Abstract
We derive the relationships that link the general elastic properties of
rock masses to the geometrical properties of fracture networks, with a
special emphasis to the case of frictional crack surfaces. We extend the
well-known elastic solutions for free-slipping cracks to fractures whose
plane resistance is defined by an elastic fracture (shear) stiffness
k_s and a stick-slip Coulomb threshold. A complete set of analytical
solutions have been derived for i) the shear displacement in the
fracture plane for stresses below the slip threshold and above, ii) the
partitioning between the resistances of the fracture plane in the one
hand, and of the elastic matrix in the other hand, and iii) the stress
conditions to trigger slip. All the expressions have been checked with
numerical simulations. The Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio were also
derived for a population of fractures. They are controlled both by the
total fracture surface for fractures larger than the mechanical length
l_M (defined by k_s and the intact matrix elastic properties), and by
the percolation parameter of smaller fractures. These results were
applied to power-law fracture size distributions, which are likely
relevant to geological cases. We show that, if the fracture size
exponent is in the range -3 to -4, which corresponds to a wide range of
geological fracture networks, the elastic properties of the bulk rock
are almost exclusively controlled by k_s and the mechanical length,
meaning that the fractures of size l_M play a major role in the
definition of the elastic properties.