Connectivity of fracture systems-a percolation theory approach

Abstract

Critical percolation densities have been found numerically for various systems of lines uniformly distributed in the plane. The average number of intersections per line at percolation has also been found and varies only slightly over the cases considered. It may therefore provide a useful rule of thumb for deciding whether a system percolates. An estimate of the critical percolation density from the lattice percolation probability is presented. Possible extensions of the techniques described to three dimensions are discussed.