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CHP 2-ROCK MASS-Part 1

The document discusses different types of discontinuities in rock masses, including joint sets, spacing, roughness, alteration, orientation, geological structure, and scale of discontinuities. It provides examples of each type of discontinuity and explains how they influence rock mass strength and stability of structures like slopes and tunnels.

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Koh Jia Jie
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75 views

CHP 2-ROCK MASS-Part 1

The document discusses different types of discontinuities in rock masses, including joint sets, spacing, roughness, alteration, orientation, geological structure, and scale of discontinuities. It provides examples of each type of discontinuity and explains how they influence rock mass strength and stability of structures like slopes and tunnels.

Uploaded by

Koh Jia Jie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ROCK MASS:

Discontinuous Rock Mass


MKAJ1073: ENGINEERING ROCK MECHANICS

Ir Dr Rini Asnida Abdullah


School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Scarborough, UK (Spring 2008)
GRANITE:
UCS = 180MPa
Parameters Influencing the Rock Mass

Abdullah,2011
1. Joint Set
• Should distinguish between systematic discontinuities that are
number of joint set and random discontinuities, the orientation
which are less predictable.
Thick sandstone with thin interlayer of shale layers with a number of joint sets present on its surface
Thick amalgamated sandstone with the present of joints
2. Spacing
• Spacing can be mapped on the rock face or drill core
• Will define the size and shape of block and give indication of stability

Interlayer of thick shale and sandstone layers Interlayer of sandstone and shale with similar amount
• JOINT SET NUMBER and SPACING will reflect to the block size
• As the number of joint set increases, the block size diminishes.
• Joint set number also reflects to the RQD value

(A) (B) (C)


3. Roughness
• Roughness of discontinuity surface is
important component of shear strength.
Rough surface

Smooth surface
Roughness profiles and corresponding
Joint Roughness Coefficient (JRC) values
(Barton and Choubey 1977).
Rough surface

Smooth surface
Relationship between shear and normal stresses on sliding surface for five
different geological condition (Transportation Research Board, 1996)
4. Alteration
• Refers to the weathering and the wall strength
SURFACE STRENGTH, JCS

Weathered
surface

Fresh rock Fresh rock


material material
Material strength
Cannot be scraped or
peeled by hand;
require more than one
blow of geological
hammer to fracture it.
Can be peeled
and fractured
by hand but
with difficulty.

Can be peeled
and crumbled
when
compressed by
hand.
Barton-Bandis joint model
Effect of the direction of
shearing and surface strength

Fresh surface:
override the roughness

Weathered surface:
sheared off the roughness

JRC and JCS are important parameters


Weathering is deepest where there was originally close joint spacing.
Linton, 1955
Previously surrounded by saprolite (Dartmoor, England)
(Attewell 1993)
Exposed Zone 3 and Zone 4 due to erosion, soil matrix
surrounding the corestones/boulders
Core samples of sedimentary rocks (shale & sandstone)
5. Orientation
• Normally expressed as the dip and dip direction
(or strike)
• Determine the mode of failure
Definition of dip angle, dip
direction and strike for an
inclined plane in rock
QUARRY FACE PANORAMIC VIEW

BLASTING AREA
QUARRY
FACE
Stability analysis in terms of geometry:

A slope face cut in a fresh (zone 1) and very strong rock


mass but, with horizontal bedding planes (discontinuity or
weakness plane) . . . . .
Will the stability of the cut slope be affected by the
horizontal bedding planes?

Is there any immediate effect due to rock mass properties &


bedding planes?
A slope face cut in fresh & strong rock mass with horizontal
bedding planes and inclined fracture planes (e.g. joints)
SLOPE B
SLOPE A

For slope (A), is the stability being affected by the horizontal


bedding & inclined joint planes?

Let propose another slope (B) on the other side of the hill . . . .
SLOPE A SLOPE B

The rock properties & the horizontal bedding planes have no


immediate effect on the stability of both SLOPE A and B.
However, with respect to the orientation of the inclined joints,
SLOPE B is critical
6. Geological structure
1. Bedding
2. Fold
3. Fault
4. Joint

Change in rock structure due to internal/external forces


such as stress and strain
Folded strata in tectonically
disturbed rocks.
Failure may occur in slope
excavated in rock mass
exhibiting fold.
® geological information of
project area is important!!!!
Structural discontinuities (struktur ketakselarasan)
in rock mass:

Based on size, structural discontinuities/weakness in rock are


categorized into 2 groups:

Large-scale discontinuities – sizes ranging between few m and


km. Affect the properties & behaviours of rock mass. Stability of
slope & tunnel is affected by these large-scale discontinuities.
Large size samples in in situ /field tests can accommodate the
effect of these structures however, not for small samples used in
laboratory tests.

Types of large-scale include fault, joint & bedding, plane/fold.


Inclined bedding planes (folds) in clastic sedimentary rocks
Joints & joint sets that present in all rock types
Inclined bedding planes in sedimentary rocks (shale, Labuan)
Inclined bedding planes in sedimentary rocks (sandstone, Labuan)
Structural discontinuities in rock mass:

Small-scale discontinuities – measuring from few mm to cm.


Direct effect on rock material properties & but may have minimal
effect on rock mass (at a larger scale).

Data obtained from laboratory test on small size samples can be


affected by these properties.

(Bah. 3 kesan syistositi ke atas batuan jelmaan syis).


Common types - foliation, lamination, cleavage, micro-fractures &
voids.
Note: Effect of these discontinuities on rock material properties
will impose indirect impact on stability of structures like
foundation, slope & tunnel.
Minerals arrangements due to sedimentation (lamination)
and due to metamorphism (foliation) are is small scale
discontinuities rock (e.g. shale, sandstone slate & schist)
Being small scale discontinuities, they occur in laboratory rock sample.
Fracture/failure can be easily induced along the lamination/foliation, but
not perpendicular to it. Thus rock sample displaying lamination/foliation
may display different strength when loaded at different direction
Effect of minerals arrangement
(foliation & schistosity) on strength &
failure strain of small rock sample
The influence of weakness planes on strength –
joint orientation with respect to loading axis
Stress versus strain

250

200

Stress (MPa)
150

100

50

0
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35
Strain (%)

Effect of loading orientation on UCS of sample displaying


lamination (metamorphic rock e.g. schist)
EXISTING FRACTURE AFECT FAILURE LOAD
Loading axis
Compressive Load

Existing
Existingweakness plane
fracture plane

[a] [b] [c] [d]

Effect of orientation of
existing fracture on test
data is more significant
for Brazilian & Point-
load test
SLATY - minerals rearrangement due to metamorphism;
changing of shale to slate
SCHISTOSITY (flaky)- minerals rearrangement due to
metamorphism; changing of shale to schist
Minerals arrangement in metamorphic rocks –
schistosity & slaty
Minerals arrangement in metamorphic rocks –
schistosity & slaty
Discontinuities in rock mass:
Large-scale discontinuities affect the whole rock body/rock
mass i.e. rock conditions on site. Effect on engineering
structures is that these discontinuities weaken to whole
rock mass directly.

Small-scale discontinuities affect rock material properties


e.g. properties of small sample in lab test. Strength of rock
obtained from lab test is usually higher than the actual
strength of rock mass in the field (in situ strength).

Value of FOS (e.g. > 2.0) used in design is to cater for the
weakening effects of structural discontinuities in rock on
engineering structures, as their effects are difficult to be
assessed and rated numerically.

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