ABSTRACT

Rock masses often consist of multiple, near-parallel, planar joints and on most occasions, such a set (or sets) of parallel joints control the physical behaviour of rock masses. When a wave propagates through jointed rock masses, it is greatly attenuated (and slowed) due to the presence of joints. For rock engineering, the damage criteria of rock structures are generally regulated according to the threshold values of wave amplitudes, such as peak particle displacement, peak particle velocity and peak particle acceleration. Therefore, the prediction of wave attenuation across jointed rock masses is very important in assessing stability of, and damage to, rock structures under dynamic loads.