Laboratory and in-situ

rock testing

Advanced Geotechnical Engineering

EAG 442
By: Dr Mohd Ashraf Mohamad Ismail
 Table of content

 Laboratory test
 Simple index test
 In-situ test
 Table of content

 Laboratory test
 Simple index test
 In-situ test
Index properties

 Density
 Porosity
 Permeability
 Strength
 Durability
 Sonic velocity
Index properties

 Density
 Porosity
 Permeability
 Strength
 Durability
 Sonic velocity
 Laboratory test
Uniaxial compressive test (UCS)
Load

Before failure

Universal testing machine (UTM)

Determination of the Uniaxial compressive

strength of cylindrical intact rock specimens
(load up 2000kN). The load rate is kept constant
using a servo-hydraulic control unit.
After failure
 p

Laboratory test
c 
A

Uniaxial compressive test (UCS)

Basically, there are four main factors which control the test
results other than the intact rock properties itself.
 Friction between platen and the end surface
 Specimen geometry (shape, height to diameter ratio and size)
 Rate of loading
 Water content

A height to diameter ratio of 2 (54 mm in diameter and 108 mm in height)

had been employed and testing procedure will strictly follow the Suggested
Methods for Determining the Uniaxial Compressive Strength and
Deformability of Rock Materials (ISRM, 1981).
 Laboratory test
Uniaxial compressive test (UCS)

Rock sample
coring

Rock sample
cutting
 Laboratory test
Uniaxial compressive test (UCS)

Coring from rock mass sample

 p

Laboratory test
c 
A

Uniaxial compressive test (UCS)

P (Failure load)
c 
A (Specimen cross sectional area)

Height
No. Diameter (m) Load (kN) Uniaxial compressive strength (MPa)
(m)
1 0.05 0.1 48.446 24.67
2 0.05 0.1 50.566 25.75
3 0.05 0.1 52.746 26.86
Average 25.76
 Laboratory test
Point load test Load

Before failure

Point load testing machine

Determination of point load strength based on the

application of axial load on rock specimens having After failure
a cylindrical or irregular shape.
 Laboratory test
Point load test Load

Before failure

Point load testing machine

Determination of point load strength based on the

application of axial load on rock specimens having After failure
a cylindrical or irregular shape.
 Laboratory test
Point load test – shape requirements

Diametric test Axial test

 Laboratory test
Point load test – shape requirements

Block test

Irregular lump test

 Laboratory test
Point load test – shape requirements

Valid diametric test

Valid axial test

 Laboratory test
Point load test – mode of failure

Valid block test

Invalid core and axial test

 p

Laboratory test
c 
A

Point load test

A rock core is loaded diametrically between the tips of two hardened steel cones,
causing failure through the development of tensile cracks parallel to the loading
direction.

P (Failure load)
Is  2
D (Equivalent core diameter)

No. Diameter (m) Height (m) Load (kN) Is(50) (MPa)

1 0.05 0.075 2.685 1.07
2 0.05 0.075 2.680 1.07
3 0.05 0.075 3.185 1.27
Average 1.14
UCS p 24 I s 50

Correlation between UCS and PL

c 
A

UCS  24 I s 50

Sample Point load index UCS Estimated USC value

1 1.07 25.68 24.67
2 1.07 25.68 25.75
3 1.27 30.48 26.86
Average 27.28 25.76
UCS p 24 I s 50

Correlation between UCS and PL

c 
A

Table 4: Field estimates of intact rock based on Uniaxial compressive strength and
point load index (Marinos and Hoek, 2000)
G Term UCS PLI Field estimate of strength Examples
(MPa) (MPa)
Specimen can only be chipped with a geological hammer Fresh basalt, chert, diabase,
Extremely
R6 >250 >10 gneiss, granite, quartzite
strong
Specimens requires many blows of a geological hammer Amphibolite, sandstone,
to fracture it basalt, gabbro, gneiss,
R5 Very strong 100-250 4-10 granodiorite, peridotite,
rhyolite, tuff
Specimen requires more than one blow of a geological Limestone, marble,
R4 Strong 50-100 2-4 hammer to fracture it sandstone, schist

Cannot be scraped or peeled with a pocket knife, Concrete, phyllite, schist,

Medium specimen can be fractured with a single blow from a siltstone
R3 25-50 1-2
strong geological hammer
Can be peeled with a pocket knife with difficulty, shallow Chalk, claystone, potash,
R2 Weak indentation made by firm blow with point of geological marl, siltstone, shale, rocksalt
5-25 ** hammer
Crumbles under firm blows with point of a geological Highly weathered or altered
R1 Very weak 1-5 ** hammer, can be peeled by a pocket knife rock, shale

Extremely Indented by thumbnail Stiff fault gouge

R0 0.25-1 **
weak

**Point load tests on rocks with Uniaxial compressive strength below 25 MPa are likely to
yield highly ambiguous results
UCS p 24 I s 50

Correlation between UCS and PL

c 
A

Table : Classes of rock excavatability (Franklin et al., 1970)

Uniaxial compressive strength (MPa)

1 5 10 50 100 200

2 100
Fracture spacing (m)

0.6 90

RQD (%)
0.2 75

0.06 25

0.02 0

0.1 0.3 1 3 10
Point Load Index (MPa)
 Laboratory test
Triaxial test

Before failure

Triaxial rock testing system

Determination of the compressive strength of

intact rock specimens with simultaneous
application of confining pressure (up to 70MPa)
using the Hoek cell.
After failure
 Laboratory test
Splitting tension test (Brazilian test)
Load

Brazilian test machine

Brazilian test apparatus are used for indirect measurement of

tensile strength of rocks
 Laboratory test
Ultrasonic test

Ultrasonic measurement apparatus P and S wave recorder

Determination of the ultrasonic velocity of longitudinal and

shear waves in cylindrical rock specimens by calculating the
transit time through them as an index to degree of fissuring
 Laboratory test

Ultrasonic test
Table : typical values of longitudinal waves for rocks (Fourmaintraux, 1976)
Rock Longitudinal waves (m/s)
Gabbro 7000
Basalt 6500-7000
Limestone 6000-6500
Dolomite 6500-7000
Sandstone and quartize 6000
Granitic rocks 5500-6000
 Laboratory test
Portable direct shear test

Shear of rock discontinuity

Shear test on rock discontinuities

Determination of the shear strength of natural and artificial

rock discontinuities.
 Laboratory test
Slake durability test

Specimen in slake durability

Slake durability apparatus test

This test used in the evaluation of the resistance of rocks to

disintegration when subjected to different drying and water-
immersion cycles.
 Table of content

 Laboratory test
 Simple index test
 In-situ test
 Index test

Objective
Objective Simple
Simple index
index test
test
investigation
investigation Ex)
Ex) Schmidt
Schmidt test
test hammer
hammer

cheap simple operation short time

easy to get anyone many times

Even a naive engineer

can predict the approximated rock property

with small cost in a wide region

 Schmidt test hammer

BANG!!

Schmidt test hammer for

concrete
BANG!!

attachment
Schmidt test hammer for
rock

Non-destructive inspection
 Rebound number & rock
properties
deformability

rebound number elasticity rebound number

Rebound number & rock
properties
 Rebound
number & rock
properties

Schmidt test hammer

measurement in tunnel
 Table of content

 Laboratory test
 Simple index test
 In-situ test
 In-situ test
Plate bearing test – in-situ deformability of
rock mass
Fixed point
Stiff plate

Jack
fixed line

loading
 Result of Plate bearing Test
段階荷重1 段階荷重2 段階荷重3 最大荷重1 最大荷重2 最大荷重3
70.0

60.0
i t y
i l
a b
2
]

rm
[kgf/m

50.0

i ty
f
De
2
]

t ic
応力[kgf/cm

40.0

as
Stress

El
30.0

20.0

10.0

0.0
0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0

Displacement
変位[mm]
[mm]
 Interpretation of
Displacement

Elastic disp.
of discontinuity

Plastic disp. Elastic disp.

of discontinuity of intact rock

Deformability:
discontinuity (Plastic disp.+ Elastic disp.)+intact rock (Elastic disp.)
Elasticity:
discontinuity (Elastic disp.)+intact rock (Elastic disp.)
 Pressuremeter Test
Dilatometer Goodman Jack

Equally distributed Resulting displacement

pressure is applied. is equally distributed.
 Dilatometer Test

pump

monitor
cable
battery

probe
rubber tube
In-situ Rock Triaxial Test
 In situ shearing test

Normal
load
Normal Shear
load load

Shear
load
In situ shearing test
 Result of in situ shearing
test
Shear
stress f
Friction
angle

Cohesion

Normal stress
 Borehole
hammer
cable
control
battery

probe

hammer
 Borehole
hammer

BANG!!
Electromagnetic
hammer
 Borehole hammer - Principle
behavior

uniform motion

1 contact
decrease in velocity
velocity
2 stop
1 2 3
increase in velocity
accereration
3 departure

time uniform motion

 Borehole hammer - Principle
Good Poor
rock rock

velosity

1 2 3 hight 1 2 3
accele-
ration

width
time time
Definition of Response Value

PMAX
Response value R=
W V0

velocity
initial V0

acceleration Maximum PMAX

time
Pulse width W
Thank you very much