BACKGROUND

1 BACKGROUND

1.1 Role of Rock Engineering in Hydropower Development

Rock Engineering is a very wide and complex topic which, in hydropower development,
includes the main elements of the following disciplines:

- Geological Engineering
- Rock mechanics
- Civil Engineering

Geological engineering is a branch of engineering that combines principles from

geology and engineering to address challenges related to the interaction between the
Earth's materials and human-made structures. It involves the application of geological
knowledge and techniques to analyze, plan, design, and construct engineering projects
while considering the geological conditions of the site.

Rock mechanics involves the study of the mechanical properties, deformation, and
failure mechanisms of rocks. Rock mechanics aims to understand how rocks behave
under the influence of external forces such as stress, pressure, temperature, and water,
and how they interact with engineering structures or geological formations.

Civil engineering is a broad field of engineering that deals with the design, construction,
and maintenance of infrastructure and man-made structures that are essential for society.
It involves the planning, analysis, design, construction, and management of various
types of projects, including buildings, roads, bridges, dams, airports, water supply
systems, sewage systems, and many other forms of infrastructure.

Rock is undoubtedly the most important material in the construction of hydropower

plants especially when the power station is located underground. Dams are in many cases
built almost entirely of rock and are normally founded on bedrocks. Rock is also the main
component of concrete. For hydropower engineering a sound knowledge of rock as a
material is therefore essential.

In all rock engineering, however, the basic material is the rock mass which should not
automatically be regarded as a material in need of support, but rather as a material
capable of resisting considerable loads, even in jointed conditions. Thus, a basic
philosophy in modern rock engineering is to take advantage of the self supporting
capacity of the rock mass and the positive aspect of rock as a construction material.

1.2 Main Elements of Hydropower Plant

The most modern layout of hydropower plant is shown in Figure 1.

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Fig. 1.1 Typical layout of underground hydropower plant