Fractures are mechanical discontinuities in rocks that occur at various scales, from microscopic to continental. They often serve as preferential flow pathways that define the rock mass internal “plumbing”. They are also planes of mechanical weakness, determining the stability of engineering and geological systems built on or within them. Therefore, understanding the hydraulic and mechanical behavior of fractures is critical for assessing their response to both natural and human-induced perturbations.

Fracture-matrix interaction²

The balance between capillary, viscous, and gravity forces determine fluid invasion patterns in fractured porous media. To visualize these flow patterns, we use microfluidic experiments. We have demonstrated that the ratio between the advective flow in fractures and the capillary-driven imbibition in the matrix determines the invasion regime. At low injection rates, fractures may act as capillary barriers to imbibition. At high injection rates, the non-wetting trapped in the matrix is gradually displaced by imbibition along corner flow.