skip to main content
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Intersection Waves: INTERSECTION WAVES

Abstract

Intersections in a fracture network control the connectivity of the flow paths through rock. The long near-linear geometric nature of fractures makes them difficult to identify and characterize. We present a new type of elastic wave, an intersection wave, which travels along an intersection and is sensitive to the coupling between two orthogonal fractures that define the intersection. Group theory for C 2v and C 4v point groups predicts sets of propagating elastic waves confined to the fracture intersection. Along with the use of the wave equation and displacement discontinuity boundary conditions, the dispersion relationships for intersection waves are predicted. Experimental ultrasonic measurements on a nonwelded linear intersection between two orthogonal, synthetic fractures in aluminum confirm the existence of multiple modes that travel between the speed of wedge waves (sub-Rayleigh waves) when the intersection is completely, and bulk shear waves, when the intersection is closed, as predicted by theory. Between these two limits, the intersection behaves as a nonwelded contact and yields these new intersection waves that are dispersive and sensitive to the coupling along the intersection. Intersection waves provide the foundation for new geophysical approaches for characterizing the hydraulic connectivity of fracture networks.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1537314
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0001048
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 122; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 2169-9313
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; Geochemistry & Geophysics

Citation Formats

Abell, B. C., Nolte, D. D., and Pyrak-Nolte, L. J. Intersection Waves: INTERSECTION WAVES. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1002/2017jb014289.
Copy to clipboard
Abell, B. C., Nolte, D. D., & Pyrak-Nolte, L. J. Intersection Waves: INTERSECTION WAVES. United States. doi:10.1002/2017jb014289.
Copy to clipboard
Abell, B. C., Nolte, D. D., and Pyrak-Nolte, L. J. Mon . "Intersection Waves: INTERSECTION WAVES". United States. doi:10.1002/2017jb014289. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1537314.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_1537314,
title = {Intersection Waves: INTERSECTION WAVES},
author = {Abell, B. C. and Nolte, D. D. and Pyrak-Nolte, L. J.},
abstractNote = {Intersections in a fracture network control the connectivity of the flow paths through rock. The long near-linear geometric nature of fractures makes them difficult to identify and characterize. We present a new type of elastic wave, an intersection wave, which travels along an intersection and is sensitive to the coupling between two orthogonal fractures that define the intersection. Group theory for C2v and C4v point groups predicts sets of propagating elastic waves confined to the fracture intersection. Along with the use of the wave equation and displacement discontinuity boundary conditions, the dispersion relationships for intersection waves are predicted. Experimental ultrasonic measurements on a nonwelded linear intersection between two orthogonal, synthetic fractures in aluminum confirm the existence of multiple modes that travel between the speed of wedge waves (sub-Rayleigh waves) when the intersection is completely, and bulk shear waves, when the intersection is closed, as predicted by theory. Between these two limits, the intersection behaves as a nonwelded contact and yields these new intersection waves that are dispersive and sensitive to the coupling along the intersection. Intersection waves provide the foundation for new geophysical approaches for characterizing the hydraulic connectivity of fracture networks.},
doi = {10.1002/2017jb014289},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth},
number = 10,
volume = 122,
place = {United States},
year = {2017},
month = {8}
}
Copy to clipboard
Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
DOI:  10.1002/2017jb014289
Copyright Statement
Other availability
Search WorldCat Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 1 work
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

Works referenced in this record:

Poisson's ratio values for rocks
journal, January 2007

Nonlinear interaction of plane ultrasonic waves with an interface between rough surfaces in contact
journal, January 2003

  • Pecorari, Claudio
  • The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 113, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1121/1.1570437

Frequency dependence of fracture stiffness
journal, February 1992

  • Pyrak-Nolte, Laura J.; Nolte, David D.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 19, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1029/91GL03179

Anisotropy in seismic velocities and amplitudes from multiple parallel fractures
journal, January 1990

  • Pyrak-Nolte, Laura J.; Myer, Larry R.; Cook, Neville G. W.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 95, Issue B7
  • DOI: 10.1029/JB095iB07p11345

Effective elasticity of rocks with closely spaced and intersecting cracks
journal, May 2006

  • Grechka, Vladimir; Kachanov, Mark
  • GEOPHYSICS, Vol. 71, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1190/1.2197489

A theoretical model for the attenuation and dispersion of stoneley waves at the loosely bonded interface of elastic half spaces
journal, September 1975

Acoustic waves guided by the intersection of a surface and an interface of two elastic media
journal, March 2012

Elastic wave behavior across linear slip interfaces
journal, November 1980

  • Schoenberg, Michael
  • The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 68, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1121/1.385077

Wave Propagation in Isotropic Media with Two Orthogonal Fracture Sets
journal, September 2016

Elastic wave propagation along a set of parallel fractures: WAVE PROPAGATION ALONG FRACTURES
journal, August 2002

  • Nakagawa, Seiji; Nihei, Kurt T.; Myer, Larry R.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 29, Issue 16
  • DOI: 10.1029/2002GL014925

Slip distributions on intersecting normal faults
journal, March 1999

  • Maerten, Laurent; Willemse, Emanuel J. M.; Pollard, David D.
  • Journal of Structural Geology, Vol. 21, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1016/S0191-8141(98)00122-9

Vibrational Edge Modes in Finite Crystals
journal, August 1972

Fracture network versus single fractures: Measurement of fracture geometry with X-ray tomography
journal, January 1999

  • Montemagno, C. D.; Pyrak-Nolte, L. J.
  • Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Part A: Solid Earth and Geodesy, Vol. 24, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1016/S1464-1895(99)00082-4

Orthogonal cross joints: do they imply a regional stress rotation?
journal, January 2002

Characterizing block geometry in jointed rockmasses
journal, December 2006

  • Kalenchuk, Katherine S.; Diederichs, Mark S.; McKinnon, Steve
  • International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, Vol. 43, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrmms.2006.04.004

On elastic waves in a wedge
journal, May 2011

Vibrational Edge Modes for Wedges with Arbitrary Interior Angles
journal, September 1973

Coupled wedge waves
journal, November 2013

  • Abell, Bradley C.; Pyrak-Nolte, Laura J.
  • The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 134, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1121/1.4821987

Elastic interface waves along a fracture
journal, November 1987

  • Pyrak-Nolte, Laura J.; Cook, Neville G. W.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 14, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1029/GL014i011p01107

Fracture interface waves
journal, January 1996

  • Gu, Boliang; Nihei, Kurt T.; Myer, Larry R.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 101, Issue B1
  • DOI: 10.1029/95JB02846

A field investigation of fracture compliance
journal, May 2006

Fracture channel waves
journal, March 1999

  • Nihei, Kurt T.; Yi, Weidong; Myer, Larry R.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 104, Issue B3
  • DOI: 10.1029/1998JB900100

Transmission of seismic waves across single natural fractures
journal, January 1990

  • Pyrak-Nolte, Laura J.; Myer, Larry R.; Cook, Neville G. W.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 95, Issue B6
  • DOI: 10.1029/JB095iB06p08617

Compressional waves guided between parallel fractures
journal, September 2001

  • Xian, Changjiu; Nolte, D. D.; Pyrak-Nolte, L. J.
  • International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, Vol. 38, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1016/S1365-1609(01)00041-7

A simple analysis of intersecting cracks and cracks intersecting a hole
journal, July 1989

  • Kachanov, M.; Montagut, E.
  • International Journal of Fracture, Vol. 40, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1007/BF00960605

Poroelastic modeling of seismic boundary conditions across a fracture
journal, August 2007

  • Nakagawa, Seiji; Schoenberg, Michael A.
  • The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 122, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1121/1.2747206
    [ × clear filter / sort ]

    Similar records in OSTI.GOV collections: