Experimental study on non-Darcian flow through a single artificial fracture for different fracture apertures and surface roughness

Abstract This study aims to explore the influence of various geometrical and hydraulic parameters on flow behavior and hydraulic conductivity in a single artificial fracture through a series of laboratory experiments. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine unconfined groundwater flow through an artificially constructed single fracture. The fracture model consisted of varying aperture sizes (3, 9, and 12 mm) and different surface roughness conditions (fine, medium, and coarse sand coatings). Non-Darcian turbulent flow characteristics were observed at different flow rates, and the gradient of Reynolds number versus average flow velocity increased with aperture size. Flow parameters of the Darcian, Izbash, and Forchheimer models were calculated to characterize the flow behavior. Both the Forchheimer and Izbash models were found suitable for describing the non-Darcian flow characteristics under the prevailing conditions. The study revealed that hydraulic conductivity depended on flow length for fractures with different apertures and surface roughnesses, likely due to the presence of 2-D torturous flow within the rough fracture surface. These findings contribute to a better understanding of groundwater flow in fractured rock aquifers and provide valuable insights for modeling and managing such systems.