Mean fracture trace length and density estimators using circular windows

Mean fracture trace length and trace density are important parameters in the characterization of fractured rock with applications in hydrogeology, oil recovery and rock engineering. Estimating these parameters from field data is beset with problems due tb censoring and length bias. The paper presents simple distribution-free estimators for mean trace length and density that automatically correct for sampling bias. The estimators use samples collected with circular windows placed at random on exposed pavements or rock surfaces. Use of the estimators is demonstrated by application to synthetic and real data sets.