ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the principles and the sensitivity of the ‘‘High-Pulse Poroelasticity Protocol’’ (HPPP) test, provides an example of an in situ estimation of joint properties in a natural slope, and the results in terms of joint strength estimation. A long-term injection induces a large slope deformation, measured at the injection point with the HPPP probe and in the near field with tiltmeters. The HPPP is a new in situ approach developed for a very large broadband geophysical monitoring of rock hydromechanical deformations within boreholes. For a given slope geometry, the HPPP test enables an in situ estimation of the hydraulic and mechanical properties of discontinuities at the single fracture scale, as well as the coupling relationship between those key properties. The initial normal stiffness Kni and initial hydraulic aperture bhi can be estimated using the hyperbolic normal stiffness-hydraulic aperture relashionship.
