Grid-growth method for the reconstruction of 3D rock joints with arbitrary joint roughness and persistence

We present a grid-growth method to reconstruct 3D rock joints with arbitrary joint roughness and persistence. In the first step of this workflow, the joint model is divided into uniform grids. Then by adjusting the positions of the grids, the joint morphology can be modified to construct models with desired joint roughness and persistence. Accordingly, numerous joint models with different joint roughness and persistence were built. The effects of relevant parameters (such as the number, height, slope of asperities, and the number, area of rock bridges) on the joint roughness coefficient (JRC) and joint persistence were investigated. Finally, an artificially split joint was reconstructed using the method, and the method’s accuracy was evaluated by comparing the JRC of the models with that of the artificially split joint. The results showed that the proposed method can effectively control the JRC of joint models by adjusting the number, height, and slope of asperities. The method can also modify the joint persistence of joint models by adjusting the number and area of rock bridges. Additionally, the JRC of models obtained by our method agrees with that of the artificially split surface. Overall, the method demonstrated high accuracy for 3D rock joint reconstruction.