Assessment of relationships between drilling rate index and mechanical properties of rocks

This paper examines the relationships between drilling rate index (DRI) and some mechanical properties of rocks in order to evaluate the effect of strength and indexes of rock on rock drillability. For this purpose, some index properties (in situ Schmidt rebound hardness (SRH), Shore scleroscope hardness (SSH), and point load strength (PLS)) and strength properties (uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and Brazilian tensile strength (BTS)) values of 32 sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rock samples were determined. The relationships between DRI and both strength and indexes properties were evaluated using regression analysis and statistical methods. As a result, decreasing linear relationships were found between DRI and uniaxial compressive strength, Schmidt rebound hardness, Shore scleroscope hardness, diametral and axial point load strength.     

A field index to determine the strength characteristics of crushed aggregate

The suitability of a simple technique to determine the strength characteristics of aggregates is reviewed. The results indicate that the strength characteristics of aggregates – in terms of crushing, impact and abrasion values – can be estimated and predicted from simple and quick tests for rock strength such as the Schmidt hammer and point load. The rocks and aggregates used in this work were of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic origin and of different types, ages and degrees of weathering. More than 110 rocks and aggregate samples were tested according to British Standard and ASTM. The laboratory tests included the Schmidt hammer and point load for rock material while the crushing impact and Los Angeles abrasion test were undertaken on the aggregates. Regression analyses were performed and empirical relationships between the strength of rocks (in terms of their compressive strength and point load indices) and aggregates (in terms of their crushing, impact and abrasion values) were developed. Relatively strong relationships were obtained between the compressive strength of the rock and the crushing and impact value of the aggregate, while moderately strong relationships were obtained for the Los Angeles abrasion values. Electronic Publication     

Point-load strength: An index for classification of rock material

Point-load strength (Is) as a measure for the determination of rock strength and for estimating uniaxial (unconfined) compressive strength (UCS) are described and both put together and used for rock strength classification of brittle and hard rocks. The estimated point-load strength values of specimens of varying sizes and also the values corrected to a standard thickness of 50 mm, and the resultant point-load strength values (Is-50) have been used to estimate the uniaxial (unconfined) compressive strength which correlates well with actual recorded uniaxial (unconfined) compression test results. Using graphical and mathematical relationships between the observed and estimated UCS and Is values, a conversion factor of 16 is obtained for estimating uniaxial (unconfined) compressive strength values from point load strength results. A nomogram for computing point-load strength index and a system for the classification of rock material are presented.     

岩石点荷载试验在桩端持力层岩性检测中的应用与分析

通过对岩石点荷载试验方法的阐述,分析了岩石点荷载强度指数和标准岩石单轴抗压强度之间的关系,利用宣城几个工程基桩岩石持力层岩块的点荷载试验和标准抗压强度试验数据的相关关系分析,得出了宣城市泥质砂岩的点荷载强度和标准抗压强度之间的相关关系,确立了岩石点荷载试验在我市基桩持力层岩性鉴别中的应用可行性。     

A new testing method for indirect determination of the unconfined compressive strength of rocks

A new testing method for the indirect determination of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of rock core samples is presented. As known, there exist several methods for indirect estimation of UCS, such as point load index (I_s), Schmidt hammer, sonic velocity, block punch strength test, etc. Although the point load index testing method is widely used to estimate UCS, there are many problems and limitations related to this method as reported in the recent literature. The “core strangle test” (CST) proposed in this paper overcomes some of these deficiencies and limitations. The principle of this test depends on the “strangle” type of loading a core along a circle perpendicular to the core axis. In the first stage of this study, blocks of different types of rocks having the strength in a range from weak to strong were collected and cored for UCS, point load index and CST tests. These tests were then conducted and relationships between UCS with I_s(50) and CST were empirically explained and discussed.     

Excavatability assessment of rock masses using the Geological Strength Index (GSI)

In the present study a new classification method for the assessment of ease of excavation of rock masses is proposed, based on the Geological Strength Index and the point load strength of the intact rock. The data originate from excavation sites in Greece in sedimentary and metamorphic rock masses. A wide variety of rock structures were considered, ranging from blocky to disintegrated, and different excavation methods have been used (blasting, hydraulic breaking, ripping and digging). The proposed method cannot be applied to heterogeneous rock masses and soft rocks/hard soils.     

Determination of mechanical properties of rocks using simple methods

Statistical equations have been determined for estimating the mechanical properties of rocks using non-destructive and indirect test methods. Nineteen different rock types were tested to obtain the relationships between Shore hardness, point load index, sound velocity, Schmidt hardness and porosity and uniaxial compressive strength, indirect tensile strength and abrasion resistance. Results of regression analyses showed satisfactory correlations.      

Evaluation of empirical estimation of uniaxial compressive strength of rock using measurements from index and physical tests

The uniaxial compressive strength(UCS) of rock is an important parameter required for design and analysis of rock structures,and rock mass classification.Uniaxial compression test is the direct method to obtain the UCS values.However,these tests are generally tedious,time-consuming,expensive,and sometimes impossible to perform due to difficult rock conditions.Therefore,several empirical equations have been developed to estimate the UCS from results of index and physical tests of rock.Nevertheless,numerous empirical models available in the literature often make it difficult for mining engineers to decide which empirical equation provides the most reliable estimate of UCS.This study evaluates estimation of UCS of rocks from several empirical equations.The study uses data of point load strength(Is(50)),Schmidt rebound hardness(SRH),block punch index(BPI),effective porosity(n) and density(ρ)as inputs to empirically estimate the UCS.The estimated UCS values from empirical equations are compared with experimentally obtained or measured UCS values,using statistical analyses.It shows that the reliability of UCS estimated from empirical equations depends on the quality of data used to develop the equations,type of input data used in the equations,and the quality of input data from index or physical tests.The results show that the point load strength(Is(50)) is the most reliable index for estimating UCS among the five types of tests evaluated.Because of type-specific nature of rock,restricting the use of empirical equations to the similar rock types for which they are developed is one of the measures to ensure satisfactory prediction performance of empirical equations.     

Evaluation of the mechanical degradation of carbonate aggregate by rock strength tests

Aggregate degradation (AD) is one of the major reasons accounting for failure of aggregate materials, and the mechanical degradation of aggregate materials can be determined by different test methods. This process basically requires many aggregate samples and special instruments, and thus is time-consuming. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the possibility of estimating the AD characteristics using rock strength tests and to investigate the relationships between AD properties and rock strength tests. For understanding the relationships, two common rock strength tests are employed, i.e. unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and point load index (PLI) tests. In the tests, the AD properties of 40 kinds of carbonate aggregates sampled from Iran were studied. The AD properties were determined by Los Angeles abrasion value (LAAV), aggregate impact value (AIV) and aggregate crushing value (ACV). Also, the samples are classified according to the strength and rock types, and the effect of this classification is investigated based on the relationship between rock strengths and AD properties. The results indicate that the PLI is better than UCS for evaluation of AD properties. Among rock strength tests, PLI has a closer relationship with AIV (R² = 0.832). Also, UCS has relative larger effects on the ACV (R² = 0.812) under the same loading condition. The weakest correlation occurs between LAAV and UCS (R² = 0.679). In view of the rational AD properties in the predictive procedure, it is possible to predict AD properties based on the strength tests and rock types. The results also show that the prediction of AD properties using rock strength test based on rock types yields better correlations than that using unclassified samples. The classification based on rock types can extrapolate the different relationships of AD prediction from rock strength tests. The results in this context could be used for preliminarily selecting proper rock aggregates with a limit of allowable AD tests for practical applications by PLI.     

The use of point load test for Dubai weak calcareous sandstones

Intact rock is typically described according to its uniaxial compressive strength(UCS). The UCS is needed in the design of geotechnical engineering problems including stability of rock slopes and design of shallow and deep foundations resting on and/or in rocks. Accordingly, a correct measurement/evaluation of the UCS is essential to a safe and economic design. Typically, the UCS is measured using the unconfined compression tests performed on cylindrical intact specimens with a minimum length to width ratio of 2. In several cases, especially for weak and very weak rocks, it is not possible to extract intact specimens with the needed minimum dimensions. Thus, alternative tests(e.g. point load test, Schmidt hammer) are used to measure rock strength. The UCS is computed based on the results of these tests through empirical correlations. The literature includes a plethora of these correlations that vary widely in estimating rock strength. Thus, it is paramount to validate these correlations to check their suitability for estimating rock strength for a specific location and geology. A review of the available correlations used to estimate the UCS from the point load test results is performed and summarized herein. Results of UCS, point load strength index and Young's modulus are gathered for calcareous sandstone specimens extracted from the Dubai area. A correlation for estimating the UCS from the point load strength index is proposed. Furthermore, the Young's modulus is correlated to the UCS.     

煤层顶底板岩石点荷载强度与拉压强度对比试验研究

 利用自主研制的点荷载仪,通过室内对煤矿顶底板常见岩性岩石进行点荷载试验、单轴抗压试验、抗拉试验对比分析,研究由点荷载强度快速准确确定单轴抗压强度及抗拉强度的方法。试验结果表明：点载荷强度较低的粗砂岩极易受到加载速率和加载方向影响,其预测值与实际值的误差相对较大;而对于点荷载强度较大的岩石,3种强度的线性相关性较高。点荷载试验的应用,为煤矿顶底板岩石强度确定及岩体分类提供了重要依据。     

Prediction of strength properties of some schistose rocks from petrographic properties using artificial neural networks

Petrographic features of a rock are intrinsic properties, which control the mechanical behaviour of the rock mass at the fundamental level. This paper deals with the application of neural networks for the prediction of uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength and axial point load strength simultaneously from the mineral composition and textural properties. Statistical analysis has also been conducted for prediction of the same strength properties and compared with the predicted values by neural networks to investigate the authenticity of this approach. The network was trained to predict the uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength and axial point load strength from the mineralogical composition, grain size, aspect ratio, form factor, area weighting and orientation of foliation planes (planes of weakness). A data set having 112 test results of the four schistose rocks were used to train the network with the back-propagation learning algorithm. Another data set of 28 test results of the four schistose rocks were used to validate the generalization and prediction capabilities of the network.     

嵌岩桩嵌岩段的岩石极限侧阻力系数

嵌岩桩在岩土工程中已得到广泛应用,但如何准确计算嵌岩段桩的极限侧阻力仍是工程设计人员面临的重要课题。收集整理了不同时期、不同地区、不同岩石强度和不同嵌岩条件下开展的145个嵌岩桩竖向下压承载力试验成果,主要包括嵌岩段岩石类型及其单轴抗压强度、嵌岩桩的直径与嵌岩深度、嵌岩段桩的极限侧阻力等。定义嵌岩段桩的极限侧阻力和岩石单轴抗压强度的比值为嵌岩桩嵌岩段岩石极限侧阻力系数,分析了桩径、嵌岩深度、嵌岩深径比和岩石强度对嵌岩段极限侧阻力和岩石极限侧阻力系数的影响规律,建立了嵌岩段岩石极限侧阻力系数与岩石单轴抗压强度之间的拟合关系式,给出了不同可靠度水平下岩石侧极限阻力系数取值。     

Determination of blast-induced ground vibration equations for rocks using mechanical and geological properties

In the recent decades,effects of blast loads on natural and man-made structures have gained considerable attention due to increase in threat from various man-made activities.Site-specific empirical relationships for calculation of blast-induced vibration parameters like peak particle velocity(PPV) and peak particle displacement(PPD) are commonly used for estimation of blast loads in design.However,these relationships are not able to consider the variation in rock parameters and uncertainty of in situ conditions.In this paper,a total of 1089 published blast data of various researchers in different rock sites have been collected and used to propose generalized empirical model for PPV by considering the effects of rock parameters like unit weight,rock quality designation(RQD),geological strength index(GSI),and uniaxial compressive strength(UCS).The proposed PPV model has a good correlation coefficient and hence it can be directly used in prediction of blast-induced vibrations in rocks.Standard errors and coefficient of correlations of the predicted blast-induced vibration parameters are obtained with respect to the observed field data.The proposed empirical model for PPV has also been compared with the empirical models available for blast vibrations predictions given by other researchers and found to be in good agreement with specific cases.     

点载荷试验在确定碎裂岩基承载力上的应用

在勘察过程中,对碎裂岩石很难取得岩块试样进行单轴抗压试验,由点载荷试验可求得点荷载强度指数,进而换算出岩石单轴抗压强度,对岩基承载力进行评价。文章通过工程实例,介绍了点荷载试验方法,并应用该方法结合波速试验、旁压试验对碎裂岩基中的人工挖孔嵌岩桩端阻力进行了评价,与岩基载荷试验对比表明该方法是行之有效的。     

Evaluation of the block punch index test with particular reference to the size effect, failure mechanism and its effectiveness in predicting rock strength

Measurement of rock strength requires testing which must be carried out on test specimens of particular sizes in order to fulfill testing standards. Often, the coring process breaks up the weaker core pieces, and they are too small to be used in either conventional strength tests or index tests such as point load test. The block punch index (BPI) test, which requires flat disc specimens without special treatment has been developed during the last decade. This paper presents the results of a study of BPI test device to provide new contributions to previous works on size effect in BPI test using a wide range of rock types, in addition, to assess the effectiveness of the test in predicting rock strength by an experimental way. About 2600 disc specimens were tested, and the results were combined with those from previous works and analyzed using statistical and graphical methods. Finite element modeling was also conducted to evaluate the stress distribution created within the rock specimen by punching action of the test device. The test results suggested that size correction in the BPI test was indispensable. Using a very large test database, the size-correction factors suggested by previous workers were modified in the present study. The finite element modeling indicated that the failure surface initiated at the top of the specimen and propagated into the specimen. This demonstrated that failure was not produced by a true shearing. It was also noted that cohesion values predicted from BPI tests were greater than those obtained from conventional tests. Both of these results suggested that the BPI test was not an accurate device for directly determining shear strength of the rock specimen and should only be used as a strength index. The experimental results showed that the corrected BPI values led to lower errors in determining uniaxial compressive and tensile strength when compared to those from point load testing. Possible uses of the BPI in rock mass classification were also briefly reviewed and a strength classification based on BPI was suggested.     

General report,session I: Engineering properties of carbonate rocks

After reviewing the geological classification of carbonate rocks, a method of describing carbonate rocks for engineering purposes is developed following the recommendations set out by the I.A.E.G. Mapping Commission. Particular attention is paid to the details of the weathering profile developed on carbonate rocks. The engineering classification of carbonate rocks is based on both the engineering behaviour of the rock as a material and in the mass. Physical properties, including strength and deformation characteristics, are used to determine a modulus ratio for a wide range of limestones including the English chalk. In addition to rock material properties, and engineering classification of the rock mass has to take account of structure, discontinuities, and details of the weathering profile. Assessment of rock mass properties requiresin situ testing to determine deformation characteristics. If the usually limited amount of data on such quantitativein situ properties is related to other measures of rock quality, then engineering geological mapping can be used to extend the applicability of the limitedin situ data to a whole site. RQD has been related to the compressibility of the rock mass, and a rock mass factor has been proposed that links the deformability of the rock material to that of the rock mass. Rock mass classifications for large underground openings may be used with limestones. Engineering problems associated with carbonate rocks are briefly reviewed, as are the properties of limestones as a building stone and as aggregate.     

Dominant rock properties affecting the penetration rate of percussive drills

Percussive blast hole drills were observed in eight rock types at an open pit mine and three motorway sites. The net penetration rates of the drills were calculated from the performance measurements. Rock samples were collected from the drilling locations and the physical and mechanical properties of the rocks were determined both in the field and in the laboratory. The penetration rates were correlated with the rock properties. The uniaxial compressive strength, the Brazilian tensile strength, the point load strength and the Schmidt hammer value exhibit strong correlations with the penetration rate. Impact strength shows a fairly good correlation with penetration rate. Weak correlations between penetration rate and both elastic modulus and natural density were found. Any significant correlation between penetration rate and P-wave velocity was not found.It was concluded that, among the rock properties adopted in this study, the uniaxial compressive strength, the Brazilian tensile strength, the point load strength and the Schmidt hammer value are the dominant rock properties effecting the penetration rate of percussive drills. Theoretical specific energy as defined by different research workers is proved also to be well correlated with penetration rate of percussive drills which verifies basic theoretical works on the subject. In addition, the point load and the Schmidt hammer test can practically be used in the field as a predictive tool for the estimation of penetration rate.     

Effect of grout properties on the pull-out load capacity of fully grouted rock bolt

This paper represents the result of a project conducted with developing a safe, practical and economical support system for engineering workings. In rock engineering, untensioned, fully cement-grouted rock bolts have been used for many years. However, there is only limited information about the action and the pull-out load capacity of rock bolts, and the relationship between bolt–grout or grout–rock and the influence of the grout properties on the pull-out load capacity of a rock bolt. The effect of grout properties on the ultimate bolt load capacity in a pull-out test has been investigated in order to evaluate the support effect of rock bolts. Approximately 80 laboratory rock bolt pull-out tests in basalt blocks have been carried out in order to explain and develop the relations between the grouting materials and untensioned, fully grouted rock bolts. The effects of the mechanical properties of grouting materials on the pull-out load capacity of a fully grouted bolt have been qualified and a number of empirical formulae have been developed for the calculating of the pull-out load capacity of the fully cement-grouted bolts on the basis of the shear strength, the uniaxial compressive strength of the grouting material, the bolt length, the bolt diameter, the bonding area and the curing time of the grouting material.