frame is used to apply mutually perpendicular lateral stresses (σ_p and σ_o) to the 76 × 76 × 126 mm rectangular block specimens. The normal to the fracture plane makes an angle of 59.1° with the axial (major principal) stress. Results indicate that the lateral stress that is parallel to the fracture plane (σ_p) can significantly reduce the peak shear strength of the fractures. Under the same normal stress (σ_n) the fractures under high σ_p dilate more than those under low σ_p. According to the Coulomb criterion, the friction angle decreases exponentially with increasing σ_p/σ_o ratio and the cohesion decreases with increasing σ_p. The lateral stress σ_p has insignificant effect on the basic friction angle of the smooth saw-cut surfaces. The fracture shear strengths under σ_p = 0 correlate well with those obtained from the direct shear tests. It is postulated that when the fractures are confined laterally by σ_p, their asperities are strained into the aperture, and are sheared off more easily compared to those under unconfined condition.     

Closure of Fracture Due to Cover Stress Re-establishment After Coal Mining

In situ measurements of deformations, stresses, and closure of fractures, affecting water inflow following coal mining, are challenging due to the inaccessibility of fractured rock. In this paper, the authors studied the closure process of the fractured rock mass with the cover stress re-establishment based on a theoretical analysis and a scale model testing. A quantitative analysis is used to study the fracture distribution in the fractured zone. A function to describe a fracture aperture distribution in the fractured zone is proposed, which takes into account the curvature and thickness of the fractured rock. The theoretical analysis and a scale model testing both indicate that the cover stress re-establishment with mining distance increasing and the relationship between the fracture closure and cover stress re-establishment both satisfy a logarithmic function. The scale model test also shows the following features: (1) the fracture ratio (which is the fracture area divided by the total area of fracture and intact rock with a unit width in the vertical or horizontal direction) in the lower part of the fractured rock mass is greater than that in the upper part; (2) the initially fast decreased of fracture ratios is then followed by a slower decrease during the cover stress re-establishment process; (3) in the upper part of the rock mass, the vertical directional fractures with small apertures are being closed with cover stress re-establishment, which indicates an increase in the water resistance reducing the seepage from these parts of the fractured zone. This study improves the general understanding of the fracture closure process and cover stress re-establishment in the fractured rock mass after coal mining ceased, and provides a theoretical basis for water resource protection in case of underground coal mining.