International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR ROCK MECHANICS

COMMISSION ON TESTING METHODS

DRAFT ISRM SUGGESTED METHOD FOR IN SITU STRESS MEASUREMENT

USING THE COMPACT CONICAL-ENDED BOREHOLE OVERCORING (CCBO)
TECHNIQUE

CONTENTS

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
2. Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
3. Apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
4. Overcoming procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
5. Data recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
6. Data reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
7. Presentation of results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
8. Illustrative case examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
9. Notes on interpretation of results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Co-ordinators
K. Sugawara, Y. Obara (Japan)

0148-9062/99/$ - see front matter # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 1 4 8 - 9 0 6 2 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 0 0 4 - 2
 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322 309

Draft ISRM suggested method for in situ stress measurement

using the compact conical-ended borehole overcoring (CCBO)
technique

K. Sugawara a, Y. Obara a
Accepted 29 December 1998

ISRM SUGGESTED METHODS (SMs): SECOND SERIES

A Second Series of Suggested Methods is being produced by the ISRM Commission on Testing Methods from 1998 onwards.
In this Second Series, for each SM two versions are published:

1. A Draft SM written by the Working Group Co-ordinator(s);

2. A Final SM also produced by the Working Group Co-ordinator but with amendments resulting from the Draft SM review by
the Working Group Members and other comments received after publication of the Draft SM.

A suite of the new Suggested Methods is currently being published in this Journal. These started with an Indentation
Hardness Index SM written by T. Szwedzicki and published in June 1998. Several more will be published in 1999.
An earlier SM produced by Drs Kim and Franklin, ``Suggested Methods for Rock Stress Determination'' (1987, Vol. 24, No.
1, pp. 53±73), covered the ¯atjack, hydraulic fracturing, USBM and CSIRO overcoring stress measurement techniques. This
stress measurement SM supplements the earlier one by providing guidance on the use of a Japanese borehole overcoring tech-
nique in which only one drill size is required, i.e. by `compact overcoring'.

Please send written comments on this SM to the

President of the ISRM Commission on Testing Methods:
Professor J A Hudson, 7 The Quadrangle,
Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL8 6SG, UK

1. Introduction ing and USBM and CSIRO overcoring [1]. This

1.1 Rock stress is of prime importance for the con-
struction of rock structures, such as underground
openings, because the mechanical behavior of rock
masses surrounding underground openings is domi-
nated by rock stress and the stability of rock structures
strongly depends upon the state of rock stress. For
®eld stress measurements, various methods and devices
have been developed and applied for a wide range of
rock types. The earlier suggested method prepared by
Kim and Franklin covers ¯atjacks, hydraulic fractur-
a
Department of Civil Engineering, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1
Kurokami, Kumamoto, 8608555, Japan.
suggested method describes the compact conical-ended
borehole overcoring (CCBO) technique.
1.2 It is desirable that the stress tensor can be deter-
mined from measurements in a single borehole and
that the necessary stress relieving is completed by the
compact overcoring of smaller diameter. The compact
conical-ended borehole overcoring technique described
in this suggested method is a development of the hemi-
spherical ended cell proposed by Sugawara et al. [2±7].
Generally, the cell utilizes sixteen elemental strains on
the conical end surface of the borehole. The strain cell
is overcored at the same diameter as the installation
borehole.
1.3 The stress tensor can be determined from the
310 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322
Fig. 1. A schematic of the CCBO stress measurement; (1) drilling a 76 mm borehole; (2) creating a conical borehole socket; (3) borehole socket
cleaning; (4) gluing the strain cell into the place; (5) compact overcoring.
strains on the conical end surface of a single borehole
and the error in stress can also be determined. Also,
continuous strain monitoring system is possible in ad-
dition to the compact overcoring.
1.4 In this suggested method, the apparatus and
operating procedure are described together with the
data recording and reduction. There is an explanation
of the possible ways of presenting and interpreting the
results. These recommendations are supported by case
example data.
2. Scope
2.1 This suggested method for the CCBO technique
covers the use of the instrument in a conical (as
opposed to hemi-spherical) ended borehole, with the
complete stress tensor being obtained from a single use
of the device. The device has been used in a dry bore-
hole up to 40 m from man-access.
2.2 The device has been used in a rock temperature
range of 5 to 608C.
2.3 The calculation of the rock stresses from the
rock strains can be conducted for isotropic or transver-
sely isotropic rock.
2.4 Guidance is given on the number of strain
gauges required for a given speci®ed accuracy.
3. Apparatus
3.1 A schematic of the CCBO stress measurement is
shown in Fig. 1.
3.2 The CCBO strain cell and illustrative photo-
graphs of the components are shown in Fig. 2.
3.3 The following equipment and supplies are
needed to conduct the CCBO tests:
(a) Rock drill capable of drilling a 76 mm borehole
(i.e. NX borehole);
(b) Special purpose borz crown diamond bit for
roughly creating conical borehole socket;
(c) Special purpose impregnated diamond bit for
precisely creating conical borehole socket;
(d) Forward-facing borehole camera to inspect qual-
ity of borehole socket;
(e) Borehole socket cleaning materials;
(f) The special purpose 16 or 24 element conical
strain cell;
(g) Strain cell insertion device (which includes orien-
tational capability);
(h) Electrical connection from the strain cell
through the rod/water swivel;
(i) Special 76 mm diamond overcoring bit with thin-
walled barrel;
(j) Displacement transducer to monitor overcoring
progress;
(k) Digital strain meter to process and record the
strain cell data;
(l) Computer and software to calculate stresses from
strains.
3.4 The equipment speci®cation and tolerances are
not given here speci®cally because many of these inter-
act and the length of the strain gauges in the strain
cell, for example, has been optimized through theory
 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322 311

Fig. 2. The CCBO strain cell and illustrative photographs of the components; (a) top view of the 24 element conical strain cell; (b) side view of
the 24 element conical strain cell; (c) special purpose borz crown diamond bit; (d) special purpose impregnated diamond bit; (e) top view of for-
ward-facing borehole camera; (f) forward-facing borehole camera system; (g) strain cell insertion device and indicator of orientation; (h) special
compact diamond overcoring bit with thin-walled barrel.
312 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322
and experience. Some of the information is in Refs.
[8,9] and further information can be obtained from
Professor Sugawara. Also, Professor Sugawara is the
contact point for obtaining the apparatus on a com-
mercial basis.
4. Overcoring procedure
4.1. Quali®cation of personnel
This equipment can be operated easily, providing
that the content of this suggested method is fully
understood. Also, several papers have been published
on its use [10,11].
4.2. Rock drill capable of drilling a 76 mm borehole
(i.e. NX borehole)
The initial borehole is core drilled to the required
distance (maximum to date has been 40 m).
4.3. Special purpose diamond bits for creating conical
borehole socket
At the base of the borehole, the conical borehole
socket is created using the special purpose borz crown
bit and impregnated diamond bit, using the same dril-
ling equipment.
4.4. Forward-facing borehole camera to inspect quality
of borehole socket
On completion of the borehole socket forming, a
borehole camera is used to inspect the quality of the
socket. The socket should appear uniform and isotro-
pic. There should be no open cracks in the socket and
no running water visible.
4.5. Borehole socket cleaning materials
Using the soft cloth and acetone, the surface of the
borehole socket are cleaned to remove the dust par-
ticles prior to the gluing of the strain cell. On com-
pletion of the cleaning, the socket is again inspected by
the borehole camera. If there are still dust particles evi-
dent, cleaning should again be done and again until
the socket is clean.
4.6. Insertion of the special purpose 16 or 24 element
conical strain cell
Prior to installation of the strain cell, all the electri-
cal circuits and strain gauge resistance are checked.
Then the strain cell is attached to the insertion device
making sure that the cable is threaded through the
insertion device. The glue is then distributed over the
head of the strain cell. The strain cell is then inserted
in the borehole and pushed forward to the socket. The
insertion device can be rotated so that the cell is
employed in the borehole socket at a speci®c orien-
tation, using the inclinometer in the insertion device.
4.7. Gluing the strain cell into place
Once the orientation has been established, the inser-
tion device is pushed hard against the borehole socket
and held ®rm for 40 min while the glue sets. On com-
pletion of this step, the insertion device is removed
from the borehole. It is important to measure the
exact distance from a point on the drilling machine to
the strain cell (as a reference for the distances of the
overcoring measurements).
4.8. Electrical connection from the strain cell through
the rod/water swivel
The electrical connections from the strain cell are
passed through the special purpose thin walled over-
coring drill bit, the drill rods and the water swivel. The
electrical circuits and strain gauge resistance are again
checked, in addition to the monitoring and data log-
ging equipment.
4.9. Compact overcoring
The overcoring is conducted using the special-pur-
pose thin walled 76 mm diameter bit Ð which is the
same diameter as the borehole itself. A displacement
transducer is used to monitor the overcoring progress,
which is continuous until the strain cell is completely
overcored after a minimum overcoring distance of 100
mm and generally about 300 mm. If a joint is encoun-
tered, the strain cell/core recovery is easier. The strain
cell is not reused.
5. Data recording
5.1. Data monitoring and recording
During overcoring, the data are generally recorded
for every 5 mm overcoring advance. When greater pre-
cision is required, the readings are made every 2 mm.
Table 1
Time Distance Strain readings from the 16 (or 24) gauges
 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322
Fig. 3. Co-ordinates systems ®xed to the conical borehole socket and
the strains to be measured in the 16 element method.
The data are recorded on computer disk as shown in
Table 1.
As a check of the overcoring progress, one channel
is monitored as a graph of gauge output versus dis-
tance.
6. Data reduction
6.1. Principle of the initial stress determination
Initial stresses acting in the rock mass surrounding a
stress measuring station prior to the drilling are
assumed to be uniform and the magnitudes of their
components are calculated from the strains on a coni-
cal borehole socket, based on the theory of elasticity
[9±15].
6.2. Co-ordinates and expression of the initial stress
tensor
For calculation of the initial stresses from the
strains, the cylindrical co-ordinates (r, y, z ) and the
spherical co-ordinates (r, y, f ) are de®ned as well as
the Cartesian co-ordinates (x, y, z ), as illustrated in
Fig. 3, making the z-axis coincident with the borehole
axis. The initial stress tensor {s } can be expressed as
follows:
313
Fig. 4. The strain gauge arrangement for the 24 element method.
fsg ˆ fsx , sy , sz , tyz , tzx , txy gT , …1†
where sx, sy, sz, tyz, tzx and txy are the stress com-
ponents in the Cartesian co-ordinates.
6.3. Strains to be measured
The strains are required to be measured at the speci-
®ed eight points on the conical borehole socket of
radius 38 mm as shown in Fig. 3. The strain measuring
points are axisymmetrically arranged along a measur-
ing circle of radius 19 mm, by rotating 458 at a step.
The speci®cation of strain measuring points has been
optimized through theory and experience. In the 16 el-
ement method, the tangential strain: ey and the radial
strain: er are measured at each strain measuring point,
using a 16 element conical strain cell. The 24 element
method requires the additional strain at each point,
that is the oblique strain: ej, as shown in Fig. 4. Thus,
the strains measured on a conical borehole socket can
be denoted by
fbg ˆ fb1 , b2 , . . . , bn gT , …2†
where n: number of strains; i.e. n=16 for the 16 el-
ement method; n=24 for the 24 element method.
6.4. Relations between the strains and the initial stress
tensor
The strains {ey, er, ej} at a strain measuring point of
a tangential angle y are given, in the isotropic case, as
follows:
314 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322

…3†
Table 2
Strain coecients in the isotropic case
3
5
2A32 sin 2y ÿ 2A33 cos 2y
Poisson's ratio A11 A12 A21 A22 A31 A32 A33

0.10 1.002 ÿ1.762 0.109 0.343 0.562 ÿ0.724 ÿ0.802

0.20 1.000 ÿ1.752 0.022 0.365 0.519 ÿ0.707 ÿ0.818
0.25 0.999 ÿ1.733 ÿ0.021 0.373 0.496 ÿ0.693 ÿ0.821
0.30 0.997 ÿ1.704 ÿ0.065 0.380 0.474 ÿ0.679 ÿ0.822
2A12 sin 2y
2A22 sin 2y

0.40 0.989 ÿ1.611 ÿ0.154 0.386 0.426 ÿ0.625 ÿ0.823

Poisson's ratio C11 C21 C31 D11 D21 D31 D32

0.10 ÿ0.155 0.655 0.246 0.082 1.542 0.802 ÿ1.725

D31 cos y ‡ D32 sin y,

0.20 ÿ0.263 0.641 0.185 0.095 1.627 0.860 ÿ1.860

0.25 ÿ0.317 0.636 0.155 0.101 1.673 0.886 ÿ1.923
0.30 ÿ0.371 0.632 0.126 0.108 1.716 0.911 ÿ1.983
0.40 ÿ0.481 0.630 0.071 0.123 1.787 0.953 ÿ2.091
D11 cos y,
D21 cos y,

6.5. Strain coecients depending upon the Poisson's

ratio

The values of the strain coecients depend on the

D31 sin y ÿ D32 cos y,

Poisson's ratio of rock. They have to be evaluated by

numerical analysis since there is no analytical solution.
The strain coecients of the isotropic case computed
where E is the Young's modulus of rock and A11, A12, . . ., D32 are the strain coecients.

by the BEM analysis are summarized in Table 2. The

D11 sin y,
D21 sin y,

strain coecients for transversely isotropic rock are in

[16] and further information can be obtained from
Professor Sugawara.
C11 ,
C21 ,
C31 ,

6.6. Observation equation of the initial stress tensor

A31 ÿ A32 cos 2y ÿ A33 sin 2y,

Observation equation of the initial stress tensor {s }

is expressed by the following matrix equation.

‰AŠfsg ˆ Efbg, …4†

A11 ÿ A12 cos 2y,
A21 ÿ A22 cos 2y,

where [A ] is an n by 6 elastic compliance matrix nor-

malized by the Young's modulus E. The elements of
[A ] are computed by substituting the tangential angle
y of each strain measuring point in Eq. (3).

6.7. The most probable values of initial stresses

A31 ‡ A32 cos 2y ‡ A33 sin 2y,

The most probable values of the initial stress com-

ponents are determined by the least square method,
providing the normalized expression of Eq. (4) as fol-
lows:
A11 ‡ A12 cos 2y,
4 A21 ‡ A22 cos 2y,

‰B Šfsg ˆ Efb g, …5†

T  T
where [B ]=[A ] [A ] and {b }=[A ] {b }. The most
probable values of the initial stress {s } can be
expressed as
,
fsg
E

fs g ˆ E‰C Šfb g,

…6†
er ˆ

2
8 9
< ey =
: ;

where [C ] is the inverse matrix of [B ].

ej
 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322 315

Fig. 5. Response of the strain gauges for every 5 mm overcoring advance, compared to the theoretical curves.
316 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322

where xb2 is the variance of measured strains and cii is

a corresponding diagonal element of the matrix [C ].

6.9. Simulation of the compact overcoring process

Eq. (3) is available to describe the changes in strain

during the compact overcoring. However, for the inter-
mediate steps, when overcoring is not complete, FEM
and BEM analyses are used to determine the com-
ponents of the elastic compliance matrix for the di€er-
ent degrees of overcoring. Thus, special-purpose
software is required for the process simulation
[12,14,15].

Fig. 6. Terminal strain distributions around the strain cell, compared
to the theoretical curves.
6.8. Standard deviations of the most probable values
The standard deviation of each stress component xi
is in general evaluated by assuming that the error of
measured strain obeys the normal probability distri-
bution, as follows:
x2i ˆ cii E 2 x2b , i ˆ 1, 2, . . . , 6, …
6.10. Elevated rock temperature
In the case where the rock has a di€erent tempera-
ture to the overcoring drilling water, the bonded cell,
which initially is at the rock temperature, is made
colder by the drilling water. Then, a correction has to
be made using the coecient of thermal expansion of
the rock to adjust the strains. Naturally, it is essential
to know accurately the rock temperature and the coef-
®cient of thermal expansion. This is a complex subject
7†

Fig. 7. Principal stresses measured in the pillar by four stress measurements using a borehole; (a) isometric plot, numerals represent the magni-
tude of the principal stress in MPa; (b) lower hemisphere stereographic projection of the principal direction.
 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322
Fig. 8. 2D principal stress magnitudes and directions along the borehole in an appropriate plane; (a) vertical section; (b) horizontal plane.
because the correction may also depend on the length
of the borehole. A special-purpose compensation tech-
nique has been developed to account for the tempera-
ture e€ect [17]. Strain cells have been developed which
have a temperature sensor.
Fig. 9. Stress distribution on the conical borehole socket surface,
compared to the maximum compression in the plane perpendicular
to the borehole axis (solid arrows).
317
7. Presentation of results
7.1 The strain gauge responses can be presented in
tabular form if required.
7.2 The evolution of the strain gauges for every 5
mm (or 2 mm) overcoring advance can be plotted,
with the terminal strain distributions around the strain
cell. Fig. 5 shows an example of the evolution of the
strain gauges for every 5 mm overcoring advance,
comparing to the theoretical curves [12]. The lateral
axis of the ®gure represents the overcoring advance,
that is the distance in the axial direction between the
head of the compact overcoring and the strain measur-
ing circle on the conical borehole socket. The changes
in strain are rapid in all cases after the compact over-
coring passed through the section of the strain measur-
ing circle. The terminal strain distributions around the
strain cell are demonstrated in Fig. 6, also comparing
to the theoretical curves [11]. The theoretical curves in
Figs. 5 and 6 are computed by Eq. (3), using the initial
stress tensor measured. Good agreement of the theor-
etical computation with the measurement indicates the
reliability of the measurement.
318 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322

direct measurement by three rosette

7.3 The stress matrix with reference to the x, y, z
co-ordinates system can be presented. This is useful if
a series of measurements are made and the variation is
being studied. Alternatively, the principal stress magni-

by Kobayashi et al. [21]

by Sugawara et al. [2]

tudes and their directions can be presented, both in an

typed strain gauges

isometric plot and/or on a lower hemispherical projec-
tion. The isometric plot is demonstrated in Fig. 7(a).
This is the result obtained by four times stress
suggested

suggested
Remarks

measurements using a single horizontal borehole

within a vertical pillar of zinc ore [18]. The lower
hemispherical projection of the principal stress direc-
tions of the above case example is presented in Fig.
Maximum value

7(b). Concentration of the poles may correspond to an

uniformity of the stress state in the pillar.
of cii: cmax

7.4 In the case where the stresses are being studied

in a speci®c plane, perhaps to correlate with a geologi-
0.291
0.316
0.360

0.248
0.262
0.289

0.378
0.467

0.127
0.133
0.148

0.280

cal feature, it is also possible to show the 2D principal

stress magnitudes and directions along the borehole in
an appropriate plane. Fig. 8 shows the 2D principal
Poisson's ratio

stress magnitudes and directions along a single bore-

hole, which is drilled horizontally from the wall of a
of rock: v

gallery, intersecting a fault of 0.25 m in width

1/6
1/4
1/3

1/6
1/4
1/3

1/6
1/3

1/6
1/4
1/3

1/4

[13,19,20]. This 2D expression is e€ective for under-

standing the variations of the stress magnitudes and
directions along the borehole.
strains to be measured: n

7.5 When the 24 element strain cell is used, the stress

distribution on the conical borehole socket can be pre-
sented, as well as the 3D initial stresses. The socket
surface principal stress magnitudes and directions can
Number of

be plotted on the cross sectional view of the borehole

[14,15]. A case example is shown in Fig. 9. Such a 2D
expression of the surface stress on a conical borehole
16

24

12

16

socket can be presented for every overcoring advance

and can be compared to the theory.
of strain measuring circle: r/R

8. Illustrative case examples

8.1. Accuracy comparisons

Radius ratio

When the observational error of strain is well rep-

resented by the normal probability distribution, as
0.589

0.766
0.5

0.5

1.0

given in Eq. (7), the variance of each stress component

is in direct proportion to the magnitude of the corre-
sponding diagonal element cii of the matrix [C ] and
Hemispherical-ended borehole method

also to the error variance of the strain measurement

xb2. In the CCBO method, the magnitude of cii depends
Conical-ended borehole method

on cylindrical wall of borehole

on the radius of the strain measuring circle, the num-

ber of the strain gauges and the Poisson's ratio of
CCBO 16 element method

CCBO 24 element method

rock. Thus, in order to improve the accuracy of the

Strain measurements
Comparison of cmax

method, the minimization of the maximum value cmax

of cii has been required in determining the optimal
strain gauge arrangement. The values of cmax of the
CCBO method are summarized in Table 3, comparing
Method
Table 3

to those of the conventional methods, [8,15]. The smal-

lest value of cmax is presented by the hemispherical-
 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322
Fig. 10. Regional principal stress magnitudes and directions in the horizontal plane, Kamaishi mine, Japan.
ended borehole technique. In the CCBO method, the
value of cmax decreases with increasing the number of
strain gauges. In the case for a Poisson's ratio of 0.25,
the values of cmax of the CCBO method are almost the
same as that of the direct strain measurement by three
rosette type strain gauges on the cylindrical wall of a
borehole. This means that a conical socket is less sensi-
tive than a borehole circumference.
8.2. Case example
In situ stress measurement by means of the CCBO
method has been conducted in Kamaishi mine, Japan,
to evaluate the variation of the regional stress magni-
tudes and orientations and the stress gradient, as well
as the e€ect of joints and faults on the stress distri-
bution. Fig. 10 shows the regional principal stress
magnitudes and directions in the horizontal planes,
evaluated by the repeated stress measurement and sub-
sequent averaging of each stress component [22,23].
Three stations: Ga-1, Ga-2 and Ga-3 have been
arranged within Ganidake diorite/granodiorite at
+550 m level and three stations: Ku-1, Ku-2 and Ku-
3 are within Kurihashi granodiorite at +250 m level.
It is noteworthy that the direction of the maximum
horizontal compression is approximately in the north±
319
south direction and the stress magnitudes increase with
increasing the depth below the surface.
At the station Ga-2, the CCBO method has been
applied to clarify the e€ect of joints and faults on the
stress distribution [13,19,20]. 21 stress measurements
have been conducted in a single borehole in the range
of 0.6±29.5 m from the gallery, giving the 18 reliable
results in Fig. 8. The borehole has intersected not only
Fault III but also many joints. However, the results
obtained clearly indicate that a noteworthy di€erence
of the stress state exists between the front and the rear
of Fault III. This means that Fault III plays an im-
portant role in determining the stress distribution. The
in¯uence of the joint system is negligible in this site.
The time required for the total measurements at the
Table 4
Average time required for measurement
Operation Time (min)
Creating the conical borehole socket 22.8
Cleaning and the camera operation 10.0
Gluing the strain cell in the place 40.3
Overcoring and strain measurement 22.4
Recovering core with the strain cell 10.4
320 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322
Fig. 11. Core sampling for the laboratory multi-stage uniaxial compression experiment.
station Ga-2 has been reported to be about 112 h. The
time required for each operation is summarized in
Table 4, excepting the time for conventional drilling
[20].
Comparison of the CCBO method to other methods
has been conducted in several sites in Japan [26,27].
9. Notes on interpretation of results
9.1. Elastic moduli determination
In order to calculate the initial stresses from the
strains, the Young's modulus of rock is required as
well as the Poisson's ratio of rock. For the determi-
nation of them, the two schemes have been applied.
One is a laboratory test using the recovered core and
the other is an in situ loading experiment using the
conical borehole socket. The former is usually used
Fig. 12. Schematic view of in situ axial loading experiment for the
elastic moduli determination.
and the later is mainly conducted to re-con®rm the re-
liability of the laboratory test results.
9.2. The laboratory test
The laboratory test is indispensable to estimate the
elastic moduli of rock and the non-linearity and aniso-
tropy of rock, that is in general the conventional
multi-stage uniaxial compression experiment. As illus-
trated in Fig. 11, three cylindrical specimens of rock
core are perpendicular to each other, 25 mm in diam-
eter and 50 mm in length, provided by drilling the
recovered core having a conical borehole socket. Four
cross-typed strain gauges are used to measure the
strain response of each specimen. The loading pattern
is designed to reproduce the axial strain as same as the
maximum strain on the conical borehole socket and
the maximum load is usually set less than 60% of the
uniaxial compressive strength of rock. The Young's
modulus and the Poisson's ratio are usually deter-
mined from the linear relation between the axial stress
and the strain recovery.
9.3. The in situ loading experiment
The in situ loading experiment is conducted after
gluing the strain cell on a conical borehole socket, just
before the commencement of the compact overcoring.
As shown in Fig. 12, a ¯at-ended ring step of 6 mm in
width is formed at the entrance circumference of the
conical borehole socket and the axial pressure is
applied on it, using a steel ring platen. The pressure±
strain relation is monitored and both the Young's
modulus and the Poisson's ratio of rock are evaluated
using the special charts given by the BEM analysis.
The procedure has already been reported [11].
9.4. Evaluation of rock mass strength
The multi-use CCBO stress measurement is a prom-
 K. Sugawara, Y. Obara / International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 36 (1999) 307±322
ising method presently available for the evaluation of
the rock mass strength, since it enables one to measure
the 3D stress state within the ground arch and the
stress concentration around the cavity. When it is
applied to a large rock cavern, such as an underground
powerhouse cavern, the stress distribution in the
ground arch can be measured as well as the stresses
within a post-failure region proximate to the cavity,
providing data indicating the strength characteristics
of rock mass. The strength evaluation based on in situ
stress measurements has also been reported [5,6,24].
9.5. Evaluation of frictional characteristics of joints
The multi-use CCBO stress measurement is also
available for the evaluation of stresses acting on joints
and their frictional characteristics. For this purpose,
the 3D stress state is required to be measured at sev-
eral stations within rock blocks separated by joints.
When the joint orientations are determined using the
borehole-camera survey system and/or other methods,
the 2D stresses acting on each joint plane can be esti-
mated from adjacent stress data, applying the stress
transformation law. Case examples are reported [25].
Acknowledgements
The working group co-ordinators wish to acknowl-
edge the encouragement and support given by
Professor J.A. Hudson of Imperial College of Science,
Technology and Medicine in the UK. The working
group co-ordinators are also most grateful to Dr.
Toshiro Aoki, Tokyu Construction Co. Ltd., Dr.
Kiyotoshi Sakaguchi, Research Associate of Tohoku
University, Dr. Hyun-Kuk Jang, Dr. Yoshifumi
Noguchi and Mr. Naoaki Nakamura, Nittetu Mining
Co. Ltd., Dr. Katsuhiko Kaneko, Professor of
Hokkaido University for going our research.
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