Joint properties (shear strength)

orientation and how to plot it

(stereonet projection)

Advanced Geotechnical Engineering

EAG 442

By: Dr Mohd Ashraf Mohamad Ismail

 Announcement

Class on Tuesday: 14 May 2013

Place: Drawing room beside traffic lab

Time 11.00-1.00 pm

Please bring along your mechanical pensile, rubber, protractor, ruler

and tracing paper A4 size (at least 5 sheet per each person) for
Stereographic projection tutorial.
 Table of Content

Joint shear strength

Joint orientation
Stereographic projection
 Table of Content

Joint shear strength

Joint orientation
Stereographic projection
Table of Content
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities

Mohr-Coulomb Equation
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities
 Shear strength of discontinuities
Pattons experiment on the shear strength of saw-tooth
specimens
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities

Roughness profiles and

corresponding JRC values
(after Barton and Choubey
1977)
Shear strength of discontinuities

Alternative method for

estimating JRC from
measurements of surface
roughness amplitude from a
straightedge (Barton, 1982)
Shear strength of discontinuities

Estimate of joint wall

compressive strength from
Rock Schimdt hardness
Shear strength of discontinuities

Shear strength of filled

discontinuities and filling
materials (after Barton 1974)
Shear strength of discontinuities
Shear strength of discontinuities
 Table of Content

Joint shear strength

Joint orientation
Stereographic projection
Table of Content
Joint Orientation
Joint Orientation

Example of map symbol

 W E

Horizontal

Dip Angle

(E. McBride)

Cross-Section: Dipping Strata

 W E

Horizontal

Dip Angle

(E. McBride)

Cross-Section: Dipping Strata

Aerial View: Strike of Dipping Strata

(E. McBride)
 Joint Orientation

How to measure joint orientation??

Joint Orientation

Azimuth system
Joint Orientation

Quadrant system
 Joint Orientation
Comparison between Quadrant and Azimuth
system
Joint Orientation
Joint Orientation
 Table of Content

Joint shear strength

Joint orientation
Stereographic projection
 Stereographic projection

We need a way of representing 3-D orientations on a flat piece of paper

Therefore stereographic projection provides a way of doing this
Stereographic projection
Stereographic projection
Geometrical properties of rock mass
Stereographic projection
Stereographic projection
Stereographic projection
 Stereographic projection
Wuff stereograph Lambert (schimdt) stereograph
 Stereographic projection

Plot the plane 060/30SE

 Stereographic projection

Plotting a line
 Stereographic projection
Intersection of two plane
Joint Orientation
Joint Orientation
Joint Orientation
 Stereographic projection
Example 1: Plotting a line

1. Mark with a tick on the perimeter of

the net at the correct azimuth, the
vector to be plotted. Write on the
projection the orientation. Only write on
the tracing paper, not the net.

2. Rotate the tracing paper so that the

tick is on the E-W line. Count in an
amount equal to the dip of the vector.
Mark the position of the vector.
Stereographic projection

2. Rotate the tracing paper back to the

datum: the position of the vector is now
correct relative to the north.
 Stereographic projection
Example 2: Plotting planes 149/37

1. Rotate the tracing paper so that the

tick lies on the E-W line, and count in an
amount equal to the dip amount of the
plane. Count further 900 along the E-W
line and mark this new position.

2. Trace the great circle that passes over the first

point: this represent the plane. The second
point represent the normal to the plane (i.e. the
vector that is perpendicular to the plane). The
first point represents the line of maximum dip,
the second point is termed the pole
 Stereographic projection
Example 2: Plotting planes 149/37

3. Rotate the tracing paper back to the

datum: the positions of the plane and
the normal are now correct relative to
north.
 Stereographic projection
Example 3: Plotting planes 266/36; 146/59

1. For any pair of planes, there is a line of

intersection: it is where the two great
circles cross. Finding it orientation is
necessary

2. Rotate the tracing paper so that the

intersection of the great circles lies on the E-W
line. Mark the azimuth of this with a tick on the
perimeter of the projection. Measure the plunge
of the line by counting in from the perimeter,
along the E-W line.
 Stereographic projection
Example 3: Plotting planes 266/36; 146/59

3. Rotate the tracing paper back to the

datum and measure the azimuth of the
intersection. Thus we can see that the
planes 266/36 and 146/59 have an
intersection of 219/26. you should be
able to measure graphically all such
angles to the nearest degree.