GESTIONE AMMINISTRATIVA

NUMERICAL
CONTRATTI METHODS
IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

APPLICATIONS 2-3
Pont VentouxF2 tunnel
Geotechnical characterisation of
the site

Marco Barla

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Strutturale, Edile e Geotecnica

OUTLINE
Geotechnical characterisation of the site

Need to brush
up topics from

Elementi di meccanica
e ingegneria delle rocce
by Barla, Celid, 2010

DATA AVAILBLE
A number of laboratory tests were carried out on samples of micaschists,

obtained from boreholes 2S13i and 2S14i:

Unconfined compression tests (Table 1)

Triaxial compression tests (Table 2 and 3)
Brasilian tensile strength tests (Table 4)
Tests ROC240 and ROC225 are given in
graphical form.

SCOPE
The aim of applications 2 to 3 is to determine the intact rock
and rock mass geotechnical parameters on the basis of
laboratory test results and geomechanical classification.
The intact rock strength characteristics (both Hoek & Brown and
Mohr-Coulomb peak and residual parameters) will be determined
on the basis of the test results of the laboratory investigations
undertaken.
The rock mass parameters will also be determined.

WHAT TO DO?
a) Determine the intact rock peak and residual strength parameters by
using the Hoek & Brown failure criterion, on the basis of the data
given in Tables 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
b) Determine the intact rock peak and residual strength parameters by
using the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion by linearization of the
Hoek & Brown failure criterion. Reference should be made to the
recommendations given by Hoek & Brown (1997) for appropriate
choice of the minimum principal stress range (i.e. 8 values of 3
between 0 and 0.5 times the intact rock unconfined compressive
strength).
c) Determine the rock mass peak strength, residual strength and
deformability parameters making reference to the rock mass
classification in section 011 (Data sheet 3).

Intact rock

HOEK & BROWN CRITERION

3'

= + ci mi
+ 1
ci

'
1

'1
A

Unconned B
ci
traction

Triaxial
compression

0,5

'
3

ci = unconfined compression strength

of the intact rock
mi = HoekBrown constant for the
intact rock

Unconned
compression

C
ti

'3

DETERMINING mi AND ci
ci, mi are parameters to be determined from laboratory
tests (MX and TX) in the range 0 < 3 < 0,5 ci
It is possible to plot the laboratory data on a Oxy
reference system defined as below:

x = 3'

y = 1'

' 2
3

One can write:

y = m ci x + ci2
slope

intercept

INTACT ROCK
Unconfined peak compressive strength
Unconfined residual compressive strength
Hoek-Brown peak constant
Hoek-Brown residual constant

c,p = 135 MPa

c,r = 10 MPa
mi,p = 8.1
mi,r = 56.1

350

PICCO

300

'1 (MPa)

250
200

RESIDUO

150
100
50
0
-25

-15

-5

15

25

35

45

'3 (MPa)

DETERMINING MOHR-COULOMB
PARAMETERS
by direct interpolation of
experimental data
by linearization of the HoekBrown criterion in the range
0<3<0.5ci

LINEARIZATION PROCESS
Selection of eight equally spaced
pairs of values 1-3 in the range
0<3<0,5 ci

Linear interpolation (y=ax+b) among

those values determining c e
1' = ci +

1 + sin '
3
1 sin

1' = 3' + c mi

3'
+ 1
c

0,5

a = N =

1 + sin '

2
=
tan
45

1 sin '
2

b = Co =

2c ' cos '

1 sin '

0 < 3 < 0.5 ci 3

Rock mass

GSI INDEX
Two ways
GRAPHICAL FORM

FROM RMR

GSI = RMR -5
Where the RMR index is
computed by assuming:
P5 (no water) = 15
P6 (orientation) = 0

R.M. DEFORMATION MODULUS

Deformability modulus for the rock mass may be
determined by field tests or estimated on the basis
of the rock mass quality:
Ed = 2 RMR 100
Ed = 10
Ed =

RMR10
40

ci
10
100

RMR > 50 (Bieniawski, 1978)

values of RMR (Serafim & Pereira, 1983)

GSI 10
40

Ed = 25 log10 Q

ci < 100 MPa (Hoek & Brown, 1997)

values of Q (Grimstad & Barton, 1993)

HOEK & BROWN CRITERION

FOR THE ROCK MASS
'1

'3

= + ci mb
+ s
ci

Intact rock

'
1

'
3

ci = intact rock unconfined

compressive strength
Rock mass

s, mb = HoekBrown constants for

the rock mass
= exponent (often = 0.5)
'3

= 0,5

[
[

]
]

cm = '1 '3 = 0 = ci s
1
tm = '3 '1 = 0 = ci mb mb2 + 4 s
2

= rock mass unconfined

compressive strength
= rock mass tensile strength

DETERMINING mb, s AND

Following Hoek & Brown (1997):
GSI - 100
mb = mi exp

28

GSI > 25

GSI - 100
s = exp

= 0 .5

GSI < 25

GSI
= 0.65

200
s=0

LINEARIZATION PROCESS
MOHR-COULOMB

HOEK & BROWN

' 3

' 1 = ' 3 + ci mb
+ sb

ci

GSI - 100
mb = mi exp

28

1' = ci +

GSI - 100
s = exp

= 0 .5

1 + sin '
3
1 sin

'

'1 = '3 + ci mb 3 + s
ci

ci and mi are derived from

the laboratory tests

0 < 3 < 0.25 ci 3

New linearization range!

ROCK MASS
Intact rock unconfined compressive strength
Intact rock Hoek-Brown constant
Geological Strength Index
Hoek-Brown constant
Hoek-Brown constant
Rock mass unconfined compressive strength
Deformation modulus

ci = 135 MPa
mi = 8.1
GSI = 70
mb = 2.8
s = 0.04
cm = 36.7 MPa
Ed = 35 GPa

250
225

MOHR-COULOMB

200

HOEK-BROWN

'1 (MPa)

175
150
125
100
75
50
25
0
-10

10

30

50

70

90

'3 (MPa)