Stress Wave Propagation in Jointed Rock Masses

Large rock masses often contain networks of natural or engineered joints and fractures. When dynamic events such as earthquakes, blasting or heavy machinery generate stress waves, their interaction with these discontinuities governs key behaviours including wave speed, attenuation, reflection and mode conversion. Transmission coefficients across joints depend on factors such as joint orientation, spacing, filling material and in situ stress. At certain frequencies periodic arrangements of joints can exhibit spring resonance, yielding band-pass or low-pass filtering akin to engineered metamaterials. Understanding these processes is vital for underground excavation design, mitigation of rockburst hazards, seismic hazard assessment and vibration control in tunnels and foundations. Contemporary research combines analytical models, laboratory and field experiments, and numerical simulations (for example using the discrete element method) to quantify stiffness degradation, energy dissipation, wave‐induced damage evolution and the effects of joint filling and moisture.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Two recent studies have illuminated how weak interlayers and cumulative damage influence blasting‐induced stress waves in jointed rock masses. One investigation using particle‐flow modelling examined single‐hole blasts in hard rock containing soft interlayers of varying thickness and proximity. It demonstrated that weak layers within twice the crushing radius intensify crack development around the blast hole, elevate peak kinetic and frictional energies, and increase strain energy substantially with greater interlayer thickness. A second experimental study subjected artificial filled joints to multiple pre‐impact pulses, revealing that cumulative damage reduces both static and dynamic compressive strengths, alters wave transmission characteristics and modifies energy dissipation patterns. Under high‐strain‐rate impacts, specimens exhibited nonlinear attenuation, simplified failure modes and a marked decrease in wave velocity correlated with damage level.

Stress Wave Propagation in Jointed Rock Masses publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in stress wave propagation in jointed rock masses across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Jointed rock mass: A rock formation containing natural or induced fractures, joints or discontinuities.

Stress wave: A propagating elastic disturbance generated by dynamic events such as blasting or seismic activity.

Transmission coefficient: The ratio of wave amplitude or energy transmitted across a discontinuity to that of the incident wave.

Spring resonance: Amplification of wave amplitude at frequencies matching the natural oscillation of joint stiffness and mass.

Discrete Element Method: A numerical technique modelling interactions of discrete particles or blocks to simulate rock behaviour.

References

1. Study on blasting characteristics of rock mass with weak interlayer based on energy field. Scientific Reports (2022).
2. Experimental study on compression mechanical characteristics of filled rock joints after multiple pre-impacts. Scientific Reports (2022).
3. Jointed rock masses as metamaterials – Implications for railway tunnel vibrations. Transportation Geotechnics (2023).
4. Stress Wave Propagation through Rock Joints Filled with Viscoelastic Medium Considering Different Water Contents. Applied Sciences (2020).
5. A Numerical Simulation of Blasting Stress Wave Propagation in a Jointed Rock Mass under Initial Stresses. Applied Sciences (2021).