LANDSLIDES: INVESTIGATION AND MITIGATION. CHAPTER 14 - ROCK STRENGTH PROPERTIES AND THEIR MEASUREMENT

The shear strength developed along potential rupture surfaces within a slope has an important influence on the stability of rock slopes. In carrying out stability analyses, it is usually assumed that the rock behaves as a Mohr-Coulomb material in which the shear strength is expressed in terms of the cohesion and friction angle along the rupture surface. The actual values of these two strength parameters are closely related to the geological conditions at each site, and any program to determine rock strength should start with a thorough examination of the geology. In this chapter the relationship between geology and rock strength is discussed, and methods are described that are used to determine shear strength values. The relationship between the strength of samples that can be tested in the laboratory and the strength of the rock mass is particularly important in determining design strength values for stability analysis. It is rarely possible to test the rock mass in the laboratory because of difficulty in obtaining a large, undisturbed sample, and there are few machines available with the required load capacity. Therefore it is necessary to use a combination of laboratory testing of small samples, empirical analysis, and field observations to determine a strength value, or range of values, that is representative of the rock mass on the rupture surface.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr247/sr247-014.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/030906208X
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Special Report 247 is also available in hardcover (ISBN 0-309-06151-2). Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Wyllie, Duncan C
  • Norrish, Norman I
• Publication Date: 1996

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 372-390
• Monograph Title: LANDSLIDES: INVESTIGATION AND MITIGATION
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Special Report
  • Issue Number: 247
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0360-859X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Empirical methods; Field studies; Geological events; Laboratory tests; Landslides; Mass; Rocks; Rupture surfaces; Shear strength; Slope stability; Stability analysis
• Uncontrolled Terms: Rock mass
• Old TRIS Terms: Field investigations; Geological conditions; Mohr-coulomb materials
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; I42: Soil Mechanics; I43: Rock Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00722503
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 030906208X
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 6 1996 12:00AM