Measurement of a single fracture with heterogeneous aperture distribution by optical method and evaluation of flow characteristics

Sato, Hisashi; Sawada, Atsushi 

The high resolution, 0.15 mm spacing, fracture aperture distribution data, tracer migration data with hydraulic test data under the same conditions were obtained by using optical measurement method of 100 mm 100 m transparent replica specimen, making a duplicate copy of rock fracture. This series of experimental data is useful for verifying the previous studies conducted by using mainly numerical method that showed the characteristics of in-plane heterogeneity of a single fracture and the effect of one onto hydraulic phenomena. For example, it was reported that the two-dimensional numerical simulation with assuming that the local transmissivity might be calculated from measured aperture data by a cubic law is overestimated the flow rate larger than hydraulic test result. In this study the similar result was obtained.