Seismic wave propagation through an in-situ stressed rock mass

• Displacement discontinuity method (DDM) was modified to consider in-situ stress.
• In-situ stress effects on amplitude- and frequency-dependence were investigated.
• In-situ stress effects on attenuation, transmission and velocity were studied.

This paper presents an analytical study of seismic wave propagation through an in-situ stressed rock mass. The joint deformation is assumed to satisfy the nonlinear Bandis–Barton (B–B) deformational model. The displacement discontinuity method (DDM) is introduced to take account of the effect of in-situ stress. The amplitude- and frequency-dependence of seismic wave propagation through an in-situ stressed rock mass are analyzed. The effects of in-situ stress on seismic attenuation, energy transmission and effective seismic velocity are discussed. The results show that seismic attenuation, energy transmission and effective seismic velocity are influenced by seismic wave amplitude and frequency, and in-situ stress. Moreover, the amplitude- and frequency-dependence of a seismic wave obtained by conventional DDM are special cases when in-situ stress is not considered. The effect of in-situ stress on seismic attenuation, energy transmission and effective seismic velocity can be neglected when either the amplitude or the frequency is sufficiently large. When the frequency is sufficiently small, the effect of in-situ stress on seismic attenuation and energy transmission can also be neglected, but its effect on the effective seismic velocity cannot be ignored.