BOOK REVIEWS /CRITIQUES DE LIVRES
Handbook on mechanical properties of rocks -Volume I1
Received September 9, 1978
Accepted April 18, 1979
Hardbook on nzeclzarzicnl properties of rocks-Vollrrne II. By R. D. Lama and V. S. Vutukuri. Trans
Tech Publications, 16 Bearskin Neck, Rockport, MA 01966, U S A . 1978. 481 p. $45.00.
Can. Geotech. J., 16, 623-624 (1979)
If it were necessary to critique this handbook in a
Can. Geotech. J. Downloaded from cdnsciencepub.com by 165.225.210.190 on 09/06/23
single word, I would be foiced to describe it as
'bland.' One may argue that handbooks, by their very
nature, are rarely exciting or stimulating. Maybe so,
but few seem to border on the drudgery presented in
parts of the book as the reader is dragged from one
set of test results to the next, from one laboratory to
the next, trying to digest the physics that control the
load-deformation response of small-scale samples of
intact rock.
The book constitutes Volume I1 of a 4 volume, 12
chapter dissertation on the mechanical properties of
rock. The two chapters that are presented in this
For personal use only.
volume, Chapters 6 and 7, relate t o the static and
I
i elastic constants of intact rock samples. In presenting
this, however, any feeling for the fact that rock is
what most mountains are made of tends to be lost.
I Instead, the small rock sample of dimensions of
several centimetres is given an importance that it can
hardly deserve.
Each chapter commences with a description of the
types of laboratory tests that can be used to define
elastic and dynamic properties and a summary of the
methods that can be used to measure the load and
deformation response. These sections are written in
the traditional handbook style in that they provide a
comprehensive summary of the various techniques,
supported by an extensive list of relevant references.
The static tests include compression and tension
tests, bending tests, and ~raziliantests; the dynamic
tests include those based on resonance and the
response to ultrasonic pulses. The descriptions of the
measuring equipment and the explanatory diagrams
depicting the test setups are somewhat confusing but
the subject matter covered is reasonably comprehen-
sive and useful as a reference text for students and as
a refresher for practising engineers.
The second part of each of the two chapters is
directed towards describing the myriad of test data
that have been published related to the static and
dynamic response of laboratory samples. This is
written in the strictest of thesis styles and has left few
references unturned. For diligence the authors should
' '2
be congratulated although a summary of the poign-
I
ant facts with relevant commentary and appropriate
references for the interested reader would seem to
have served a more useful purpose.
It is true that small-scale testing forms a necessary
and essential part of assessing the behaviour of
structures in rock and is likely to continue to play a
very important part. It is also true that factors such
as platen conditions, rate of loading, temperature,
pressure, etc. may influence the stress-strain response
of rock samples and texture, density, porosity, etc.
are important considerations in assessing the propa-
gation velocity of waves in rock. To meet the
expressed aims of the book to "serve students,
designers, practising engineers, members of teaching
staff and research workers in equal measure," how-
ever, it seems there is too little commentary and too
much repetitive presentation of previously published
test results. The summary and conclusions at the end
of each chapter provide some welcome relief.
By far the most useful parts of the book are the
summary tabulation of rock properties that are pre-
sented throughout both chapters and, to an even
greater extent, Appendix 11. Appendix 11 presents a
summary tabulation of published laboratory test
results of density, elastic properties, and strength for
a very wide range of rock types. Detailed references
are presented for each set of results. It seems likely
that this appendix will appeal to a wider spectrum of
interests than some of the other sections of the book
and provide useful reference material.
The generally good layout of the book is marred
somewhat by untidy diagrams and figures. Many
have been copied directly from other publications
and are often difficult to understand. Some sections
of the book are well-written in fluent prose but other
parts give the impression of having been translated
into English from some other language. The meaning
is sometimes lost in these somewhat stilted sections.
Although it is hardly a criticism that should be
shouldered solely by the authors, the book provides
an interesting reflection on the need for test results
to be reported in consistent engineering units. On
two particular adjoining pages, stress measurements
are reported in units of MPa, dynes/cm2, lb/sq. in.,
and kgf/cm2. One can only hope that the present
attempts to unify engineering units are successful.
 624 CAN. GEOTECH. J. VOL. 16, 1979

In fairness to the authors, I should point out that references. The book in its present form still repre-
the present review was conducted in con~pleteisola- sents a useful acquisition to most geotechnical
tion from the other volumes. Perhaps the relevance libraries.
of Volume I1 will become more obvious when re-
viewed in conjunction with the other three volumes. R. D. HAMMETT,
In isolation, Volume I1 tends to lack interest; in Golder & Associates,
particular, the latter part of each chapter would have 224 W. 8th Ave.,
been better presented in a condensed form, still Vmcorrver, B.C.,
maintaining the summary tables and extensive list of Canada V.5Y IN5
Can. Geotech. J. Downloaded from cdnsciencepub.com by 165.225.210.190 on 09/06/23

Soil mechanics for off -road vehicle engineering

Received September 6, 1978
Accepted April 9, 1979

off-road vehicle erzgbleerirg. By L. L. Karafiath and E. A. Nowatzki. Trans Tech

Soil rnecl~ar~ics,for
Publications, 16 Bearskin Neck, Rockport, MA 01966, U.S.A. Available in Europe from Trans Tech
Publications, D-3392 Clausthal, Germany. 1978. 515 p. $55 or S Fr 135.00.
For personal use only.

Can. Geotech. J., 16, 624-626 (1979)

Although transportation over natural terrain has
been in existence for centuries, until recently the
development of off-road vehicles has been by and
large based on past experiences and the 'cut and try'
methodology. The publication of Dr. M. G. Bekker's
books, Theory of' Land Locotnotion in 1956 and
08-the-Road Locomotion and Introc/riction to Terrain-
Vehicle System in subsequent years, has stimulated a
great deal of interest in the systemic development of
the basic principles of the mechanics of land locomo-
tion. The objective is to formulate guiding principles
for the more rational development, design, and
evaluation of cross-country vehicles.
It has long been recognized that to provide a sound
basis for the development of land locomotion mech-
anics, a proper understanding of the physical nature
of vehicle-terrain interaction is essential. Over the
years, a number of researchers, too numerous to
name, have made significant contributions to the
knowledge of the physical processes of vehicle-
terrain interaction. In the mid-1960's, the writer of
this review and Dr. A. R. Reece of the University of
Newcastle upon Tyne conducted an extensive in-
vestigation of the physical processes of wheel-soil
interaction using photographic techniques. From this
study it was clearly established that failure zones
developed in dense soils under the action of a moving
wheel and that there was a close correlation between
the failure behavior of soil and the performance of
the vehicle running gear. The shapes of the failure
zones and the trajectories of soil particles beneath a
moving wheel under various operating conditions
were also clearly identified. This development has
stimulated considerable interest in the application of
the theory of plastic equilibrium of soil mechanics to
the prediction of the performance of vehicle running
gear over unprepared terrain. It is satisfying to see
that the authors of this book have expended serious
effort in applying the theory of plasticity to the
elucidation of the mechanics of land locomotion.
This book is an interesting addition to the literature
of Terramechanics.
This book consists of three parts.
The first part deals with the fundamentals of soil
mechanics for problems in off-road locomotion,
including the characterizatio~of soils, characteristics
of soil behavior, and the theories for the determina-
tion of stress states in soil under applied load. In the
discussion of the application of the theory of elas-
ticity, it would have been more complete if some of
the well-known methods (such as that proposed by
Frohlich) for predicting the stress distribution in
granular masses had been included. These methods
have found applications in the study of soil compac-
tion caused by vehicular loads.
The second part of the book presents the plasticity
theory for soils, including the discussion of the
differential equations of plastic equilibrium, numeri-
cal solutions of the diRerentia1 equations, limit
theorems of plasticity, and the applications of plas-