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Non-stationarity, heterogeneity, scale effects, and anisotropy investigations on natural rock joint roughness using the variogram method

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Abstract

The variogram method is used to investigate the effect of non-stationarity, heterogeneity, scale-related parameters and anisotropy on roughness quantification of a natural rock joint of size 1 m × 1 m. The methodology quantifies two parameters to capture the stationary roughness. The effect of the non-stationarity of the used profiles was found to be negligible on the computed fractal parameters. Calculated fractal parameter values reflected significant heterogeneity on one part of the roughness surface compared to the rest of the surface studied in the paper. Effect of joint size was found to be negligible on the calculated fractal parameter values. The authors believe that the controversial findings appear in the literature on scale effects have resulted from roughness heterogeneity, which has not been investigated in detail in the literature in quantifying roughness. Rock discontinuity surface showed major anisotropy with respect to roughness. Roughness in the direction along the axis of ridges and troughs (X-direction) of the joint surface was found to be significantly less compared to that in the direction perpendicular to the direction of axis of ridges and troughs. Thus, it agreed with the intuition that the discontinuity resulted from a shear fracture with the main shearing direction approximately parallel to the X direction.

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Funding

The first author received financial supports from the Distinguished Foreign Expert Talent Program Funding. The work was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 41427802 for Prof. Du and grant number 41502300 for Prof. Yong), Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation (grant number LQ16D020001 for Prof. Yong), Zhejiang Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Mountain Geological Hazards (grant number ZJRMG-2018-Y-03 for Prof. Yong). Also, Dr. Rui Wu received financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China through grant number 51604126.

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Authors and Affiliations

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

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

  2. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, People’s Republic of China

    Shi-Gui Du & Rui Yong

  3. Key Laboratory of Rock Mechanics and Geohazards of Zhejiang Province, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, 312000, People’s Republic of China

    Guang-Jian Liu

Authors
  1. Pinnaduwa H. S. W. Kulatilake
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  2. Shi-Gui Du
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  3. Mawuko Luke Yaw Ankah
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  4. Rui Yong
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  5. Desmond Talamwin Sunkpal
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  6. Xiaokang Zhao
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  7. Guang-Jian Liu
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  8. Rui Wu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pinnaduwa H. S. W. Kulatilake.

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Highlights

1. Roughness of a fairly large size (1 m × 1 m) natural rock joint is quantified.

2. Roughness heterogeneity, which is rarely addressed in the rock mechanics literature, is addressed in detail by performing more than 1700 computations.

3. Controversial findings appear in the literature on roughness scale effect due to joint size is clarified through systematic quantification and interpretation.

4. Roughness anisotropy is clearly shown for a discontinuity resulted from a natural shear fracture.

5. Reliability of the variogram technique as an accurate roughness quantification method is shown through more than 1700 consistent computations.

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Kulatilake, P.H.S.W., Du, SG., Ankah, M.L.Y. et al. Non-stationarity, heterogeneity, scale effects, and anisotropy investigations on natural rock joint roughness using the variogram method. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 6121–6143 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02321-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02321-3

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