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Rock
Engineering I
LECTURE 1

Rock 2

Rock compact, indurated natural

material (composed of one or more
minerals) that requires drilling, blasting,
wedging, or other “brute force” to
excavate

Intact rock refers to the unfractured

blocks that exist between structural
discontinuities

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Rock Mass 3

Rock mass may be defined as the rock material

with the three dimensional structure of
discontinuities

Rock Masses 4

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Rock Mechanics 5

“Rock Mechanics is the theoretical and

applied science of the mechanical
behaviour of rock and rock masses; It is
the branch of the mechanics concerned
with the response of rock and rock
masses to the force fields of their physical
environment”

- US National Committee of Rock Mechanics

Rock Engineering 6

“the application of the sciences of rock

mechanics, engineering geology and
other related disciplines to civil
engineering construction, the extractive
industries and the preservation and
enhancement of environment”

- Similar to definition of Geotechnical Engineering by

(Anon, 1999)

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What makes rock engineering unique is

the complexity and uncertainty involved 7
when interacting with the natural
geological environment

Complexities 8

 Rock Fracture

 Size effects

 Tensile Strength

 Ground water
effects

 Weathering

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Morgenstern’s Casagrande
9
Lecture (1995)
 Parameter Uncertainty:
Concerned with spatial variation
e.g. Rock Mass Strength, and the lack of
data with key parameters

 Model Uncertainty:
Arises from gaps in the scientific theory
that is required to make predictions on the
basis of causal inference

 Human Uncertainty:
Can ranges from subjectivity to simple
human error to corruption

Uncertainty 10

MHA Prediction competition – collapse

height of slope in soft clay. A substantial
amount of shear strength data was
provided to 31 participants.

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Fig; Observed and predicted Rock 11

Mass Quality along the headrace
tunnel in Khimti I

Source: Panthi 2006

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Main areas of interest in Rock

Engineering 14

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1. Rock Slopes 15

1. Rock Slopes (Contd…) 16

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2. Open Pit Mining 17

2. Open Pit Mining 18

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3. Dam
19

Kafara Dam (2600 BC)

30 km south of Cairo

3. Dams (Contd…) 20

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3. Dams (Contd…) 21

4. Foundation 22

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5. Tunneling 23

Tunnel Construction 24
(In Beginning)

•All major civilizations

developed tunneling
methods

•In Babylonia, tunnels

were used extensively
for irrigation

•A brick lined
pedestrian passage
some 900 m long was
build around 2180 BC
under Euphrates River

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Tunnel Construction
(In Beginning)
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6th – Century – BC Greek water
tunnel on the isle of Samos
driven some 1100 m through
limestone with a cross section
about 2 x 2m

1600 m long, 8m wide, 10 m high

road tunnel between Naples
and Poizzuoli, built in 36 BC

Modern Beginnings: The Thames 26

Tunneling in soft, water
saturated ground began
with Marc Brunel when he
invented the principle of
shield tunneling

Undertook a contract to
tunnel under the Thames
between 1825 and 1841

Brunel’s shield was 7 m high

and 12 m wide, and
enabled 36 miners to work
the tunnel face at one time

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Modern Beginnings 27

Role of Rock Engineering in Hydropower

Development 28

Dam site around 2 km upstream of Benighat

Budhi Gandaki Hydroelectric Project

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Role of Rock Engineering in 29

Hydropower Development
Rock:
 as platform
 as construction
material
 as foundation
Fig: Kulekhani Reservoir

For a hydropower engineer a sound

knowledge of rock as material is therefore
essential

Rock engineering is a very wide and 30

complex topic

Hydropower Development includes

main elements of following disciplines:
 Engineering Geology
 Rock Mechanics
 Construction Engineering

In addition, Rock Engineering for Hydropower

Plants also implies elements of Civil Engineering

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Basic Philosophy in Rock 31

Engineering
To achieve a technically sound, safe and
economical design by

 taking advantage of the self

supporting capacity of rock masses

 and the positive aspect of rock as

construction material

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34

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35

36

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38

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40

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42

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43

Main Elements of Hydropower

Plants 44

Location and layout map

of Khimti I Hydropower
project (BPC, 1993)

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45

The development of the

general layout of
hydropower plants in
Norway

Source: Rock Engineering by

Nilsen and Thidemann

Typical layout of 46
underground, medium size
hydropower plant

Source: Rock Engineering by Nilsen and Thidemann

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Upper Tamakoshi
47
Hydroelectric Project

Upper Tamakoshi
48
Hydroelectric Project

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Upper Tamakoshi 49

Hydroelectric Project

Upper Tamakoshi 50
Hydroelectric Project

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Upper Tamakoshi 51

Hydroelectric Project

Andhi Khola Hydropower 52

Project

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53

Upper Madi Hydroelectric

Project

Proposed Budhi Gandaki 54

Hydroelectric Project

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Assignment - 1 55

1. Explain the role of rock engineering in

hydropower development in Nepal.

2. Enumerate the main elements of Underground

Hydropower with neat sketch.

Last date of submission: 21th Ashad, 2078

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