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Rock Mechanics Through Project-Based

Learning

Ivan Gratchev

Griffith School of Engineering, Gold Coast, Southport, QLD, Australia

Rock Mechanics Through

Project-Based Learning

CRC Press/Balkema is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

© 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK

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damage to the property or persons as a result of operation or use of this publication and/

or the information contained herein.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Applied for

Published by: CRC Press/Balkema

Schipholweg 107C, 2316 XC Leiden, The Netherlands

e-mail: Pub.NL@taylorandfrancis.com

www.crcpress.com – www.taylorandfrancis.com

ISBN: 978-0-367-23219-1(Pbk)

ISBN: 978-0-367-23203-0 (Hbk)

ISBN: 978-0-429-27883-9 (eBook)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429278839

Preface ix

Conversion factors xi

About the author xiii

1 Introduction and book organization 1

1.1 Rocks and rock mechanics 1

1.2 Book organization 1

2 Project description 3

2.1 Data from site investigation 3

2.2 Data from laboratory testing 3

2.3 Project tasks 3

3 Rock mass formation 11

3.1 The structure of the Earth and tectonic activities 11

3.2 Geological structures 12

3.2.1 Faults 12

3.2.2 Folds 14

3.2.3 Bedding planes 16

3.2.4 Shear zones 17

3.3 Rock weathering 17

3.4 Project work: geological structures and rock weathering 19

3.5 Review quiz 20

4 Rocks and rock minerals 21

4.1 Rock minerals 21

4.2 Identicationofcommonrock-formingminerals 23

4.3 Rock cycle and rock types 23

4.3.1 Igneous rocks 24

4.3.2 Sedimentary rocks 26

4.3.3 Metamorphic rocks 28

4.4 Identicationofcommonrocks 30

4.5 Engineering problems related to rocks 30

Contents

vi Contents

4.5.1 Engineering problems related to igneous rocks 30

4.5.2 Engineering problems related to sedimentary rocks 30

4.5.3 Engineering problems related to metamorphic rocks 32

4.6 Project work: analysis of rock types 33

4.7 Review quiz 33

5 Rock exploration 35

5.1 General considerations 35

5.2 Desk study 35

5.3 Field work 36

5.3.1 Boreholes 36

5.3.2 Seismic methods 39

5.4 Engineering issues during site investigation 40

5.5 Projectwork:cross-sectionandgeologicalunits 40

5.6 Review quiz 40

6 Discontinuities in rock mass 45

6.1 Types of discontinuities 45

6.2 Joint characteristics 47

6.2.1 Joint spacing and frequency 47

6.2.2 Joint persistence 48

6.2.3 Volumetric joint count 48

6.2.4 Aperture 49

6.2.5 Joint orientation 49

6.2.6 Project work: projections of major joint sets 51

6.3 Problems for practice 55

6.4 Review quiz 56

7 Rock properties and laboratory data analysis 59

7.1 Rock properties 59

7.1.1 Specicgravity 59

7.1.2 Density and unit weight 60

7.1.3 Project work: determination of rock density and unit weight 61

7.1.4 Porosity and void ratio 61

7.1.5 Water content, degree of saturation and hydraulic conductivity 62

7.2 Laboratory tests and data analysis 63

7.2.1 Unconnedcompressiontest 63

7.2.2 Stress-straindiagramforrocks 64

7.2.3 Modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio 65

7.2.4 Creep 66

7.2.5 Tensile strength test 66

Contents vii

7.2.6 Projectwork:estimationofunconnedcompressiveand

tensile strength of andesite 68

7.2.7 Triaxial test 69

7.2.8 Project work: interpretation of point load test data 69

7.2.9 Schmidt hammer test 72

7.2.10 Slake durability test 72

7.2.11 Project work: determination of slake durability index for

andesite and sandstone 74

7.3 Problems for practice 75

7.4 Review quiz 77

8 Stresses and failure criteria 79

8.1 Stresses in rock mass 79

8.2 Failure criteria 80

8.2.1 Mohr-Coulombstrengthcriterion 80

8.2.2 Hoek-Brownfailurecriterionforintactrock 80

8.3 Project work: lab data analysis and rock properties 81

8.4 The Barton shear strength criterion for jointed rocks 84

8.5 Project work: Barton shear strength criterion for the jointed mudstone 86

8.6 Problems for practice 86

8.7 Review quiz 89

9 Rock mass ratings and properties 91

9.1 General considerations 91

9.2 Rock mass rating 91

9.3 RocktunnelqualityQ-system 94

9.4 Geological Strength Index 98

9.5 Project work: rock mass ratings 98

9.6 Rock mass properties 98

9.7 Project work: rock mass properties 102

9.8 Problems for practice 103

9.9 Review quiz 105

10 Rock falls 107

10.1 Rock falls and factors affecting them 107

10.2 Rock fall characteristics 107

10.3 Rock fall hazard assessment 109

10.4 Project work: rock fall hazard assessment 110

10.5 Rock fall protection 112

10.6 Project work: rock fall protection 112

10.7 Problems for practice 115

10.8 Review quiz 118

viii Contents

11 Rock slope stability 119

11.1 Landslide triggers and causes 119

11.2 Types of slope failures 119

11.3 Slope stability analysis 122

11.3.1 Inniteslope 122

11.3.2 Block failure 123

11.3.3 Wedge failure 124

11.4 Limit equilibrium method 125

11.5 Project work: slope stability analysis 126

11.6 Slope monitoring 128

11.7 Stabilization and protection techniques 128

11.8 Problems for practice 131

11.9 Review questions 133

12 Rocks and tunnels 135

12.1 Behavior of rock mass in tunnels 135

12.2 Brittle failure of massive rock mass 135

12.3 Gravitational failure 138

12.4 Problems with disintegrated rock mass 138

12.5 Projectwork:tunnel-relatedproblems 140

12.6 Problems for practice 141

12.7 Review quiz 142

References 145

Index 149

Our experience as teachers indicates that a traditional format where the instructor provides

students with theoretical knowledge through a series of lectures and abstract textbook prob-

lemsis notsufcienttoprepare studentstotacklereal geotechnicalchallenges.There isa

disjunct between what students are taught in universities and what they are expected to do

as engineers. Although students may easily derive complex equations in class, they often

struggle when faced with practical engineering problems in the workplace. It is thus not sur-

prisingthataproject-basedapproachtolearning,whichpartially simulateswhatengineers

do in real life, has proved to be a valid alternative to the traditional method (Gratchev and

Jeng,2018; Gratchevetal.,2018). Project-based learningnotonlyprovides studentswith

opportunities to better understand the fundamentals of geotechnical engineering, but it also

allows them to gain more practical experience and learn how to apply theory to practice.

In addition, working on a practical project makes the learning process more relevant and

engaging.

Toourknowledge,thereiscurrentlynotextbookthatutilizesaproject-basedapproach

to introduce theoretical aspects of rock mechanics to students. This book will appeal to

new generations of students who would like to have a better idea of what to expect in their

employmentfuture.Inthisbook,readersare presentedwitha real-worldchallenge(in the

formofaproject-basedassignment)similartothatwhichtheywouldencounterinengineer-

ing practice and they need to work out solutions using the relative theoretical concepts which

are briey summarized in the book chapters. To complete this project-based assignment,

readers are required to undertake a sequence of major tasks including (a) interpretation of

eldandlaboratorydata;(b)analysisofrockpropertiesandrockmassconditions,(c)iden-

ticationofpotentialrock-relatedproblemsataconstructionsiteand(d)assessmentoftheir

effect on slope stability and tunnel construction.

Thisbookcoversallsignicanttopicsinrockmechanicsanddiscussespracticalaspects

related to rock falls, rock slope stability and tunnels. Each section is followed by several

review questions that will reinforce the reader's knowledge and make the learning process

more engaging. A few typical problems are discussed at the ends of chapters to help the

reader develop problem-solving skills. Once the reader has sufcient knowledge of rock

mechanics,theywillbeabletoundertakeaproject-basedassignmenttoscaffoldtheirlearn-

ing.Theassignmentisbasedonreal eldandlaboratorydataincludingboreholesandtest

results so that the reader can experience what engineering practice is like, identify with it

personally and integrate it into their own knowledge base. In addition, some problems will

includeopen-endedquestions,whichwillencouragethereadertoexercisetheirjudgement

Preface

x Preface

and develop practical skills. To foster the learning process, solutions to all questions will be

provided and discussed.

TheauthorisgratefultoallstudentsoftheRockMechanicscourseatGrifthUniversity

for their constructive feedback in the past several years. This book would not have been the

same without their enthusiasm and interest in geotechnical engineering. The support from

Ekaterina Gratchev is gratefully acknowledged as well.

Conversion factors

Length Mass and weight Area Volume Unit weight Stress

1 in = 2.54 cm

1 ft = 30.5 cm 1 lb = 454 g

1 lb = 4.46 N

1 lb = 0.4536 kgf

1 in2 = 6.45 cm2

1 ft2 = 0.0929 m2 1 ml = 1 cm3

1 l = 1000 cm3

1 ft3 = 0.0283 m3

1 in3 = 16.4 cm3

1 lb/ft3 =

0.157 kN/m3 1 lb/in 2 =

6.895 kN/m2

1 lb/ft2 =

47. 8 8 N /m 2

1 m = 39.37 in

1 m = 3.281 ft 1 N = 0.2248 lb

1 metric ton

= 2204.6 lb

1 kgf = 2.2046 lb

1 m2 = 10.764 ft 2

1 cm2 = 0.155 in2 1 m 3 = 35.32 ft3

1 cm3 =

0.061023 in 3

1 kN/m3 =

6. 361 lb/ft3 1 kN/m2 =

20.885 lb/ft 2

1 kN/m2 =

0.145 lb/in2

Ivan GratchevisaseniorlecturerattheGrifthSchoolofEngineering,GrifthUniversity,

Australia. He graduated from Moscow State University (Russia) and received his PhD from

Kyoto University (Japan). He worked as a research fellow in the geotechnical laboratory of

theUniversityofTokyo(Japan)beforejoiningGrifthUniversity(Australia)asalecturer.

His research interests are in geotechnical aspects of landslides, soil liquefaction and rock

mechanics. He has published numerous research articles in leading international journals

and international conferences.

SincejoiningGrifthUniversityin2010,hehastaughtseveralgeotechnicalcourses(including

soilmechanics,rockmechanicsandgeotechnicalengineeringpractice)usingaproject-based

approach. His teaching achievements were recognized by his peers and students through a

number of learning and teaching citations and awards.

About the author

1.1 Rocks and rock mechanics

This book is about rocks and their properties. We often use the word 'rock' in our daily life,

butdoesithavethesamemeaninginrockmechanics?Commonlyuseddenitionsstatethat

the term 'rock' refers to a hard substance made of minerals, which requires drilling, blasting,

wedging, or other brute force to excavate. Many engineering structures are built on rocks,

while rocks are commonly used as construction material for several engineering applica-

tions. For this reason, engineers and researchers are required to have a sound knowledge of

rock properties and understand the behavior of rock mass under stresses.

Question: Concrete and dry clay are hard as well; are they also rock?

Answer: No, dry clay and concrete are not rock. Although concrete is as hard as rock, it is

artificial material, while clay becomes very soft when saturated.

Rock mechanics is the subject that deals with rock response to applied disturbance

caused by natural and engineering processes. Through this book, the reader will not only

learn the fundamentals of rock mechanics, but they will also see practical applications of the

theoretical knowledge.

Question: Is rock mechanics the same as engineering geology?

Answer: No, they are different. Engineering geology mostly deals with the application of

geological fundamentals to engineering practice, while rock mechanics covers the engineer-

ing properties of rock.

1.2 Book organization

Thebook is organizedin such away thateach chapterrstexplains its relevanceto the

projectandthenitbrieyprovideskeytheoreticalconceptsnecessarytocompleteacertain

partoftheproject.Chapter2providestheprojectdescriptionanddatafromeldinvestiga-

tion and laboratory testing. Chapters 3 and 4 are related to basic geology as they deal with

the effects of geology on rock formation (Chapter 3) and common types of rock (Chapter 4).

Chapter 5 discusses common rock exploration methods and techniques, while Chapter 6

is dedicated to discontinuities in rock mass. Rock properties and rock testing methods are

described in Chapters 7 and 8, respectively. Chapters 9–12 show practical applications of

Chapter 1

Introduction and book

organization

2 Introduction and book organization

rock mechanics, including the assessment of rock mass properties (Chapter 9), rock fall

(Chapter 10) and landslide (Chapter 11) disaster, and common issues with rock mass during

tunnel construction (Chapter 12).

Each chapter also provides a few practical problems that the reader can use for more

practice.Itissuggestedtosolveeachproblemrstbeforereferringtothestep-by-stepsolu-

tionprovidedafterwards.Eventhoughitmaybedifculttoworkoutthenalanswer,spend-

ing time on each problem will improve the reader's understanding of the relevant material

andhelptodevelopproblem-solvingskills.Toreinforcetheknowledgeofrockbehaviorand

review the key concepts, the reader can also take a review quiz at the end of each chapter.

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ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.

This study seeks to investigate the effect of joint surface damage on the shear strength of two natural rocks, namely sandstone and argillite. A series of shear box tests were performed on the jointed rock specimens with different joint roughness coefficients JRC). The joint surface roughness of each rock specimen was estimated by means of Barton's comb before and after the shear test as well as it was obtained experimentally using the measured peak shear stress. The laboratory data indicated that some damage of joint surface occurred during shearing, which affected the overall shear strength of the jointed rock specimens. The damage coefficient (M) initially introduced by Baron and Chubey (1977) was modified so that it can be used to estimate the joint surface damage of the tested rocks; that is, no or small damage may occur when M<1 while considerable damage to the joint surface can be expected when M>1. Due to the inhomogeneous of he rock samples, there are two modulus presented for the damage coefficient. This study seeks to find a more accurate relation between the JRC value and the damage coefficient based on the Barton and Choubey theory.

Unlike previous research on soft and clay-bearing rocks, this study seeks to investigate the effect of wetting and drying (W–D) cycles on the engineering properties of two hard rocks. A series of W–D cycles were applied to fresh specimens of greywacke and basalt, and their strength, slake durability and density were progressively assessed as the number of cycles increased. It was found that unlike the basalt, the strength of greywacke rapidly decreased with increasing W–D cycles while the rock density and slake durability index remained almost the same. Analysis of the crack propagation in both rocks revealed that, compared to soft and clay-bearing material, the process of strength degradation in hard rocks was rather different, with a more pronounced effect of crack development. In addition, comparisons with the data obtained for the same type of rocks yet naturally weathered was performed to establish similarities between the properties of laboratory-deteriorated and naturally weathered rocks. The obtained results are expected to provide more practical values for such laboratory studies where the rate of rock deterioration is relatively high (several weeks) in comparison to what is commonly observed in the field (several years).

The currently available soil mechanics textbooks explain theory and show some practical applications through solving abstract geotechnical problems. Unfortunately, they do not engage students in the learning process as students do not "experience" what they study. This book employs a more engaging project-based approach to learning, which partially simulates what practitioners do in real life. It focuses on practical aspects of soil mechanics and makes the subject "come alive" through introducing real world geotechnical problems that the reader will be required to solve. This book appeals to the new generations of students who would like to have a better idea of what to expect in their employment future. This book covers all significant topics in soil mechanics and slope stability analysis. Each section is followed by several review questions that will reinforce the reader's knowledge and make the learning process more engaging. A few typical problems are also discussed at the end of chapters to help the reader develop problem-solving skills. Once the reader has sufficient knowledge of soil properties and mechanics, they will be offered to undertake a project-based assignment to scaffold their learning. The assignment consists of real field and laboratory data including boreholes and test results so that the reader can experience what geotechnical engineering practice is like, identify with it personally, and integrate it into their own knowledge base. In addition, some problems include open-ended questions, which will encourage the reader to exercise their judgement and develop practical skills. To foster the learning process, solutions to all questions are provided to ensure timely feedback.

• Ivan Gratchev
• Somayeh Saeidi

This laboratory study seeks to investigate the effect of surface irregularities on the motion characteristics of a falling rock. The irregularly-shaped surfaces of greywacke with a range of joint roughness coefficient (JRC) from 2 to 18 were used in an experimental setup where a falling rock was dropped from a height of 110 cm. A high-speed camera was utilised to capture the trajectory of the falling rock upon its impact with the rock surface. The data from 287 tests were statistically analysed to determine the dominant type of motion and to establish relationships between JRC and the coefficient of restitution (CoR). The effect of surface roughness was seen in different modes of motion of the falling rock with more irregular surfaces often produced 'sliding' or 'rolling' instead of 'bouncing'. The obtained data indicated that the rock surface roughness did not seem to have a significant effect on CoR; however, it affected the rebound angle of the falling rock.

Every year, Australia experiences tropical cyclones that bring large amounts of rainfall, causing flooding and damage to infrastructure and road closure due to landslips. In March 2017, tropical cyclone Debbie hit the Queensland coast dumping 747 mm of rainfall within 2 days to the Gold Coast region. As a result, multiple shallow landslides occurred in Gold Coast and northern New South Wales due to the increase in soil saturation. A field investigation was conducted from several sites between Gold Coast-Springbrook road and Tallebudgera creek road to identify geological settings and landslide characteristics. Key findings show that slides predominantly occurred in weathered meta-sediments of the Neranleigh-Fernvale Beds within a depth of 1–2 m. Furthermore, a series of shear box tests revealed that the shear strength of the soil significantly decreased when saturation occurred.

• Ivan Gratchev
• Dong-Sheng Jeng

This study seeks to explore whether a combination of traditional teaching methods with project-based learning (PBL) activities can improve the student learning experience in an engineering course of soil mechanics. As an alternative to the traditional type of assignment that consisted of several textbook problems, a project-based assignment was introduced in 2015 so that students could work on real-world geotechnical problems throughout the whole semester. Students were permitted to choose whether they would undertake the project-based assignment or the traditional one, thus forming the 'project' and 'non-project' groups, respectively. The academic performance of these two groups was compared on the basis of student marks while the student experience was evaluated through a series of interviews. The data collected over 3 years indicated that students from both groups had very similar academic performances; however, the students who completed the project-based assignment reported better engagement in the learning process as they enjoyed the opportunity to experience the practical aspects of soil mechanics. The obtained results also revealed low motivation among students to embrace new learning approaches such as PBL, as the majority of them preferred more traditional methods of teaching.

• Nick Ryland Barton

Prediction of the likely response to excavation, and production of final designs for the rock reinforcement and tunnel or cavern support, require realistic descriptions of the components of rock mass behaviour. This article explores some of the methods that have proved reasonably successful in describing and modelling rock joints and rock masses, despite the complexities involved. Index testing of rock joints and rock mass characterization, including geophysical methods, are the essential activities in preparation for two- and three-dimensional distinct element modelling. Recent improvements are described.

• Nick Ryland Barton

The majority of rock masses, in particular those within a few hundred meters from the surface, behave as discontinua, with the discontinuities (joints or filled discontinuities or faults) largely determining the mechanical behaviour of the rock mass in the specific location of interest. It is therefore essential that both the structure of the rock mass and the nature of its discontinuities are carefully described, in addition to the lithological description of the rock type. The specific parameters, as selected and described in these 'ISRM suggested methods' should be quantified wherever possible. Please note: ISRM working group of 44 participants, 14 countries.

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336772561_Rock_Mechanics_Through_Project-Based_Learning

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