Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Experimental Study on Hydro-mechanical Behaviour of Anisotropic Columnar Jointed Rock-Like Specimens

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Columnar jointed rock masses (CJRM), characterized by regular arrays of polygonal prisms or columns, are exposed in the dam foundation of the Baihetan hydropower station and pose a challenge to the stability of the project. To understand the hydro-mechanical behaviour of Baihetan CJRM, triaxial compression experiments are carried out on artificial CJRM specimens with regular arrays of hexagonal columns, which are similar to the actual CJRM. Based on the experimental results, mechanical and hydraulic behaviour of CJRM is studied. It is found that the compressive strength of CJRM varies in a typical U-shape with the joint inclination angle. Three failure modes associated with the angle of joint inclination are observed. The evolution of permeability with stress exhibits distinct phased characteristics: initial compression stage, linear elastic stage, yield stage, and strain-softening stage. The results of this study provide helpful information for the design and construction of the Baihetan project involving CJRM.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

\(\beta\) :

Angle of joint inclination

\(K\) :

Permeability

\(K_{0}\) :

Initial permeability

\(\mu\) :

Water dynamic viscosity

L :

Length of flow path

\(\Delta t\) :

Time interval

\(\Delta V\) :

Volume change of water pump within each time interval

A :

Cross-sectional area of rock specimen

\(\Delta p\) :

Hydraulic pressure difference between the top and the bottom of the specimen

\(\sigma_{i}\) :

Peak deviatoric strength of columnar jointed specimen

\(\sigma_{{\text{c}}}\) :

Peak deviatoric strength of intact specimen

\(R_{{\text{e}}}\) :

Reduction parameter

\(E_{50}\) :

Deformation modulus

\(E_{{\text{s}}}\) :

Elastic modulus

\(\varepsilon_{1}\) :

Axial strain

\(\varepsilon_{3}\) :

Radial strain

\(\varepsilon_{v}\) :

Volumetric strain

References

  • Barton N, Bandis S, Bakhtar K (1985) Strength, deformation and conductivity coupling of rock joints. Int J Rock Mech Min 22(3):121–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bobet A (2000) The initiation of secondary cracks in compression. Eng Fract Mech 66(2):187–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Budkewitsch P, Robin P (1994) Modelling the evolution of columnar joints. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 59(5):219–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cammarata G, Fidelibus C, Cravero M, Barla G (2007) The hydro-mechanically coupled response of rock fractures. Rock Mech Rock Eng 40(1):41–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen H, Zhao Z, Sun J (2013) Coupled hydro-mechanical model for fractured rock masses using the discontinuous deformation analysis. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 38(9):506–516

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cordero JAR, Sanchez ECM, Roehl D, Pereira LC (2019) Hydro-mechanical modeling of hydraulic fracture propagation and its interactions with frictional natural fractures. Comput Geotech 111(7):290–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cousens BL (1996) Magmatic evolution of Quaternary mafic magmas at Long Valley Caldera and the Devils Postpile, California: effects of crustal contamination on lithospheric mantle-derived magmas. J Geophys Res 101(12):27673–27689

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esaki T, Du S, Mitani Y, Ikusada K, Jing L (1999) Development of a shear-flow test apparatus and determination of coupled properties for a single rock joint. Int J Rock Mech Min 36(5):641–650

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan QX, Feng XT, Weng WL, Fan YL, Jiang Q (2017) Unloading performances and stabilizing practices for columnar jointed basalt : a case study of Baihetan hydropower station. J Rock Mech Geotech Eng 9(6):1041–1053

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Figueiredo B, Tsang C, Rutqvist J, Niemi A (2015) A study of changes in deep fractured rock permeability due to coupled hydro-mechanical effects. Int J Rock Mech Min 79(10):70–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gehle C, Kutter HK (2003) Breakage and shear behaviour of intermittent rock joints. Int J Rock Mech Min 40(5):687–700

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilman JJ (2009) Basalt columns: large scale constitutional supercooling? J Volcanol Geotherm Res 184(3):347–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goehring L, Morris SW (2005) Order and disorder in columnar joints. Europhys Lett 69(5):739–745

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goehring L, Morris SW, Lin Z (2006) Experimental investigation of the scaling of columnar joints. Phys Rev E 74(3):1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hao XJ, Feng XT, Yang CX, Jiang Q, Li SJ (2016) Analysis of EDZ development of columnar jointed rock mass in the Baihetan diversion tunnel. Rock Mech Rock Eng 49(4):1289–1312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoek E, Martin CD (2014) Fracture initiation and propagation in intact rock—a review. J Rock Mech Geotech Eng 6(4):287–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ji H, Zhang JC, Xu WY, Wang RB, Wang HL, Yan L, Lin ZN (2017) Experimental investigation of the anisotropic mechanical properties of a columnar jointed rock mass: observations from laboratory-based physical modelling. Rock Mech Rock Eng 50(7):1919–1931

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang T, Shao JF, Xu WY, Zhou CB (2010) Experimental investigation and micromechanical analysis of damage and permeability variation in brittle rocks. Int J Rock Mech Min 47(5):703–713

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Q, Feng X, Hatzor YH, Hatzor YH, Hao XJ, Li SJ (2014) Mechanical anisotropy of columnar jointed basalts: an example from the Baihetan hydropower station, China. Eng Geol 175(10):35–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim K, Cramer M (1982) Rock mass deformation properties of closely jointed basalt. Rock Mech 12(1):210–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee J, Hong J, Jung J (2017) The mechanism of fracture coalescence in pre-cracked rock-type material with three flaws. Eng Geol 223(7):31–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muller G (1998) Experimental simulation of basalt columns. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 86(1–4):93–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oda M (1986) An equivalent continuum model for coupled stress and fluid flow analysis in jointed rock masses. Water Resour Res 22(13):1845–1856

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutqvist J, Stephansson O (2003) The role of hydromechanical coupling in fractured rock engineering. Hydrogeol J 11(1):7–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Souley M, Lopez P, Boulon M, Thoraval A (2015) Experimental hydromechanical characterization and numerical modelling of a fractured and porous sandstone. Rock Mech Rock Eng 48(3):1143–1161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang HL, Xu WY, Jia CJ, Cai M, Meng QX (2016) Experimental research on permeability evolution with microcrack development in sandstone under different fluid pressures. J Geotech Geoenviron 142(6):1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiong X, Li B, Jiang Y, Koyama T, Zhang CH (2011) Experimental and numerical study of the geometrical and hydraulic characteristics of a single rock fracture during shear. Int J Rock Mech Min 48(8):1292–1302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan C, Jiao Y, Zheng H (2018) A fully coupled three-dimensional hydro-mechanical fi nite discrete element approach with real porous seepage for simulating 3D hydraulic fracturing. Comput Geotech 96(4):73–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J, Standifird WB, Roegiers J-C, Zhang Y (2007) Stress-dependent fluid flow and permeability in fractured media : from lab experiments to engineering applications. Rock Mech Rock Eng 40(1):3–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhong SY, Xu WY (2011) Anisotropic failure criterion incorporating microstructure tensor for rock mass with columnar joints. J Rock Soil Mech (in Chinese) 32(10):3081–3084

    Google Scholar 

  • Zou LF, Tarasov BG, Dyskin AV, Adhikary DP, Pasternak E, Xu WY (2013) Physical modelling of stress-dependent permeability in fractured rocks. Rock Mech Rock Eng 46(1):67–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The financial supports provided by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant no. 2017YFC1501100), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 11772116, 11572110), and the Qing Lan Project are gratefully acknowledged. The authors would like to thank Dr. Lifang Zou for her help in language proofreading.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Geomechanics and Embankment Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu, China

    Zhipeng Xiang & Weiya Xu

  2. Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Coastal Disaster and Defense, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu, China

    Huanling Wang

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L3G1, Canada

    Wei-chau Xie

Authors
  1. Zhipeng Xiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Huanling Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Weiya Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Wei-chau Xie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Huanling Wang.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Xiang, Z., Wang, H., Xu, W. et al. Experimental Study on Hydro-mechanical Behaviour of Anisotropic Columnar Jointed Rock-Like Specimens. Rock Mech Rock Eng 53, 5781–5794 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-020-02245-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-020-02245-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation