Author(s): V. N. Zhilenkov
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Geohydraulics; Rock permeability; Joint morphology; Flow simulation; Flowparameters
Abstract: The paper discusses the methods applied to and the results obtained from experimental investigations performed in laboratory to study basic regularities associated with the steady flow of water (or any Newtonian fluid) in fissures and cracks with walls of roughness characteristic for rock. The method of determining morphological parameters of roughness and the experimental facility used are described. The experiments enabled the initial data on water flow through cracks of various openings to be got in the form of gradientvelocity curves. These data analyzed and generalized made it possible to establish the following hydraulic characteristics of both laminar and turbulent fluid flows in jointed rock: flow velocities, head gradients, Reynolds numbers, as well as their critical values corresponding to the regimes transition. The effect of wall roughness on the hydraulic resistance of cracks is estimated quantitatively, this effect being particularly marked for small (of a fraction of a millimeter) openings, when the water permeability of rock can vary directly with the fourth degree of crack opening. In this connection approximate calculation of water permeability of jointed rock under an external compressive load is given as an example of investigations important for practical purposes.
Year: 1999