Continuum modelling of jointed porous rock

✍ Scribed by Taechin F. Cho; Michael E. Plesha; Bezalel C. Haimson

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 953 KB
• Volume: 15
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0363-9061
• DOI: 10.1002/nag.1610150504

✦ Synopsis

Constitutive equations for the mechanical and hydraulic behaviour of saturated porous rock with joint sets of specified orientations are developed by superposing continuum representations for the mechanical and hydraulic properties of the intact rock and each of the joint sets. The resulting continuum theory allows for fluid diffusion through and between interconnected rock pores and joint sets of specified orientation, and also accounts for the anisotropy of the mechanical properties due to joint stiffnesses. The accuracy and reliability of this model are verified by finite element simulation of example problems. The first example considers joint orientation-dependent rock deformation in a hypothetical porous medium with one joint set of different dip angles. More realistic examples related to rock slope stability and reservoir-induced seismicity are also considered in which the constitutive law's utility for modelling time-dependent fluid pressures is illustrated.