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Aperture measurements and seepage properties of typical single natural fractures

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Abstract

Fractures play an important role in controlling the hydraulic conductivity of rock masses, and the aperture significantly influences the magnitude of fracture seepage. In this study, field measurements and experiments were conducted at a well-exposed granite fracture site in the Beishan area, China. Several types of single natural fractures were selected to remove the weathered surface and expose the fresh fractures. Subsequently, measuring ruler dispersion-tangent middle axis (MRD-TMA) method was developed to measure the fracture aperture and capture fracture geometry. Then, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) technique was employed to investigate the seepage properties of these fractures. The results reveal that MRD-TMA method achieved good flexibility and accuracy in the current measurement of fracture aperture, and ERT is a useful tool for detecting the seepage properties of fractures in hard rock masses. Combined with field observations, the filling form of fractures can be categorized according to the ERT inversion results, as follows: open-weak filling, open filling, loose filling, and fully cemented-closed form, whose seepage properties decrease as the filling density increases. Generally, the open-weak filling is the main water channel in a fracture network, while the fully cemented-closed type is a water-blocking fracture and typically exhibits a pseudo-fracture with a large surface opening. In summary, the method for obtaining the morphological characteristics of the aperture can provide a low-cost and time-efficient approach for fracture logging in the field, and ERT technique provides a reference for the detection of potential hazards caused by connected water-conducting fractures in rock engineering.

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Funding

The authors received support from the National Key Research and Development Project of High-level Radioactive Waste Disposal of China (No. [2012]491; No. [2015]297; No. [2020]194) and the Nanjing University Innovation Program for PhD candidate (CXYJ21-47). This project also received support from the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Wentao Xu, Xiaozhao Li, Zhicheng He & Jing Fan

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China

    Yangsong Zhang

  3. State Key Laboratory for GeoMechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, China

    Xiaozhao Li & Richeng Liu

  4. Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, Beijing, 100029, China

    Xiyong Wang

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  1. Wentao Xu
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  2. Xiaozhao Li
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  3. Yangsong Zhang
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  4. Xiyong Wang
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  5. Richeng Liu
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  6. Zhicheng He
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Correspondence to Xiaozhao Li or Yangsong Zhang.

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Xu, W., Li, X., Zhang, Y. et al. Aperture measurements and seepage properties of typical single natural fractures. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 8043–8058 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02392-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02392-2

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