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