Abstract
Experiments were conducted to study the relationship between the transmission ratio (TR) and normal stress, joint roughness, joint number and frequency of incident waves, respectively, when ultrasonic waves pass across a rock mass with one joint and multiple parallel joints oriented normally. The ultrasonic waves were generated and received by pairs of piezoelectric transducers and recorded by an ultrasonic detector. The specimens were subjected to normal stress by a hydraulic jack and loading frame. The jointed rock mass was produced by superposing rock blocks in the study. Rough joints were produced by grooving notches on the planar joints formed by sawing directly. In the case of multiple parallel joints, the overall thickness of specimens was maintained while the joint number changed. Three pairs of P-wave transducers and one pair of S-wave transducers with different frequencies were, respectively, applied and all transducers emitted signals perpendicular to the joints in the experiment. The results indicate that TR increases with increasing normal stress while the increment rate decreases gradually. This is particularly so when the normal stress is high enough that TR will approximate 1 even if the rock mass has many joints. In addition, the experiments indicate that the higher the wave’s frequency, the lower its TR, and this phenomenon is gradually reduced as the normal stress increases. In response to S-waves, TR increases with increase in joint roughness; however, in response to P-waves, TR decreases gradually with increase in joint roughness. For multiple parallel joints in a fixed thickness rock mass with normally incident P-waves, TR does not always decrease with increase in the number of joints, and there is a threshold joint spacing for a certain incident wave: when the joint spacing is smaller than the threshold value, TR will increase with a decrease in joint spacing. The experimental results support similar conclusions based on analytical results drawn by Cai and Zhao (Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 37(4):661–682, 2000), Zhao et al. (Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 43(5):776–788, 2006b) and Zhu et al. (J Appl Geophys 73:283–288, 2011a).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Butt SD (2001) Experimental measurement of P-wave attenuation due to fractures over the 100 to 300 kHz bandwidth. Pure Appl Geophys 158:1783–1796
Cai JG, Zhao J (2000) Effects of multiple parallel fractures on apparent attenuation of stress waves in rock masses. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 37(4):661–682
Chopra S, Kumar D, Rastogi BK (2011) Attenuation of high frequency P and S waves in the Gujarat Region, India. Pure Appl Geophys 168:797–813
Cook NGW (1992) Natural joint in rock: mechanical, hydraulic and seismic behavior and properties under normal stress. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 29(3):198–223
Goodman RE (1976) Methods of geological engineering in discontinuous Rock. West Publishing, St. Paul
Hao H, Wu YK, Ma GM, Zhou YX (2001) Characteristics of surface ground motions induced by blasts in jointed rock mass. Soil Dyn Earthq Eng 21(2):85–98
Huang ZY, Huang L, Miao L (2004) Study on computerized tomography of ultrasonic attenuation for concrete. J Railw Sci Eng 1(2):35–38
Jaeger JC, Cook NGW (1969) Fundamentals of rock mechanics. Methuen, London
Ju Y, Sudak L, Xie HP (2007) Study on stress wave propagation in fractured rocks with fractal joint surfaces. Int J Solids Struct 44:4256–4271
Kahraman S (2002) The effects of fracture roughness on P-wave velocity. Eng Geol 63:347–350
Kurtuluş C, Üçkardeş M, Sarı U, Güner Ş (2012) Experimental studies in wave propagation across a jointed rock mass. Bull Eng Environ 71:231–234
Lei WD, Hefny AM, Yan S, Teng J (2007) A numerical study on 2-D compressive wave propagation in rock masses with a set of joints along the radial direction normal to the joints. Comput Geotech 34(6):508–523
Li J, Ma GW (2009) Experimental study of stress wave propagation across a filled rock joint. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 46:471–478
Li J, Ma GW, Zhao J (2010) An equivalent viscoelastic model for rock mass with parallel joints. J Geophys Res 115:B03305
Li YX, Zhu ZM, Li BX, Deng JH, Xie HP (2011) Study on the transmission and reflection of stress waves across joints. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 48:364–371
Miller RK (1977) An approximate method of analysis of the transmission of elastic waves through a frictional boundary. J Appl Mech 44(4):652–656
Miller RK (1978) The effects of boundary friction on the propagation of elastic waves. Bull Seismol Soc Am 68(4):987–998
Perino A, Orta R, Barla G (2012) Wave propagation in discontinuous media by the scattering matrix method. Rock Mech Rock Eng 45(5):901–918
Pyrak-Nolte LJ, Myer LR, Cook NGW (1990a) Anisotropy in seismic velocities and amplitudes from multiple parallel fractures. J Geophys Res 95(B7):11345–11358
Pyrak-Nolte LJ, Myer LR, Cook NGW (1990b) Transmission of seismic waves across single natural fractures. J Geophys Res 95(B6):8617–8638
Qi S, Wu F, Yan F, Lan H (2004) Mechanism of deep cracks in the left bank slope of Jinping first stage hydropower station. Eng Geol 73(1–2):129–144
Schoenberg M (1980) Elastic wave behaviour across linear slip interfaces. J Acoust Soc Am 68(5):1516–1521
Schoenberg M, Muir F (1989) A calculus for finely layered anisotropic media. Geophysics 54(5):581–589
White JE (1983) Underground sound. Elsevier, New York
Wu YK, Hao H, Zhou YX, Chong K (1998) Propagation characteristics of blast-induced shock waves in a jointed rock mass. Soil Dyn Earthq Eng 17(6):407–412
Zhang JC, Peng QF (2001) Field experiment and its analyses of attenuation law for seismic waves resulting from rock blasting. J Liaoning Tech Univ Nat Sci 20(4):399–401 (in Chinese)
Zhao J, Cai JG (2001) Transmission of elastic P-waves across single fractures with a nonlinear normal deformational behaviour. Rock Mech Rock Eng 34(1):3–22
Zhao XB, Zhao J, Hefny AM, Cai JG (2006a) Normal transmission of S-wave across parallel fractures with coulomb slip behavior. J Eng Mech 132:641–650
Zhao J, Cai JG, Zhao XB, Li HB (2006b) Experimental study of ultrasonic wave attenuation across parallel fractures. Geomech Geoeng 1(2):87–103
Zhao J, Zhao XB, Cai JG (2006c) A further study of P-wave attenuation across parallel fractures with linear deformational behaviour. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 43(5):776–788
Zhao XB, Zhao J, Cai JG (2006d) P-wave transmission across fractures with nonlinear deformational behaviour. Int J Numer Anal Meth Geomech 30(11):1097–1112
Zhu JB, Zhao XB, Li JC, Zhao GF, Zhao J (2011a) Normally incident wave propagation across a joint set with the virtual wave source method. J Appl Geophys 73:283–288
Zhu JB, Perino A, Zhao GF, Barla G, Li JC, Ma GW, Zhao J (2011b) Seismic response of a single and a set of filled joints of viscoelastic deformational behavior. Geophys J Int 186:1315–1330
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Dr. JB Zhu and an anonymous reviewer for their kind comments and suggestions, and Ann Williams, Australasian Vice-President of IAEG, for her kind help to correct and polish the language, which greatly improved the quality of the manuscript. The authors would also like to thank Drs. XB Zhao and J Zhao for their MATLAB program used in calculation Fig. 10a, b. This research is supported by funds from the Chinese Academy of Science under Knowledge Innovation Project Grant No. KZCX2-EW-QN108 and National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants Nos. 41172272 and 41030749.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Huang, X., Qi, S., Guo, S. et al. Experimental Study of Ultrasonic Waves Propagating Through a Rock Mass with a Single Joint and Multiple Parallel Joints. Rock Mech Rock Eng 47, 549–559 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-013-0399-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-013-0399-2