Subsurface fluid injections can disturb the effective stress regime by elevating pore pressure and potentially reactivate faults and fractures.Laboratory studies indicate that fracture rheology and permeability in suc...Subsurface fluid injections can disturb the effective stress regime by elevating pore pressure and potentially reactivate faults and fractures.Laboratory studies indicate that fracture rheology and permeability in such reactivation events are linked to the roughness of the fracture surfaces.In this study,we construct numerical models using discrete element method(DEM)to explore the influence of fracture surface roughness on the shear strength,slip stability,and permeability evolution during such slip events.For each simulation,a pair of analog rock coupons(three-dimensional bonded quartz particle analogs)representing a mated fracture is sheared under a velocity-stepping scheme.The roughness of the fracture is defined in terms of asperity height and asperity wavelength.Results show that(1)Samples with larger asperity heights(rougher),when sheared,exhibit a higher peak strength which quickly devolves to a residual strength after reaching a threshold shear displacement;(2)These rougher samples also exhibit greater slip stability due to a high degree of asperity wear and resultant production of wear products;(3)Long-term suppression of permeability is observed with rougher fractures,possibly due to the removal of asperities and redistribution of wear products,which locally reduces porosity in the dilating fracture;and(4)Increasing shear-parallel asperity wavelength reduces magnitudes of stress drops after peak strength and enhances fracture permeability,while increasing shear-perpendicular asperity wavelength results in sequential stress drops and a delay in permeability enhancement.This study provides insights into understanding of the mechanisms of frictional and rheological evolution of rough fractures anticipated during reactivation events.展开更多
Geotextile tube technology has been increasingly used in dykes. In this work reinforcement theory and circle method were employed to examine the allowable tensile limit of the geotextile tube and the stability factor ...Geotextile tube technology has been increasingly used in dykes. In this work reinforcement theory and circle method were employed to examine the allowable tensile limit of the geotextile tube and the stability factor of the slip surface of the dyke. The formulas to calculate the layer-to-layer spacing and size of geotextile tubes applied to double prism dykes were deduced. The application of these formulas was illustrated by several examples. The calculation results indicate that unequal spacing arrangement is more economical than equal spacing and the layer number of required geotextile tubes decreases with the increase of allowable tensile strength of the geotextile.展开更多
基金support provided by United States Department of Energy Grant DE-FE0023354。
文摘Subsurface fluid injections can disturb the effective stress regime by elevating pore pressure and potentially reactivate faults and fractures.Laboratory studies indicate that fracture rheology and permeability in such reactivation events are linked to the roughness of the fracture surfaces.In this study,we construct numerical models using discrete element method(DEM)to explore the influence of fracture surface roughness on the shear strength,slip stability,and permeability evolution during such slip events.For each simulation,a pair of analog rock coupons(three-dimensional bonded quartz particle analogs)representing a mated fracture is sheared under a velocity-stepping scheme.The roughness of the fracture is defined in terms of asperity height and asperity wavelength.Results show that(1)Samples with larger asperity heights(rougher),when sheared,exhibit a higher peak strength which quickly devolves to a residual strength after reaching a threshold shear displacement;(2)These rougher samples also exhibit greater slip stability due to a high degree of asperity wear and resultant production of wear products;(3)Long-term suppression of permeability is observed with rougher fractures,possibly due to the removal of asperities and redistribution of wear products,which locally reduces porosity in the dilating fracture;and(4)Increasing shear-parallel asperity wavelength reduces magnitudes of stress drops after peak strength and enhances fracture permeability,while increasing shear-perpendicular asperity wavelength results in sequential stress drops and a delay in permeability enhancement.This study provides insights into understanding of the mechanisms of frictional and rheological evolution of rough fractures anticipated during reactivation events.
基金the Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Technology & Garment CAD in Ningbo(Identification No. 20060406112)
文摘Geotextile tube technology has been increasingly used in dykes. In this work reinforcement theory and circle method were employed to examine the allowable tensile limit of the geotextile tube and the stability factor of the slip surface of the dyke. The formulas to calculate the layer-to-layer spacing and size of geotextile tubes applied to double prism dykes were deduced. The application of these formulas was illustrated by several examples. The calculation results indicate that unequal spacing arrangement is more economical than equal spacing and the layer number of required geotextile tubes decreases with the increase of allowable tensile strength of the geotextile.
