ENGINEERING PROPERTIES AND

CLASSIFICATION OF ROCKS

Dr . SYED BAHAROM , CEng(UK), CMarEng, MIMarEST

 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 From an engineering point of view, rocks are significant for two major
reasons:
1. They are an important building material with numerous application to
construction use
2. Many engineering structures are founded on rock where their safety
depends on the stability of the rock foundation and the adjacent rock mass
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 The physical properties of rocks determine their behavior as construction
materials and as a structural foundation.
 Two classes or measures of these properties exist:
1. Rock properties – measured on small samples in the laboratory.
2. Rock mass properties – require a large mass of rock to determine the
overall behavior for a large volume. Therefore, testing of rock mass
properties is performed in the field.
 Typically, rock mass properties are controlled by weakness planes in the
rock rather than by the properties of the intact material itself.
 Test on intact rock provide values for rock properties.
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Rock Measurements: the physical characteristics of a rock mass are a fundamental
geologic property and are extremely important to engineers.

1. laboratory measures: are generally referred to as 'rock properties' and are acquired using
small samples taken from the field site and analyzed in a laboratory setting.

2. field-scale measures: 'rock mass properties' and are descriptions of the bulk strength
properties of the rock mass. The nature of these properties are governed primarily by
'discontinuities', or planes of weakness, that are present in the rock mass.
 Examples of discontinuities are: fractures, bedding planes, faults, etc.
 The measured distance between fractures, bedding planes, and other structural features
are also important when collecting field-scale data.
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Since there are vast ranges in the properties of rocks, Engineers rely on a number
of basic measurements to describe rocks quantitatively. These are known as Index
Properties.

Index Properties of Rocks:

Porosity- Identifies the relative proportions of solids & voids;
Density- a mineralogical constituents parameter;
Sonic Velocity- evaluates the degree of fissuring;
Permeability- the relative interconnection of pores;
Durability- tendency for eventual breakdown of components or structures with degradation of
rock quality,
Strength- existing competency of the rock fabric binding components.
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Porosity: Proportion of void space given by:
vp
n
vt
where vp is the pore volume and vt is the total volume. Typical values for sandstones are around
15%. In Igneous and Metamorphic rocks, a large proportion of the pore space (usually < 1-2%)
occurs as planar “fissures”.With weathering this increases to > 20%. Porosity is therefore an
accurate index of rock quality.
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Density: Rocks exhibit a greater range in density than soils. Knowledge of the rock density is
important to engineering practice. A concrete aggregate with higher than average density can mean
a smaller volume of concrete required for a gravity retaining wall or dam. Expressed as weight per
unit volume, Specific Gravity.

Mass of solid in air Mass of solid in air

SpG( bulk )  
Mass of equal volume of water Mass of solid in air  Mass of solid in water

Wa

Wa  Wb
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Sonic Velocity: Use longitudinal velocity Vl measured on rock core. Velocity depends on elastic
properties and density, but in practice a network of fissures has an overriding effect. Can be used to
estimate the degree of fissuring of a rock specimen by plotting against porosity (%).
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Permeability: Indicates size and degree of interconnection of rocks. Dense rocks like granite,
basalt, schist and crystalline limestone possess very low permeability as lab specimens, but field
tests can show significant permeability due to open joints and fractures.
Two types of permeability:
Intrinsic permeability (k) - measured in darcys or cm2, great importance to petroleum geologists
and engineers. A rock may be saturated with oil, but if the permeability of the rock is low, oil would
not move rapidly enough for an oil
well to be considered economically feasible.
Hydraulic conductivity (K) – a composite parameter measured in (m/s) is used by groundwater
hydrologists and soils engineers to measure the ability of a rock or soil to transmit water.

g Rocks with large,

K k
interconnected pore
spaces allow the rapid

 migration of fluids like

petroleum or
water, but rocks with
low permeability
transmit fluids very
slowly.
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Durability: Used to evaluate shales and weak rocks that may degrade in service environment.
Measured by Franklin and Chandra’s (1972) :slake durability test.
Approximately 500 g of broken rock lumps (~ 50 g each) are placed inside a rotating drum which is rotated at 20 revolutions
per minute in a water bath for 10 minutes. The drum is internally divided by a sieve mesh (2mm openings)
After the 10 minutes rotation, the percentage of rock (dry weight basis) retained in the drum yields the “slake durability
index (SDI)”.
A six step ranking of the index is applied (very high- to very low).
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Strength: In general, a rock can be subjected to three primary types of stresses .
a. Compressive stress - stresses of equal magnitude that act toward a point from
opposite directions.
b. Tensile stress - when the stresses are directed away from each other.
c. Shear stress – includes stresses that are offset from each other and act in opposite
directions, as in a couple.
 On any plane passed through a solid body, there are stresses acting normal to the
plane, either compressional or tensional, as well as shear stresses acting parallel to
the plane
 Strength tests

Shear Tensile Compressive

Uniaxial unconfined Triaxial compressive

compressive strength strength
( UCS)
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Compressive Strength
 The compressive strength is the compressive stress required to break the rock
specimen
 It ranges from 1000 kPa to 280,000 kPa
 The unit is psi or N/m2 ,
1psi=6.895 kN/m2 = 6.895 kPa
 Rock’s strength
σ = ρ/A
ρ=failure load, A=cross-sectional area
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Point Load Test as indication of Compressive Strength- Use Point Load Test of Broch
and Franklin (1972). Irregular rock or core samples are placed between hardened steel
cones and loaded until failure by development of tensile cracks parallel to the axis of
loading.
IS = (point load strength) = P/D2
where P= load at rupture;
D= distance between the point loads.

The test is standardised on rock cores of 50mm due to the strength/size effect
Relationship between point load index (I s) and unconfined compression strength is
given by:  u =24 I s (50)
where  u is the unconfined compressive strength
and I s(50) is the point load strength for 50 mm diameter core.
All of the above are measured on Lab specimens, not rock masses/ outcrops, which will
differ due to discontinuities at different scales.
ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Tensile Strength:
 The tensile strengths of rock are considerably less than their compressive
strength – on the order of only 10% maximum.
 Tensile strengths range from 3500 to 24000 kPa for sandstone, 4400 to
24000 kPa for limestone, 7000 to 20000 kPa for limestone and 7000 to
24000 kPa for granite.
 Tensile strength governs behavior when a rock is under bending stress.
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 To calculate shear stress use Otto Mohr (1835-1918) graphical method which is
called Mohr’s circle

Minor
principal
plane

Major principal
plane
ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
General equations for shear and normal stress derived from Mohr’s circle
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Question: Determine the normal and shear stresses on a plane incline at 45º to the
principal plane if the vertical and horizontal principal stresses are 144 kN/m2 and 36
kN/m2 respectively.
ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 The vertical stress acting on shallow horizontal planes in the earth is the sum of
the unit weight of the material times the depth (h) and the atmospheric
pressure (Pa)

 v  h  Pa
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 Vertical stress beneath a sequence of layers is the sum of the unit weight
of each layer times its thickness
 Atmospheric pressure is neglected.

 v   a ha   b hb   c hc
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 Calculate the vertical stress at a depth of 8m at a location where a 5m bed of
sandstone with a unit weight of 25 kN/m3 overlies a thick shale unit with a unit
weight of 27.5 kN/m3.
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 The application of stress to a body of rock or soil causes the material to
yield or deform.
 The amount of deformation is called strain.
 There are two types of basic stress-strain behavior for rock:
1. Elastic
2. Plastic
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Generally, rocks respond to stress in one of two ways: they break, or they
bend. When a rock breaks, it is called brittle deformation. Any material that
breaks into pieces exhibits brittle behavior. When rocks bend or flow, it is
called ductile deformation.
Therefore Rocks behave in two different ways when subject to stress and
strain.
1. Brittle – having mostly the elastic behavior
2. Ductile – having both elastic and plastic behavior
ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS

Brittle deformation Ductile deformation

Boudinage or Boudins is
a geological term for structures
formed by extension, where a rigid
tabular body such as hornfels, is
stretched and deformed
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
• The slope of the line relating to stress and strain is an important material
property called the modulus of elasticity, E.
• E is measured by the slope of the line in segment 2.
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 Engineering Classification of Intact Rocks
 The engineering classification of intact rocks is based of strength and/or
deformation properties of the rock.
 According to the classification system recommended by the International
Society of Rock Mechanics (ISRM 1978c), rock may range from extremely
weak to extremely strong depending on the unconfined compressive
strength (or Point Load Strength Index) or approximate field identification.
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Engineering classification of intact rock developed by ISRM, 1981
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
Some other types of tables for classification of intact rock based on compressive
strength
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
 Deere and Miller (1966) Classification of intact
rock:
 Any useful classification scheme should be relatively simple
and based on readily measurable physical properties.
 Deere and Miller based their classification on unconfined
(uniaxial) compressive strength ( 1) and Young’s Modulus
(E) or more specifically, the tangent modulus at 50% of the
ultimate strength ratioed to the unconfined compressive
strength (E/ 1 ).
 Rocks are subdivided into five strength categories on a
geometric progression basis; very high – high – medium –low
-very low.
 Three ratio intervals are employed for the modulus ratio;
high – medium – low.
 Rocks are therefore classed as BH (high strength- high
ratio); CM (medium strength – medium ratio), etc.
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS

General engineering classification Engineering classification diagram for the

diagram for the Deere and Miller Deere and Miller classification of intact
classification of intact rock igneous rock
 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF ROCKS

Engineering classification diagram for the Engineering classification diagram for the
Deere and Miller classification of intact Deere and Miller classification of intact
sedimentary rock metamorphic rock
 ROCK MASS PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION
 Test results obtained from intact samples are useful for comparison of
properties between various rock types, however the strength values
cannot be directly applied to the overall rock mass in the field situation.
 The reason for this apparent discrepancy is that the behavior of a rock
mass under load in the field is partially controlled by the strength
developed along discontinuities in the rock and by the weathering
characteristics, rather than by the strength of the intact portions of the
rock itself.
 Discontinuities are present in almost every type of rock and they act to
lower the strength of the rock mass.
 Therefore, it is very important to determine the properties of the rock
mass as well as the properties of intact rock within the rock mass.
 ROCK MASS PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION
Some of the types of discontinuities are shown in the Table below.
 ROCK MASS PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION
 Quantification of rock mass properties is very difficult because of the number of
variables involved.
 One index that is frequently used is called the rock quality designation (RQD)
where during site investigation for an engineering project, test holes are drilled
to determine subsurface rock formations.
 Rock-quality designation (RQD) is a rough measure of the degree of jointing
or fracture in a rock mass, measured as a percentage of the drill core in lengths
of 10 cm or more.
ROCK MASS PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION
 ROCK MASS PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION
 Several rock mass classification have been devised for specific
applications. Few of these, if any, are suitable for all purpose.
 One of those widely used classification is the Geomechanics Classification
of Bieniawski (1989) popularly known as the Rock Mass Rating (RMR).
 the classification is based on six individual factors:
1. the uniaxial compressive strength of the rock material
2. the RQD value
3. the spacing of discontinuities
4. the condition of discontinuities
5. the groundwater conditions
6. orientation of discontinuities
ROCK MASS PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION

Rock Mass Rating (RMR)

ROCK MASS PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION
 ROCK MASS PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION
 There other rock mass classification methods such as:
 The Geological Strength Index (GSI) by Hoek and Brown
 Barton et al’s (1974) Q method
 Etc.