Joints represent planes of discontinuity in homogeneous media. The purpose of this investigation is to model joints and determine the eﬀects on waves as they propagate through joints in rock. Properties of interest include energy dissipation, energy transmission, and changes in peak stress and impulse as waves propagate through one or more joints. Rather than combining rock joints into the constitutive model of the parent rock as typically done, this research seeks to model joints discretely. By capturing the behavior of individual rock joints, discrete eﬀects on wave propagation are gathered. The ability to lump multiple joints into one equivalent joint is also explored. The key result is that joints aﬀect short duration pulses more than long duration pulses. A single equivalent joint transmits less energy than a set of multiple joints.
Joints (Geology)--Mathematical models, Elastic wave propagation--Mathematical models.
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