Photogrammetry for characterizing rock fracture roughness, physical aperture, and hydromechanical properties

Rock mass acts as a barrier to keep nuclear waste repositories safe. A rock mass consists of intact rock and discontinuities. Discontinuities, such as fractures, mostly govern the hydraulic and mechanical behaviors of a rock mass. This dissertation used photogrammetry, experiments, and numerical modeling to study fracture properties. Results showed that photogrammetry is reliable for fracture characterization, shear behavior showed a negative scale effect, and no scale effect occurred after 30 cm for hydraulic behavior.