Module 5: Failure Criteria of Rock and Rock masses

LECTURE 17

5.4.3 Hoek and Brown criterion

Hoek and Brown (1980b) arrived at an empirical failure criterion capable of modelling the
highly non-linear relationship between the minor and major principal stresses and also
predicting the influence of rock mass quality on the strength, this criterion is given as

s '1 f = s '3 f + ms cs '3 f + ss c2

(5.17)

Where, σ’ 1f and σ’ 3f are the major and minor effective principal stresses at failure. σ c is the
uniaxial compressive strength of the intact rock material, and m and s are material constants,
where s = 1 for intact rock.

Later, Hoek and Brown (2002) have modified the equation to give a generalized criterion in
which the shape of the principal stress plot or the Mohr envelope could be adjusted by means
of a variable coefficient ‘a’ in place of the square root term, which is as given below.

a
 s' 
s'1f = s'3f +s c  m 3 + s  (5.18)
 sc 

Subsequently, the parameter ‘m’ is replaced by ‘m b ’ which is the reduced value of the
material constant m i and is given by

 GSI − 100 
m b = m i exp 
 28 − 14D  (5.19)

Where, ‘s’ and ‘a’ are constants for the rock mass given by the following relationship

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 GSI − 100 
s = exp 
 9 − 3D  (5.20)

a= + e
2 6
(
1 1 −GSI / 15
− e − 20 / 3 )
(5.21)

In the above equations 5.19 and 5.20, ‘D’ is the disturbance factor which represents the
degree of disturbance to which the rock mass has undergone due to blast damage and stress
relaxation. The values of D vary from 0 for completely intact rock and to 1 for highly
fractured rock mass. GSI is the Geological Strength Index relating the failure criterion to
geological observations in the field, particularly for very weak rock masses.

50
45
40
Major principal stress (σ1)

35
30
25
20
15 Mohr-Coulomb envelop
Hoek and Brown envelop
10
σt 5 σ3 max
0
-2 0 2 4 6 8 10
Minor principal stress (σ3)

Figure 5.18: Comparison of Hoek- Brown and Mohr-Coulomb criteria

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Table 5.1: Guidelines for estimating disturbance factor D

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 Module 5: Failure Criteria of Rock and Rock masses

5.4.4 Empirical Rock failure criterion

More precise criterion of failure may be determined for any rock by fitting an envelope to
Mohr's circles representing values of the principal stresses at peak conditions in laboratory
tests. It may be the best practice, to produce an empirical criterion tailored to given rock type.

τ
Empirical criterion

C
B
A

Figure 5.19: An empirical criterion of failure defined by Mohr envelopes based on series
of laboratory tests

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 Module 5: Failure Criteria of Rock and Rock masses

5.4.5 Griffith Failure criterion

σ1

σy
σ3 σ3
σx

σ1

σo

ρ σmax

c c

σo

Figure 5.20: Griffith failure theory - elliptical cracks

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Griffith postulated that a crystalline material (like rock) contain a large number of
randomly oriented zones of potential failure in the form of grain boundaries (microfractures).
Griffith hypothesized that stress concentrations develop at the end of these cracks causing the
crack to propagate and ultimately contribute to the macroscopic failure. The assumptions are,

1. The flaw which is elliptical in shape can be treated as single ellipse in a semi-infinite
elastic medium.
2. Adjacent flaws don't interact.
3. The material is assumed to be homogeneous.
4. Ellipse and stress system are taken to be two dimensional.

For a thin elastic strip of unit thickness containing a elliptical hole oriented with its long axis
perpendicular to an applied tensile stress σ o , the maximum stress σ max at the apex of the
ellipse depends on radius of curvature of the apex (ρ) and the length of the crack (2c).

(5.22)

Griffith computed the difference of energy in the strip with and without the hole to be.

Total energy,

(5.23)

where, E is Young's modulus

The surface energy resulting from the formation of crack is

(5.24)

where, T is the Surface tension

Hence the elliptical hole has decreased the total energy by

(5.25)

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Instability will result and the crack will propagate if,

(5.26)

That is the total energy becomes the maximum,

(5.27)

where, T o is the tensile strength of the material.

If the two dimensional case, randomly distributed and oriented cracks occur through the
body, the criteria for fracture is as follows.

If, 𝜎𝜎 1 > 𝜎𝜎 3 and 3𝜎𝜎 1 + 𝜎𝜎 3 < 0

fracture will occur when,

(𝜎𝜎 1 - 𝜎𝜎 3 )2 = -8T o (𝜎𝜎 1 + 𝜎𝜎 3 ) [when compressive stress field is predominant]

at an angle given by

If, 𝜎𝜎 1 > 𝜎𝜎 3 and 3𝜎𝜎 1 + 𝜎𝜎 3 > 0

fracture will occur when 𝜎𝜎 1 = T o at an angle θ=0o. [Tension is predominant]

where, T o = Tensile strength of the rock.

Fracture initiation based on Griffith theory

(5.28)

Defines the relation between the shear and normal stresses. τ xy and σ y at which fracture
initiates on the boundary of an open elliptical flaw.

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2β
σt σ3 σ1 σ
2σt

Figure 5.21: Griffith failure criterion

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