A Numerical Study of Elastic Wave Arrival Behavior in a Naturally Fractured Rock Based on a Combined Displacement Discontinuity-Discrete Fracture Network Model

Abstract

The arrival behavior of elastic waves in a naturally fractured rock is studied based on numerical simulations. We use the discrete fracture network method to represent the distribution of a natural fracture system and employ the displacement discontinuity method to compute the propagation of elastic waves across individual fractures. We analyze macroscopic wavefield arrival properties collectively arising from the interaction between elastic waves and numerous fractures in the system. We show that the dimensionless angular frequency ῶ = ωZ/κ exerts a fundamental control on the arrival behavior of a plane wave traveling through the fractured rock, where ω, Z, and κ are the angular frequency, seismic impedance, and fracture stiffness, respectively. An asynchronous arrival phenomenon of the wave energy occurs and becomes more significant with an increased ῶ. Two regimes are identified according to the two-branch dependency of the fractal dimension D of the FFAW on ῶ, where the wave arrival behavior is within a non-fractal regime for ῶ smaller than the critical frequency ῶc ≈ 1.0, and enters the fractal regime for ῶ ≥ ῶc. The self-affine properties of the FFAW, i.e., the roughness exponent α and the correlation length lc, both linearly decrease as a function of the exponent ξ (with ῶ = 10ξ) in the fractal regime. Early breakthrough of wave transport occurs in regions with relatively low fracture density, while late-time arrival happens in regions of high fracture density.