A Connectivity Index for Discrete Fracture Networks |
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| Authors: | C Xu P A Dowd K V Mardia and R J Fowell |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Mining and Mineral Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK;(2) Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia;(3) Department of Statistics, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK |
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| Abstract: | Connectivity is an important measure for assessing flow transport in rock, especially through fractures. In this paper, rock
fracture systems are modelled by a discrete fracture model simulated by a marked point process. A connectivity index is then
introduced to quantify the connectivity between any two points in space. Monte Carlo simulation is used to evaluate the connectivity
index for stationary cases and relationships between the connectivity index and the parameters of the discrete fracture model
are analysed. The average number of intersections per fracture, Xf, and the fracture intensity, P12 (P32), are calculated and the relationships between these parameters and the connectivity index are investigated, concluding that
Xf is the more suitable parameter for the classification of rock mass flow properties. The relationships between the connectivity
index and the percolation state of the fractured medium are also discussed. An edge correction is briefly discussed and a
practical example is used to demonstrate the method of computing the connectivity index. |
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| Keywords: | connectivity index marked point process discrete fracture model rock fracture system rock mass flow property classification percolation |
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