• Water Engineering Research
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.49-61
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• 2005

This paper presents the numerical study to examine characteristics of fluid flow and solute transport in a rough fracture subject to effective normal stresses. The aperture distribution is generated by using the self-affine fractal model. In order to represent a nonlinear relationship between the supported normal stress and the fracture aperture, we combine a simple mechanical model with the local flow model. The solute transport is simulated using the random walk particle following algorithm. Results of numerical simulations show that the flow is significantly affected by the geometry of aperture distribution varying with the effective normal stress level while it is slightly affected by the fractal dimension that determines the degree of the fracture surface roughness. However, solute transport is influenced by the effective normal stress as well as the fracture surface roughness.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제74권2호
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• pp.283-296
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• 2020

The coupled hydro-mechanical loading conditions commonly occur in the geothermal and petroleum engineering projects, which is significantly important influence on the stability of rock masses. In this article, the influence of flaw inclination angle of fracture behaviors in rock-like materials subjected to both mechanical loads and internal hydraulic pressures is experimentally studied using the 3-D X-ray computed tomography combined with 3-D reconstruction techniques. Triaxial compression experiments under confining pressure of 8.0 MPa are first conducted for intact rock-like specimens using a rock mechanics testing system. Four pre-flawed rock-like specimens containing a single open flaw with different inclination angle under the coupled hydro-mechanical loading conditions are carried out. Then, the broken pre-flawed rock-like specimens are analyzed using a 3-D X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning system. Subsequently, the internal damage behaviors of failed pre-flawed rock-like specimens are evaluated by the 3-D reconstruction techniques, according to the horizontal and vertical cross-sectional CT images. The present experimental does not only focus on the mechanical responses, but also pays attentions to the internal fracture characteristics of rock-like materials under the coupled hydro-mechanical loading conditions. The conclusion remarks are significant for predicting the rock instability in geothermal and unconventional petroleum engineering.