Li Zhuang, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology
Fengshou Zhang, Bo Li, Tongji University
Understanding shear behavior of rock fractures is important for many industrial applications of energies, such as oil and gas exploitation, enhanced geothermal system and deep geological repository. The conditions of high geo-stress, temperature and hydraulic pressure in deep strata have led to a growing interest in the shear behavior of natural fractures under the coupled HM, THM, and THMC processes. Characterization of interlocking effect of key asperities and void geometry formed by rough-walled fractures and evaluation of their deformation during shearing are critical for interpretations of shear behavior of rock fractures especially when fluid flow is present. Do we need new parameters, in addition to the Joint Roughness Coefficient (JRC) and friction coefficient, to quantitatively define “rough”? How to link the local deformation and failure generated during the shear process (e.g., sliding on and shearing-off asperities) to shear behavior? How to predict stable and unstable shear slip? We would like to discuss these questions, with a particular focus on recent advances/progress in laboratory measurements on shear behavior of rock fractures, as well as interpretations of rock properties and shear behavior at both micro- and macro- scales.