A new equation for the equivalent hydraulic conductivity of rock mass around a tunnel

Zoorabadi, Mahdi; Indraratna, Buddhima; Nemcik, Jan

doi:10.1016/j.ijrmms.2012.05.017

Cited by 12 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Moreover, the effect of fracture connectivity was not taken into account. To overcome these shortcomings of Snow’s model, several analytical models were then proposed, considering finite fractures and fracture connectivity (Oda, 1985; Zhou et al , 2008; Zoorabadi et al , 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of equivalent permeability tensor for fractured porous rock masses using a coupled RPIM-FEM method

Zhang

Cong

Bian

et al. 2019

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Purpose Understanding the fluid flow through rock masses, which commonly consist of rock matrix and fractures, is a fundamental issue in many application areas of rock engineering. As the equivalent porous medium approach is the dominant approach for engineering applications, it is of great significance to estimate the equivalent permeability tensor of rock masses. This study aims to develop a novel numerical approach to estimate the equivalent permeability tensor for fractured porous rock masses. Design/methodology/approach The radial point interpolation method (RPIM) and finite element method (FEM) are coupled to simulate the seepage flow in fractured porous rock masses. The rock matrix is modeled by the RPIM, and the fractures are modeled explicitly by the FEM. A procedure for numerical experiments is then designed to determinate the equivalent permeability tensor directly on the basis of Darcy’s law. Findings The coupled RPIM-FEM method is a reliable numerical method to analyze the seepage flow in fractured porous rock masses, which can consider simultaneously the influences of fractures and rock matrix. As the meshes of rock matrix and fracture network are generated separately without considering the topology relationship between them, the mesh generation process can be greatly facilitated. Using the proposed procedure for numerical experiments, which is designed directly on the basis of Darcy’s law, the representative elementary volume and equivalent permeability tensor of fractured porous rock masses can be identified conveniently. Originality/value A novel numerical approach to estimate the equivalent permeability tensor for fractured porous rock masses is proposed. In the approach, the RPIM and FEM are coupled to simulate the seepage flow in fractured porous rock masses, and then a numerical experiment procedure directly based on Darcy’s law is introduced to estimate the equivalent permeability tensor.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%