Measurement and Analysis of Jointing Properties in Fine‐grained Soils
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical Engineering
Volume 114, Issue 7
Abstract
Jointing can have significant effects on the permeability, shear strength, compressibility, and slope stability of fine‐grained soils. Field measurement of jointing characteristics is an important step in the development of models that simulate fracture flow and directional strength. Preferred joint orientation, which can introduce anisotropy in permeability and strength, can be detected through independent and random measurement of joint orientation combined with graphical or statistical techniques. PATCH, a computer program based on the Poisson statistical test (Mahtab et al. 1972), was used to evaluate the preferred orientation of joints measured in Wisconsin till units. The program was tested for its ability to reject spurious concentrations of joint poles and calculate mean joint orientation and dispersion. From an analysis of till joint data, we conclude that the use of the statistical computer program alone provided spurious results and required supplementation with other methods to properly determine joint set orientations.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Abdel‐Rahman, M. A., and Hays, A. M. (1981). “Sampling and statistical analysis of multi‐modal orientation data.” Proc. 3rd Int. Conf. on Basement Tectonics, D. W. O'Leary, ed., Vol. 3, 73–86.
2.
Baecher, G. B. (1980). “Progressively censored sampling of rock joint traces.” Math. Geol., 12(1), 33–40.
3.
Baecher, G. B., and Lanney, N. (1978). “Trace length biases in joint surveys.” Proc., Symp. on Rock Mechanics, 19(1), 56–65.
4.
Bailey, A. I. (1975). “A method of analyzing polymodal distributions in orientation data.” Math. Geol., 7(4), 285–293.
5.
Bridges, M. C. (1975). “Presentation of fracture data for rock mechanics.” Proc., Australian‐New Zealand Conf. on Geomechanics, Vol. 2, 144–148.
6.
Chandler, R. J. (1973). “A study of structural discontinuities in stiff clays using a polarizing microscope.” Proc., Int. Symp. on Soil Structure, 78–85.
7.
Cheeney, R. F. (1983). Statistical methods for geologists. Allen and Unwin, London, U.K.
8.
Connell, D. E. (1984). “Distribution, characteristics, and genesis of joints in fine‐grained till and lacustrine sediment, eastern and northeastern Wisconsin,” thesis presented to the Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, at Madison, Wise., in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science.
9.
Cruden, D. M., and Charlesworth, H. A. K. (1976). “Errors in strike and dip measurements.” GSA Bull., 87, July, 977–980.
10.
Fookes, P. G., and Denness, B. (1969). “Observational studies on fissure patterns in Cretaceous sediments of southeast England.” Geotechnique, 19(4), 453–477.
11.
Hodgson, R. A. (1961). “Classification of structures of joint surfaces.” Am. J. Sci., 259, 493–502.
12.
Kamb, W. B. (1959). “Ice petrofabric observations from Blue Glacier, Washington, in relation to theory and experiment.” J. Geophys. Res., 64(11), 1891–1901.
13.
Laslett, G. M. (1982). “Censoring and edge effects in aerial and line transect sampling of rock joint traces.” Math. Geol., 14(2), 125–140.
14.
Long, J. C. S., et al. (1982). “Porous media equivalent for a network of discontinuous fractures.” Water Resour. Res., 18(3), 645–658.
15.
Maher, L. J., and O'Neill, M. W. (1983). “Geotechnical characterization of dessicated clay.” J. Geotech. Engrg., ASCE, 109(1), 56–71.
16.
Mahtab, M. A., et al. (1972). “Analysis of fracture orientations for input to structural models of discontinuous rock.” Report of Investigations 7669, U.S. Bureau of Mines, Denver, Colo.
17.
Mardia, K. V. (1972). Statistics of directional data. Academic Press, London, U.K.
18.
McGown, A., Saldivar‐Sali, A., and Radwan, A. M. (1974). “Fissure patterns and slope failures in till at Hurlford, Ayrshire.” Q. J. Engrg. Geol., 7(1), 1–26.
19.
McKinlay, D. G., et al. (1975). “Representative sampling and testing in Assured lodgement tills.” Symposium on the Engineering Behavior of Glacial Materials, Midlands Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering Society, Birmingham, U.K., 143–155.
20.
Priest, S. D., and Hudson, J. A. (1976). “Discontinuity spacings in rock.” Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. Geomech. Abstr., 13(5), 135–148.
21.
Roberts, J. C. (1961). “Feather fracture and the mechanics of jointing.” Am. J. Sci., 259, 481–492.
22.
Ronca, L. B., and Chaivre, K. R. (1977). “Errors in measurements of oblique and vertical joints.” Modern Geol., 6(2), 61–65.
23.
Shanley, R. J., and Mahtab, M. A. (1974). “A computer program for clustering data points on the sphere.” U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8624, U.S. Bureay of Mines.
24.
Stauffer, M. R. (1966). “An empirical‐statistical study of three‐dimensional fabric diagrams as used in structural analysis.” Can. J. Earth Sci., 3(4), 473–498.
25.
Terzaghi, R. D. (1965). “Sources of error in joint surveys.” Geotechnique, 15, 287–304.
26.
Warner, J. (1969). “FORTRAN IV program for construction of PI diagrams with the UNIVAC 1108 Computer.” Computer Contribution 33, State Geological Survey, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kans.
27.
West, G. (1979). “A preliminary study of the reproducibility of joint measurements in rock.” Supplementary Report 488, Transport and Road Research Laboratory, Dept. of Environment, Crowthorne, United Kingdom.
28.
Wheeler, R. L., and Dixon, J. M. (1980). “Intensity of systematic joints: methods and application.” Geology, 8, May, 230–233.
29.
Wheeler, R. L., and Holland, S. M. (1981). “Style elements of systematic joints; an analytical procedure with a field example.” Proc. 3rd Int. Conf. in Basement Tectonics, D. W. O'Leary, ed., Vol. 3, 393–404.
30.
Williams, A. A. B. (1975). “Specialty Session E jointed geological materials.” Proc. 6th Regional Conference for Africa on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, 2, Durban, South Africa, 220–221.
31.
Wise, D. U., and McCrory, T. A. (1982). “A new method of fracture analysis: azimuth versus traverse distance plots.” GSA Bull., 93(9), 889–897.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical Engineering
Volume 114 • Issue 7 • July 1988
Pages: 826 - 843
Copyright
Copyright © 1988 ASCE.
History
Published online: Jul 1, 1988
Published in print: Jul 1988
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.