Asperity (geotechnical engineering)
Encyclopedia
In Geotechnical engineering
the term asperity is mostly used for unevenness (roughness) of the surface of a discontinuity
, grain, or particle with heights in the range from approximately 0.1 mm to many decimetre. Smaller unevenness is normally considered to be a material property (often denoted by material friction or basic material friction).
Unevenness of a surface are asperities if these cause dilation if two blocks with inbetween a discontinuity
with matching asperities on the two opposing surfaces (i.e. a fitting discontinuity
) move relative to each other, under low stress levels that do not cause breaking of the asperities.
recognizes asperities ranging from the sub-visual (normally less than 0.1 mm) to the atomic scale.
Geotechnical engineering
Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. Geotechnical engineering is important in civil engineering, but is also used by military, mining, petroleum, or any other engineering concerned with construction on or in the ground...
the term asperity is mostly used for unevenness (roughness) of the surface of a discontinuity
Discontinuity (geotechnical engineering)
A discontinuity in geotechnical engineering is a plane or surface that marks a change in physical or chemical characteristics in a soil or rock mass. A discontinuity can be, for example, a bedding, schistosity, foliation, joint, cleavage, fracture, fissure, crack, or fault plane...
, grain, or particle with heights in the range from approximately 0.1 mm to many decimetre. Smaller unevenness is normally considered to be a material property (often denoted by material friction or basic material friction).
Dilation
An often used definition for asperities in geotechnical engineering:Unevenness of a surface are asperities if these cause dilation if two blocks with inbetween a discontinuity
Discontinuity (geotechnical engineering)
A discontinuity in geotechnical engineering is a plane or surface that marks a change in physical or chemical characteristics in a soil or rock mass. A discontinuity can be, for example, a bedding, schistosity, foliation, joint, cleavage, fracture, fissure, crack, or fault plane...
with matching asperities on the two opposing surfaces (i.e. a fitting discontinuity
Discontinuity (geotechnical engineering)
A discontinuity in geotechnical engineering is a plane or surface that marks a change in physical or chemical characteristics in a soil or rock mass. A discontinuity can be, for example, a bedding, schistosity, foliation, joint, cleavage, fracture, fissure, crack, or fault plane...
) move relative to each other, under low stress levels that do not cause breaking of the asperities.
Contrast with asperity in materials science
Materials scienceMaterials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
recognizes asperities ranging from the sub-visual (normally less than 0.1 mm) to the atomic scale.
See also
- Discontinuity (Geotechnical engineering)Discontinuity (geotechnical engineering)A discontinuity in geotechnical engineering is a plane or surface that marks a change in physical or chemical characteristics in a soil or rock mass. A discontinuity can be, for example, a bedding, schistosity, foliation, joint, cleavage, fracture, fissure, crack, or fault plane...
- Geotechnical engineeringGeotechnical engineeringGeotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. Geotechnical engineering is important in civil engineering, but is also used by military, mining, petroleum, or any other engineering concerned with construction on or in the ground...
- Rock mechanicsRock mechanicsRock mechanics is the theoretical and applied science of the mechanical behaviour of rock and rock masses;also compared to the geology, it is that branch of mechanics concerned with the response of rock and rock masses to the force fields of their physical environment.Rock mechanics itself forms...
- Soil mechanicsSoil mechanicsSoil mechanics is a branch of engineering mechanics that describes the behavior of soils. It differs from fluid mechanics and solid mechanics in the sense that soils consist of a heterogeneous mixture of fluids and particles but soil may also contain organic solids, liquids, and gasses and other...