Unsaturated fluid flow through a jointed rock mass
Abstract
Usually, rock mass is in an unsaturated form, and it carries both water and air through interconnected fractures and pores. It is commonly observed that air can flow through very fine fractures, whereas the water phase generally prefers to flow through larger fractures which offer much less resistance. Generally speaking, multiphase flow in rock mass involves a set of complex phenomena, and to date, no comprehensive model has been developed to properly include factors such as the interaction between each phase, change of properties of fluid and associated joint deformation.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Soil and Unsaturated Flow
Groundwater flow and contamination studies
Rock Mechanics and Modeling
Publication details
- Journal / source
- CRC Press eBooks
- Pages
- 155–222
- Publication date
- 19 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter