The Influence of Roughness on Electrical Properties of Single Rock Fractures

Abstract: To investigate the relationship between the structural characteristics of rough single fracturesand the electrical properties of the rock. In this study, a series of physical models of roughand smooth single fractures were established using the finite element method and Ohm's lawto test the electrical conductivity. By varying the distance between the fracture surfaces, arange of individual fractures with different surface roughness characterized by the relativestandard deviation (RSD) was generated using COMSOL Multiphysics software.Subsequently, the intensity of current passing through the fractures and the influence of roughsurfaces on rock electrical properties were monitored. Numerical simulations demonstrated anon-linear relationship between the current intensity through the models and the RSDroughness, with the equivalent resistivity of the fractured rock increasing with higher RSDvalues. As the RSD roughness increased, the difference in equivalent resistivity betweenrough and smooth fractures also increased, indicating a greater impact of rough surfaces onelectrical properties. The equivalent resistivity of the rock model was 1.05-1.45 times that ofthe parallel plate model with same average aperture. The novelty of this study lies in directlyinvestigating the relationship between roughness of single fractures and rock electricalproperties in three-dimensional, providing insights for understanding the electrical behaviorof rock fractures.