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Role of heterogeneity on joint size effect, and influence of anisotropy and sampling interval on rock joint roughness quantification

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Abstract

Rock joint roughness influences the mechanical and hydraulic properties of joints. To find reasons for the contradictory findings on roughness scale effects appearing in the literature, the surface roughness of a large rock joint was digitized and then quantified using six statistical parameters. The results obtained for the statistical parameters were then compared with a set of fractal parameter results obtained through the variogram method. Computed roughness parameter values showed significant roughness heterogeneity of the rock joint surface. Roughness heterogeneity has been neglected in the literature in making decisions on scale effects due to joint size. Therefore, the influence of roughness heterogeneity on the joint size effect was investigated carefully in the paper. Highly consistent results were obtained for both the statistical and fractal parameters for different joint sizes. No joint size effect was found on all the important roughness parameters when those were applied to relatively homogeneous sections of the rock joint. Negligible or slight joint size effect was found on all the important roughness parameters when those were applied to heterogeneous rock joint profiles. The possibility of having a joint size effect with increasing heterogeneity was found. Theoretically, no joint size effect exists on 100% smooth homogeneous joints. Based on this theory and the results obtained from this study, the authors strongly believe that the contradictory findings that appear in the literature on joint size effects for more than 40 years have resulted from roughness heterogeneity. This means that the rock joint heterogeneity controls the scale effect, and it can be either negative, positive, or no scale effect depending on the type and level of the heterogeneity of the rock joint surface. The studied rock joint showed significant roughness anisotropy and sampling interval effect. RMS parameter was found to be an unsuitable parameter to quantify rock joint roughness. Useful comparisons are made between several 2-D and 3-D roughness parameters. All the aforementioned are important contributions to the literature and have advanced our understanding of rock joint roughness quantification.

Article highlights

  1. 1.

    The roughness heterogeneity plays a major role in joint size effect on roughness.

  2. 2.

    The rock joint showed major roughness anisotropy and sampling interval effect.

  3. 3.

    Useful comparisons are made between several 2-D and 3-D roughness parameters.

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Data availability

Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Note that the authors do not own the raw data. Those should be requested from the researchers who own the data (a reference is given for that). However, the corresponding author can provide the data used to produce the tables and figures given in the manuscript. All the calculations were performed using MATLAB and Excel.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Prof. Shi-Gui Du and Dr. Rui Yong for allowing to use the roughness data used in this paper. The financial support the last author received from the Distinguished Foreign Expert Talent Program Funding is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, 341000, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China

    Mawuko Luke Yaw Ankah, Desmond Talamwin Sunkpal, Xiaokang Zhao & Pinnaduwa H. S. W. Kulatilake

Authors
  1. Mawuko Luke Yaw Ankah
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  2. Desmond Talamwin Sunkpal
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  3. Xiaokang Zhao
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  4. Pinnaduwa H. S. W. Kulatilake
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Contributions

Prof. PHSWK has contributed to the paper on the following aspects: development and implementation of ideas, analysis and interpretations, manuscript drafting and critically revisiting, responding to the reviewer comments, intellectual responsibility for its content, and supervision of the graduate student work on the paper. The graduate students, MLYA, DTS, and XZ, have contributed to the paper on the following aspects: development and implementation of ideas, data preparation for analysis, analysis and interpretations, manuscript drafting, and manuscript preparation according to the journal formats.

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Correspondence to Pinnaduwa H. S. W. Kulatilake.

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Ankah, M.L.Y., Sunkpal, D.T., Zhao, X. et al. Role of heterogeneity on joint size effect, and influence of anisotropy and sampling interval on rock joint roughness quantification. Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour. 8, 101 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-022-00413-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-022-00413-2

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