Rock Mass
Description
Seismic
Velocity (m/s)
Rating
Rock Hardness
Rating
Rock
Weathering
Rating
Discontinuity
Spacing (mm)
Rating
I
Very Good
Rock
>2150
II
Fair Rock
Poor Rock
2150-1850
1850-1500
1500-1200
24
Very Hard
Hard Rock
10
Rock
5
Slightly
9
>3000
VI
Good Rock
26
Extremely
Unweathered
III
Weathered
7
3000-1000
V
Very Poor
Rock
1200-450
20
12
Hard Rock
Soft Rock
1
Highly
Rock
0
Completely
Weatheredd
3
Weathered
1
Weathered
5
1000-300
300-50
5
Very Soft
<50
30
25
20
10
Discontinuity
Non
Slightly
Continuous
Continuous
Continuous
continuity
Continuous
Continuous
no Gouge
some Gouge
with Gouge
Rating
Joint Gouge
No Separation
Slightly
Separation <
Separation
1mm
Gouge < 5mm
Gouge > 5mm
Rating
Strike Dip and
Very
Orientation *
Unfavourable
Rating
TOTAL
RATING
Rippability
Assessment
Tractor
15
100-90
Blasting
Unfavourable
13
90-70 **
Slightly
Unfavourable
10
70-50
Extremely
Very Hard
Hard Ripping
Ripping
Favourable
Very
Favourable
5
50-25
Hard Ripping
3
<25
Easy Ripping
and Blasting
DD9G/D9G
Horse Power
770/385
385/270
270/180
180
Kilowatts
570/290
290/200
200/135
135
Selection
D9/D8
D8/D7
D7
Hardness
Identification in profile
UCS, (MPa)
Mass strength
number, Ms
Material crumbles under firm
blows with sharp end of
Very soft
geological pick and can be
1.7
rock
peeled of with a knife it is too
1.7-3.3
0.87 - 1.86
hard to cut a triaxial sample
by hand
Can just be scraped and peeled
with a knife indentions 1 mm
Soft rock
to 3 mm show in the
specimen with firm blows of
3.3-3.6
6.6-13.2
3.95-8.39
the pick point
Cannot be scraped or peeled
with a knife; hand-held
Hard rock
specimen can be broken
with hammer end of a
13.2-26.4
17.70
26.4-53.0
70.0
53.0-106.0
140.0
212.0
280
geological pick with a single
firm blow
Very hard
rock
Hand held specimen breaks
with hammer end of pick
under more than one blow
Extremely
Specimen
hard rock
blows with
requires
geological
many
pick
(very very
to break through intact
hard rock)
material