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The effects of rock joint characteristics and normal stress level on the stiffness of rock joints

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Abstract

The present research aims to study the effects of normal stress level on the rock joint stiffness. In addition, the sample size effect was also taken into consideration. A total of 96 direct shear tests on samples with various sizes and different rock materials were conducted and extensively analyzed. Obtained results show as the normal stress applied increases and shear stiffness (Ks) and normal stiffness (Kn) of the joint increase. Travertine and granite have a similar dilative behavior at lower normal stress levels (lower than 1 MPa). However, when normal stress increases (4 MPa and higher), granite tends to retain its dilative behavior yet roughness in travertine has a significant impact on the joint behavior. An empirical natural logarithmic expression was proposed to describe the stiffness ratio of a rock joint. It was also understood that there is a correlation between the parameters of the logarithmic expression and the roughness of the joints. The empirical expression used to predict the stiffness ratio curves of different joint shows high conformity with the experimental results.

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Abbreviations

τ :

Joint shear strength

σ n :

Normal stress

JRC:

Joint roughness coefficient

JCS:

Joint compressive strength

ϕ b :

Basic friction angle

ϕ b :

Basic friction angle

V max :

Maximum shear load

CNL:

Constant normal load

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

    Milad Abolfazli

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Milad Abolfazli & Ahmad Fahimifar

Authors
  1. Milad Abolfazli
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  2. Ahmad Fahimifar
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Correspondence to Milad Abolfazli.

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Responsible Editor: Zeynal Abiddin Erguler

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Abolfazli, M., Fahimifar, A. The effects of rock joint characteristics and normal stress level on the stiffness of rock joints. Arab J Geosci 13, 984 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05934-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05934-2

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