Abstract
The subject of underground utilization has enhanced the importance of investigating water flow characteristics of fractured rock masses. The properties of the joints affect not only the normal stress but also the shear stress. However, the study of the water flow characteristic on joints subjected to shear stresses is seldom found.
From this point of view, we designed and developped a new testing apparatus and as well as some systems which areable to test the shear-flow coupling properties up to the residual region of the rock joints. In this paper, the mechanism and characteristics of the new testing apparatus are discribed.
Futhermore, some shear-flow coupling tests are carried out for the application of this apparatus. Artificially fractured granite and sandstone are used for those couplingtests. The hydraulic conductivity of both the rock joints decreases with the normal stressand increases greatly with the shear displacement. The dependence of the hydraulic conductivity is different quantitatively in both the rock joints, since the uniaxial compressive strength of sandstone is smaller than that of granite. Finally, the validity of the coupling tests is checked through a comparison with the model proposed by Barton et al.
