This paper describes two new technologies for field fracture characterization, digital imaging of fracture traces and laser-based imaging. The first is an image processing technique based on analyzing fracture traces. Preliminary results indicate that high accuracy is possible if traces from two or more non-parallel faces are utilized. This technique is ideal for smooth rock faces. The second technique utilizes laser-scanning devices, which produce a "point cloud" consisting of hundreds of thousands of individual distance measurements, the sum of which is a 3D rendering of the surface being scanned. The point cloud data is processed to extract fracture information. These devices work well on single faces, and are ideal for rough faces where large fracture surfaces are present. This paper describes recent work on utilizing these two technologies, including the theoretical development and field case studies.
展开▼
