Effect of intermittent joint distribution on the mechanical and acoustic behavior of rock masses

Abstract

The mechanical characteristics and acoustic behavior of rock masses are greatly influenced by stochastic joints. In this study, numerical models of rock masses incorporating intermittent joints with different numbers and dip angles were produced using the finite element method (FEM) with the intrinsic cohesive zone model (ICZM). Then, the uniaxial compressive and wave propagation simulations were performed. The results indicate that the joint number and dip angle can affect the mechanical and acoustic properties of the models. The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and wave velocity of rock masses decrease monotonically as the joint number increases. However, the wave velocity grows monotonically as the joint dip angle increases. When the joint dip angle is 45°–60°, the UCS of the rock mass is lower than that of other dip angles. The wave velocity parallel to the joints is greater than that perpendicular to the joints. When the dip angle of joints remains unchanged, the UCS and wave velocity are positively related. When the joint dip angle increases, the variation amplitude of the UCS regarding the wave velocity increases. To reveal the effect of the joint distribution on the velocity, a theoretical model was also proposed. According to the theoretical wave velocity, the change in wave velocity of models with various joint numbers and dip angles was consistent with the simulation results. Furthermore, a theoretical indicator (i.e. fabric tensor) was adopted to analyze the variation of the wave velocity and UCS.