Abstract
The quality of large rock blocks produced from quarries depends significantly on the fractures and the extent to which they penetrate into the rock. The paper reports a laboratory study to evaluate the possibility of the determining fracture depth in rock blocks from P-wave velocity. Three igneous, three sedimentary and three metamorphic rocks were studied. Inverse linear relations were found between the fracture depths and the P-wave velocities. Although, the slope of the regression lines is approximately the same for the rocks belonging to one rock class, different trends are seen for the different rock types. In addition, some correlation was found between the slopes of the regression lines and the physical properties of the rocks.
Résumé
La qualité des gros blocs extraits en carrière dépend de la présence de fractures et de leur extension au sein des masses rocheuses. L’article présente une étude de laboratoire visant à évaluer la profondeur de pénétration de fractures dans un bloc de roche à partir de la mesure des vitesses de propagation des ondes P. Trois roches magmatiques, trois roches sédimentaires et trois roches métamorphiques ont été étudiées. Des corrélations inverses entre la profondeur des fractures et la vitesse des ondes P ont été trouvées, avec des types de relation variables suivant les types de roche. De plus, des relations ont été établies entre les pentes des droites de régression et les propriétés physiques des roches.
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Acknowledgment
This work has been supported by the Turkish Academy of Sciences, in the framework of the Young Scientist Award Program (EA-TUBA-GEBIP/2001-1-1).
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Kahraman, S., Soylemez, M. & Fener, M. Determination of fracture depth of rock blocks from P-wave velocity. Bull Eng Geol Environ 67, 11–16 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-007-0110-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-007-0110-5