Rock Joints

Rock Joints deals exclusively with the mechanical genesis of joints in rocks. It is aimed at a coherent, critical and comprehensible presentation of the underlying mechanical processes of various types of joints and joint systems. Special care is taken to elucidate and quantify the role of high fluid pressures in the formation of joints. The background is an offshoot of the author's courses on "Genesis of Rock Joints" in the Department of Rock Mechanics and Tunneling at the Technical University of Graz, Austria.

Joints in rocks, as distinct from tectonic faults, are fractures that form without "visible" displacement along the fracture plane. They are usually interpreted as tension fractures and analysed mechanically by employing a continuum mechanical theory of this fracture mode. "Rock Joints" deals exclusively with the mechanical genesis of joints in rocks. It is aimed at a coherent, critical and comprehensible presentation of the underlying mechanical processes of various types of joints and joint systems. In addition to tension fractures, the book extensively treats jointing from a different origin, i.e. hydraulic intrusion fractures, cleavage fractures, and shear joints. Throughout, special care is taken to elucidate and quantify the role of high fluid pressures in joint formation. Field examples illustrate formational aspects of jointing, and Mohr's stress circle used where possible to simplify the mathematics.

Quantifying formation of rock joints Includes field examples Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Contenu
Experimental Evidence and Elementary Theory.- Hydraulic Fractures.- Termination and Spacing of Tension Joints in Layered Rocks.- Multiple Sets of Tension Joints.- Shear Joints.- Joints in Faulting and Folding.- Échelon Joints and Veins.