Evaluation of hydrodynamic dispersion parameters in fractured rocks

A numerical procedure to determine the equivalent hydrodynamic dispersion coefficients and Péclet number（Pe） of a fractured rock is presented using random walk particle tracking method.The geometrical effects of fracture system on hydrodynamic dispersion are studied.The results obtained from the proposed method agree well with those of empirical models,which are the scale-dependent hydrodynamic dispersion coefficients in an asymptotic or exponential form.A variance case is added to investigate the influence of longitudinal hydrodynamic dispersion in individual fractures on the macro-hydrodynamic dispersion at the fracture network scale,and its influence is demonstrated with a verification example.In addition,we investigate the influences of directional flow and stress conditions on the behavior of hydrodynamic dispersion in fracture networks.The results show that the magnitudes of the hydrodynamic dispersion coefficients are relatively smaller when the flow direction is parallel to the dip directions of fracture sets.Compressive stresses significantly reduce hydrodynamic dispersion.However,the remaining questions are：（1） whether the deformed fracture network under high stress conditions may make the scale-dependent hydrodynamic dispersion coefficients have asymptotic or exponential forms,and（2） what the conditions for existence of a well-defined equivalent hydrodynamic dispersion tensor are.They need to be further investigated.

Numerical evaluation of strength and deformability of fractured rocks

Knowledge of the strength and deformability of fractured rocks is important for design, construction and stability evaluation of slopes, foundations and underground excavations in civil and mining engineering. However, laboratory tests of intact rock samples cannot provide information about the strength and deformation behaviors of fractured rock masses that include many fractures of varying sizes, orientations and locations. On the other hand, large-scale in situ tests of fractured rock masses are economically costly and often not practical in reality at present. Therefore, numerical modeling becomes necessary. Numerical predicting using discrete element methods(DEM) is a suitable approach for such modeling because of their advantages of explicit representations of both fractures system geometry and their constitutive behaviors of fractures, besides that of intact rock matrix. In this study, to generically determine the compressive strength of fractured rock masses, a series of numerical experiments were performed on two-dimensional discrete fracture network models based on the realistic geometrical and mechanical data of fracture systems from feld mapping. We used the UDEC code and a numerical servo-controlled program for controlling the progressive compressive loading process to avoid sudden violent failure of the models. The two loading conditions applied are similar to the standard laboratory testing for intact rock samples in order to check possible differences caused by such loading conditions. Numerical results show that the strength of fractured rocks increases with the increasing confning pressure, and that deformation behavior of fractured rocks follows elasto-plastic model with a trend of strain hardening. The stresses and strains obtained from these numerical experiments were used to ft the well-known Mohr-Coulomb(MC) and Hoek-Brown(H-B) failure criteria, represented by equivalent material properties defning these two criteria. The results show that both criteria can provide fair estimates of the compressive strengths for all tested numerical models. Parameters of the elastic deformability of fractured models during elastic deformation stages were also evaluated, and represented as equivalent Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio as functions of lateral confning pressure. It is the frst time that such systematic numerical predicting for strength of fractured rocks was performed considering different loading conditions, with important fndings for different behaviors of fractured rock masses, compared with testing intact rock samples under similar loading conditions.

Anisotropy of strength and deformability of fractured rocks

Anisotropy of the strength and deformation behaviors of fractured rock masses is a crucial issue for design and stability assessments of rock engineering structures, due mainly to the non-uniform and non- regular geometries of the fracture systems. However, no adequate efforts have been made to study this issue due to the current practical impossibility of laboratory tests with samples of large volumes con- taining many fractures, and the difficulty for controlling reliable initial and boundary conditions for large-scale in situ tests. Therefore, a reliable numerical predicting approach for evaluating anisotropy of fractured rock masses is needed. The objective of this study is to systematically investigate anisotropy of strength and deformability of fractured rocks, which has not been conducted in the past, using a nu- merical modeling method. A series of realistic two-dimensional （2D） discrete fracture network （DFN） models were established based on site investigation data, which were then loaded in different directions, using the code UDEC of discrete element method （DEM）, with changing confining pressures. Numerical results show that strength envelopes and elastic deformability parameters of tested numerical models are significantly anisotropic, and vary with changing axial loading and confining pressures. The results indicate that for design and safety assessments of rock engineering projects, the directional variations of strength and deformability of the fractured rock mass concerned must be treated properly with respect to the directions of in situ stresses. Traditional practice for simply positioning axial orientation of tunnels in association with principal stress directions only may not be adequate for safety requirements. Outstanding issues of the present study and su^zestions for future study are also oresented.

Numerical modeling of coupled thermo-mechanical response of a rock pillar

Understanding the rock mass response to excavation and thermal loading and improving the capability of the numerical models for simulating the progressive failure process of brittle rocks are important for safety assessment and optimization design of nuclear waste repositories.The international cooperative DECOVALEX-2011 project provides a platform for development,validation and comparison of numerical models,in which the sp pillar stability experiment（APSE） was selected as the modeling target for Task B.This paper presents the modeling results of Wuhan University（WHU） team for stages 1 and 2 of Task B by using a coupled thermo-mechanical model within the framework of continuum mechanics.The rock mass response to excavation is modeled with linear elastic,elastoplastic and brittle-plastic models,while the response to heating is modeled with a coupled thermo-elastic model.The capabilities and limitations of the model for representation of the thermo-mechanical responses of the rock pillar are discussed by comparing the modeling results with experimental observations.The results may provide a helpful reference for the stability and safety assessment of the hard granite host rock in China＇s Beishan preselected area for high-level radioactive waste disposal.

Foreword

The DECOVALEX project is an on-going international co-operative project that was started in 1992 to support the development of mathematical models of coupled thermal （T）, hydrological （H）, mechanical （M） and chemical （C） processes in geological media and geological systems for the geological disposal of radioactive wastes. The most recent phase, DECOVALEX-2011, began in 2008 and was completed in 2011 ; this phase had the general objective of characterising and evaluating the impact of the coupled THMC processes on the performance and safety assessments of a geological repository, with the following considerations：