The variogram method for a fractal model of a rock joint surface

The variogram method can be used to make a fractal model of a rock joint surface. However, it has been found that the range of lag satisfying the power law is very small, that is, less than about 10% of the profile length. The cause of this has been investigated mathematically. The main cause of this problem is due to the fact that the profile length is assumed infinite for the theory, but it is finite for the actual calculation. This discrepancy between the actual calculation and the theory yields a significant error and causes the problem when the lag is large. To confirm the validity of this conclusion, it has been demonstrated that the range of lag satisfying the power law increases with an increase in the profile length by applying the variogram method to profiles cut from a long profile. In addition, the range of lag was investigated mathematically and it has been clarified that the range of lag increases with an increase in the fractal dimension. These results suggest that the profile length, the sampling interval and the removal of the linear trend are items to which we must pay attention when we use the variogram method.