Rock Mechanics-I

Rock and Rock Masses

Rock and Rock Masses
• Rock mechanics is concerned with the response of rock and rock
masses to the force field of its environment.

• The strength of rock reduces with increase in discontinuities or

fractures or fissures or joints which plays important role.

• Joints makes rock mechanics domain outside the domain of soil

mechanics.
Rock mass found in
field are seldom
intact and the
strength and
deformation
characteristics of
rock mass mostly
depends upon the
joint characteristics.

Hoek and Brown (1997)

Description of Intact rock and Rock Mass

Typical view of Rock Mass encountered in the field

• Rock Strength reduces with

increase in discontinuities or
fractures or joints or fissures
or cracks.
• Discontinuities can be of
same scale as excavation.
• Discontinuities are not
necessarily interconnected.
• Rock Mechanics may be young or just 60 years old, but there are various
examples of structures made out of rocks or stones.
• In India most of the temples and monuments are built out of rocks.

Taj Mahal in Agra (Marble) Redfort, Delhi (Sandstone)

• In ancient times, caves were used as shelters.

• The pyramids of Egypt were built during 2900

BC. With enormous quantity of rock.

• Water conveyance tunnel, mining activities

with rock excavations and railway tunnels were
Cave in Aurangabad, India
also constructed even before the development
of modern Rock Mechanics.

• Engineers have been building structures on or

in rocks for centuries, Modern Rock Mechanics
is merely a formal expression of some of the
principles of engineering in rocks.
Pyramid (Granite, Limestone), Egypt
Fields of Application of Rock Mechanics
• Rocks can be used as construction materials:
• Aggregates, construction stones, decorative stones, etc.

• Rocks used as construction or foundation material:

• Design of foundation for buildings, bridges, dams, etc.
• Design of rock slopes and surface excavation for highways, railways, dam
abutments, etc.
• Design of underground excavations such as tunnels, mines and other
underground chambers.
• Design of energy development structures like underground nuclear plants,
repository for storage of nuclear/chemical wastes, oil, etc.
Basic Requirements: Using Rock
• Evaluation of site geology
• Rock type, type of weathering, etc.
• Done from detailed site exploration, investigation, boreholes, trenches, etc.

• Assessment of engineering properties of rocks of the area of interest

• Strength, deformability, permeability, etc.
• Done by testing samples in Lab and also by conducting field tests.

• Account for possible geologic hazards and their impact on existing or future
structures.
• Basically hazards from geological materials (like reactive minerals) and geological
processes like landslides, earthquakes, floods, etc.
Rock as an Engineering Material
• Rock is a complex engineering material which requires engineering
judgement and experience.

• Generally, rock and rock masses cannot be assigned to a design

calculation with the same degree of certainty as that of other
materials like steel and concrete for the following reasons:

1. Information from testing of rock specimens or from field observations

through boreholes or trenches or excavations are not sufficient to provide
complete picture of rock mass of interest.
• Uncertainties are inherent (data collection, testing, modelling)
Rock as an Engineering Material
2. Rock is a very complex material
• Discontinuous with micro-discontinuities (pores and microcracks) and macro-
discontinuities (joints, faults, shears)
• Anisotropic: properties vary with directions
• Heterogeneous: properties vary from point to point as in multilayered rock
masses.
3. Geological processes are coupled in a strong non-linear fashion.
Processes can be mechanical, chemical, biological or thermal.

In addition rock properties can be time-dependent and scale

dependent.
Classification of discontinuities according to scale
(Brekke and Howard, 1973)
Rock as an Engineering Material
• Due to the complex nature of rock, the design methods involving
rocks vary depending on the geologic environment, rock type, type of
engineering structure, design loads, etc.