Hydraulic Brittle Fracture in a Rock Mass

This paper presents a novel method on the hydraulic brittle fracture propagation in a rock mass forced by high-frequency fluctuating pressures due to the turbulence phenomena that occur in unlined dissipation structures and spillways. This type of brittle fracture analysis allows the risk assessment related to the design of unlined emergency spillways and in pre-excavated plunge pools and stilling basins, with reference to small duration flood...