In this paper, configurations of pre-existing fractures in cubic rock blocks were investigated and reconstructed for the modeling of experimental hydraulic fracturing. The fluid-rock coupling process of hydraulic fracturing was simulated based on the displacement discontinuities method. The numerical model was validated against the related laboratory experiments. The stimulated fracture configu...

[1] Joint sets within sedimentary basins are commonly interpreted to have formed by tensile failure in conditions where pore fluid pressure was elevated. Such tensile fractures are inferred to be a part of the process that relieves high fluid pressure by locally increasing rock permeability. In spite of the importance of this feedback mechanism, the detailed mechanics of hydraulic fracture gene...

Abstract The hydromechanical properties of single self-propping fractures under stress are fundamental interest for fractured-rock hydrology and a large number geotechnical applications. This experimental study investigates fracture closure hydraulic aperture changes displaced tensile fractures, aligned saw-cut two types sandstone (i.e., Flechtinger Fontainebleau) with contrasting mechanical pr...

Heterogeneous fracture aperture distribution, dictated by surface roughness, mechanical rock and properties, effective stress, limits the predictive capabilities of many reservoir-scale models that commonly assume smooth walls. Numerous experimental studies have probed key hydromechanical responses in single fractures; however, are constrained difficulties associated with sample preparation qua...

. AbstrAct Objective. In clinical practice, core material can be exposed after adjustments, which may result in loss of ceramic glaze. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of surface roughness on the flexural strength and fracture toughness of In-Ceram zirconia core material. Materials and methods. Forty In-Ceram zirconia specimens were prepared and divided into two main groups...

An assessment is made here of the role played by the micropolar continuum theory on the cracked Brazilian disc test used for determining rock fracture toughness. By analytically solving the corresponding mixed boundary-value problems and employing singular-perturbation arguments, we provide closed-form expressions for the energy release rate and the corresponding stress-intensity factors for bo...

This article reviews the main features of the transport properties of single fractures. A particular attention paid to fractures in geological materials which often display a roughness covering a broad range of length scales. Because of the small distance separating the fracture walls, the surface roughness is a key parameter influencing the structure of the void space. Studies devoted to the c...

Rock slope stability depends very much on the strength features of the rock and the geometrical and strength characteristics of the discontinuities (e.g., roughness, wall strength and persistence). Since a rock mass is not a continuum, its behavior is dominated by such discontinuities as faults, joints and bedding planes. Also, Rock slope instability is a major hazard for human activities and o...

Rock fracture mapping is very important in many applications related to rock mechanics. The toughest task is the extraction of the fractures from the images of the rocks. Time series model has been used in this paper for segmentation of fractures from the rock images. The model is compared with orthodox edge detection algorithms. A first order autoregressive image model has been implemented. Th...

Numerical simulation of tracer testing data is conducted based on hydrogeology parameters inferred from pressure interference data. By incorporating both of pressure interferences and tracer testing data, pertinent values of average fracture spacing and rock-matrix permeability can be estimated. Relatively good match of tracer return curves are obtained. It is necessary to assign very small fra...