ABSTRACT
A program that generates a 3D discontinuity model and analyzes the connectivity of the generated discontinuities and groundwater flow in the 3D discontinuity network was developed. Using this program, the representative element volume (REV) of rock mass was estimated. In addition, the equivalent hydraulic conductivity was evaluated with and without consideration of boundary effect as well as existence of a fault within the boundary. The equivalent hydraulic conductivity was also evaluated when the discontinuities were eliminated where the aperture was too small to influence the groundwater flow. The effect of changes in the mean length, aperture and orientation of the discontinuities on the equivalent hydraulic conductivity was examined.
