ROCK MECHANICS

UMIE 3112
Dr.-Ing. Henok Fikre
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COURSE OUTLINE

 Introduction
 Physical and mechnical prorperties of
rocks
 Common insitu and laboratory tests
 Stress and strain relationships
 Rock failure theories
 Insitu stress determination
 Rock mass strength and classifications
 Design of openings in rock
 Stability analysis of rock slopes
 Subsidence - prediction, measurement and
control
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 FAILURE OF ROCK MASS

 Tensile – when minor stress is less than tensile
strength
 Spalling – fracturing of micro-fractures parallel to
major principal stress (perp. to minor pr. str.)
 Shear failure – propagation of cracks along the
major principal plane (similar to spalling)

 Assignment - What are the differences between the

three?
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Instability of rock masses

 Block failure – structurally controlled failures
(loosening, block fall)
 Failure induced from overstressing
 Overstressing of massive rock (Spalling, popping, strain
burst)
 Overstressing of jointed rock (shear failure, buckling)

 Overstressing of granular material (soils or heavily jointed

rocks)
 Instability in faults and weakness zones –

 Assignment - Explain about weakness zones,and the

different failure types mentioned above.
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Classical rock failure criteria

 Coulomb’s shear strength criteria
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Classical rock failure criteria

 Mohr-Coulomb’s shear strength criteria

 What is the critical angle β?

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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Classical rock failure criteria

 Coulomb’s shear strength criteria

 What is the value of ?

 What is the value of the uniaxial compressive strength?
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Classical rock failure criteria - Coulomb

 If we extend the curve of Fig. b to to the abscissa, the
uniaxial tensile strength can be calculated

 Tensile cutoff
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Results of a triaxial experiment - brittle behaviour.

o Mohr circles bounded by straight lines

Test б3 [Mpa] б1 [Mpa]

1 75 175
2 160 325
3 270 545
4 420 840
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Results of a triaxial experiment - ductile behaviour.

o Mohr circles bounded by circular curves
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Mohr-Coulomb Theory
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Grifith Strength Criteria

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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Grifith Strength Criteria

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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Grifith Strength Criteria

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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Grifith Strength Criteria

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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Grifith Strength Criteria

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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Hoek - Brown Strength Criteria

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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Hoek - Brown Strength Criteria

 The Hoek-Brown empirical criterion was developed from
a best-fit curve to experimental failure data plotted in
б1- б3 space.
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Hoek - Brown Strength Criteria

Where: бc is the intact compressive strength,

s is a rock mass constant
(s=1 for intact rock, s<1 for broken rock)
m is a constant (characteristic of the rock type
where values range from 25, for coarse
grained igneous and metamorphic rocks to 7
for carbonate rocks) – see Table 4.2 of Brady
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Summary
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ROCK FAILURE THEORIES

 Assignments
 Group 1 – Brady Prob. 4.7
 Group 2 – Brady Prob. 4.6
 Group 3 – Brady Prob. 4.5
 Group 4 – Brady Prob. 4.4
 Group 5 – Brady Prob. 4.3