Notice for e-book users

Principles of Rock Mechanics is distributed free of cost, as an e-book, and

anyone may freely use or further disseminate this textbook. No person or
institution shall charge any cost for the use or distribution of this e-book.
This book is intended for self-study, use in university courses and/or
professional training. The inclusion of exercises in each chapter helps the
user to quickly grasp the meaning of elementary concepts. Answers to the
exercises are given in the back of the book.
Principles of Rock Mechanics has been distributed worldwide in hard copy
- to over 60 countries during the first few years after its publication in
1997 and was reprinted in 1998. Active marketing and distribution ceased
in 2001, but bookshops from around the world kept ordering the book for
their clients. Users praised the book for its practical approach.
Unfortunately, the book was no longer available in hard copy since 2005.
This book, was written in the 1990s, and sponsored by Uppsala University
(Sweden) and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Saudi
Arabia). The intellectual property rights for this book are held by Alboran
Science Publishing. Their support for the global distribution of this e-book
is kindly acknowledged.
My hope is that this e-book can still serve as a valuable teaching and
training aid. This is exactly what the book was written and published for in
the first place.
Delft, January 2011
Ruud Weijermars
Department of Geotechnology
Delft University of Technology
The Netherlands