Engineering Rock Mechanics

432 Questions 9.7-9.70: permeability

Stress

-

Displacement

Figure Q9.1

along the top and bottom edges the head linearly decreases from the left
to the right.

Hydraulic ' l7 Hydraulic

head of 1 m

c ,,I8 on this side

head of 3 m

on this side

21

3' '16

8

The (x, y) co-ordinates (in m) of the fracture intersections, i.e. the
numbered nodes, relative to an origin at the bottom left of the diagram,
are given in the table below.
Assuming that all the fractures have the same aperture, 0.12 mm, and
that there is no variation in flow throughout the thickness of the rock
block, determine the nodal heads and hence the direction and magnitude