Velocity Anistropy in Dry and Saturated Rock Spheres and Its Relation to Rock Fabric.
Thill-RE; Bur-TR; Steckley-RC
Internat J Rock Mech Min Sci and Geomech Abs 1973 Nov; 10(16):23 pages
The effects of water saturation on compressional wave velocity, v/p, and elastic property anisotropy are investigated omnidirectionally in dry- and water-saturated spheres of Barre granite and Tennessee marble by the ultrasonic pulse method. The technique of determining v/n in dry and saturated rock spheres is shown to provide information about (1) the presence of microcracks and their effect on the elastic constants, (2) the anistropy in elastic as well as other physical properties, and (3) the dominant structural cause of anisotropy. The mean v/p in saturated rock moreover is useful for predicting the velocity in rock at shallow depths below the water table. The velocity difference method for detecting microcracks and their preferred orientation might be used to assess the effectiveness of certain fragmentation techniques and, moreover, may have widespread application in rock mechanics research because of the great effects microcracks can have on the elastic strength and other properties of rock.
Internat. J. Rock Mech., Min. Sci., and Geomech. Abs., V. 10, No. 16, November 1973, PP.535-557