Measurement of Joint Aperture Using 3-D Laser Profilometer

3차원 레이저 측정기를 이용한 절리 간극의 측정

Aperture is an important parameter for determining the hydraulic characteristics of fractured media. In this study the topography of artificial rock joint surface was measured using 3D laser profilometer to analyze the aperture distribution. The initial aperture distribution was determined when the contact area became one percent of total joint surface. The initial aperture distribution of granite joint, with the mean value of 0.78 mm and the standard deviation of 0.34 mm was much different from that of the marble joint, with the mean value of 0.57 mm and the standard deviation of 0.26 mm. Apertures of both granite and marble showed normal distributions. Aperture distribution with the contact area of 25% was also analyzed. Mean value was decreased to one third compared to the initial aperture, but the standard deviation was decreased slightly. To determine the spatial correlation of the aperture distribution variogram analysis was carried out on the initial aperture data. Most experimental variograms were fitted well with exponential model. It is expected that the measured aperture characteristics can be used for stochastic analysis of fluid flow through rock joints.