1.1.

2 Intact rock strength

Intact Rock Strength (IRS)
• Explain what is meant by each of the following:
Rock fracture, peak strength, residual strength, brittle failure, ductile deformation,
yield, effective stress, pore pressure. • Intact rock strength (IRS) is a major rock property. Intact rock strength is mostly
defined as the strength of the rock material between the discontinuities.
• Describe the following behaviour of rock in principle:
- The stress-strain behaviour of brittle rock in uniaxial compression. • Intact rock strength determines the strength of the intact rock block material and as
such governs partially the strength of a rock mass.
- The effect of confinement on rock strength
- The effect of confinement on stress-strain behaviour of rock samples • Standard determination of the IRS is by means of an unconfined compressive
– pay particular attention to what happens to rock after it has reached its peak stress. strength (UCS) test.

• Explain the basis of the Coulomb and the Hoek-Brown criteria for intact rock
strength
• Explain the significance of each parameter in the Coulomb and Hoek-Brown
criteria.
• Calculate the strength of intact rock using the Coulomb and Hoek-Brown criteria

Intact Rock Strength (IRS) Tests Intact Rock Strength (IRS) Tests
Strength values used are often from laboratory unconfined compressive strength (UCS) Many alternatives have been invented for UCS testing.
tests.
Most Notable:
Problems caused by the definition of intact rock strength and using strength values • Point Load Test
based on UCS laboratory tests are: • Schmidt hammer tests.

• The UCS includes discontinuity strength for rock masses with small discontinuity
spacing. The UCS test sample is most often about 10 cm long and if the discontinuity The same problems as listed with UCS also apply to the PLT test. The inclusion of
spacing is less than 10 cm the core may include discontinuities. discontinuities in the rock will cause a PLT value tested parallel to this discontinuity to
• Samples tested in the laboratory tend to be of better quality than the average rock be considerably lower than if tested perpendicular.
because poor rock is often disregarded when drill cores or samples break (Laubscher,
1990), and cannot be tested.
• The intact rock strength measured depends on the sample orientation if the intact
rock exhibits anisotropy.
 1.1.2 Intact rock strength
Intact Rock Strength (IRS) Tests Rock Facture:
• A discontinuity in rock of a mechanical origin.
• Beyond yield point, rock is subjected to permanent, non-recoverable damage.

Peak Strength:
Highest stress a sample can be loaded to before failure. Measured in Pascal (Pa)

Residual Strength
Ability to carry load after failure has occurred. Measured in Pascal (Pa)

Brittle Failure:
• Sudden failure with complete loss of cohesion between the planes.
• Sudden loss of strength with little or no deformation.

Ductile Deformation
Condition in which a material can sustain permanent deformation without loosing it’s ability to carry load.

Yield
When there is a departure from the elastic behavior in the material and some permanent deformation occurs.

Pore Pressure
The stress that is transmitted by the fluids that fill the voids between particles of the rock mass.

1.1.2 Intact rock strength 1.1.2 Intact rock strength

Effective Stress
• The effective stress σ' is equal to the total stress σ minus the pore pressure u (σ'=σ-u). Describe the following behaviour of rock in principle:
• The principle of effective stresses applies only to normal stresses and not shear stresses. - The stress-strain behaviour of brittle rock in uniaxial compression.
• Total stress (σ) is equal to the sum of effective stress (σ') and pore water pressure (u) - The effect of confinement on rock strength
- The effect of confinement on stress-strain behaviour of rock samples
 1.1.2 Intact rock strength Results of Compression Tests
What is a uniaxial compression test?
• Most rocks fail at small strains – typically 0.2 - 0.5%
Stress under axial load.
• Most rocks behave brittle under uniaxial compression (a few, mainly sedimentary,
behave ductile)
• Youngs Modulus and Poisson's Ratio can be determined from the test results
• High strength rocks tend to have high Young’s Modulus
• Most rocks have Poisson's rations between 0.1 and 0.4

1.1.2 Intact rock strength 1.1.2 Intact rock strength

What is a uniaxial compression test result? (Failure Modes)
Uniaxial compression test sample behaviour?
• There are two modes of Uniaxial rock failure:
• Indirect Tension
The sample is allowed to strain radially along it’s length. This causes the specimen
to split axially and near vertical fractures form.

• Shear
As the sample undergoes compression, a shear fracture plane is created, and the
sample fails by shear.
 1.1.2 Intact rock strength 1.1.2 Intact rock strength
What is a uniaxial compression test result? (Failure Modes) What is a uniaxial compression test result? (Failure Modes)

1.1.2 Intact rock strength 1.1.2 Intact rock strength

What is a uniaxial compression test result? Interpretation of results (Hooke’s Law):
 The stress-strain behaviour of brittle rock in The stress-strain behaviour of brittle rock in
uniaxial compression uniaxial compression
Peak Stress / Strength (Failure)
• NO CONFINEMENT
• LOWER PEAK STRENGTH Strain hardening
• BRITTLE FAILURE Load Shedding (Brittle Failure)
Fracture
Yield Point
STRESS (MPa)

Post peak curve

STRESS (MPa)
Young’s Residual Stress / Strength
Modulus (E) No more fracture creation

Elastic portion of the curve

Closure of natural cracks / voids

STRAIN STRAIN

Effect of confinement on rock strength Effect of confinement

• INCREASE IN STRENGTH (NOT LINEARLY)
• In general, the strength of rock and rock mass is non-linearly associated with • RESIDUAL STRENGTH INCREASES
the confining stress. • BRITTLE TO DUCTILE FAILURE

• Shear failure usually dominates in the process of rock failure even though
extensional fracturing occurs in the early stage of the loading under unconfined
uniaxial compression.
• The non-linearity in strength implies that the angle of the shear rupture plane
changes with the confining stress.
• It is also known that the confining stress changes the post-peak mechanical
behavior of the rock.
• It is experimentally demonstrated that the rock becomes more ductile in the
post-peak stage with an increase in the confining stress.
 Effect of confinement Effect of confinement
• The angle of the shear rupture plane decreases with the confining stress • Observed modes of fracture changes

End of Session 2