Seepage properties of a single rock fracture subjected to triaxial stresses

Abstract

Coupled properties of seepage and stress fields of rock fractures greatly influence the safety of geotechnical engineering work. Based on the closing deformation principle of a single rock fracture, equations describing relationships of aperture and triaxial stresses are developed, and coupled models of seepage and triaxial stresses are proposed. Seepage tests are conducted under triaxial stress conditions by adopting hard granite specimens with an artificial fracture. The results show that the normal stress, lateral stress and seepage pressure significantly affect the flow behavior of rock fractures, and that hydraulic conductivity decreases with increasing normal stress, but increases with rising lateral stress or seepage pressure. In addition, an exponential function provides a good representation of the seepage characteristics of a single rock fracture subjected to triaxial stresses.