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ISRM Suggested Method For Measuring Rock Mass Displacement
ISRM Suggested Method For Measuring Rock Mass Displacement
DOI 10.1007/s00603-012-0345-8
123
646 S. J. Li et al.
consecutive points along a borehole can be measured on a excavation stages, this indicates that the relative displace-
base length of 1.0 m. ments of adjacent reference points at a constant distance
The instrument is not suitable for those measurements from each other can be measured. Accordingly, the dif-
with large displacement, the latest developed sliding ferential displacements are obtained from the values of the
micrometer has a maximum measuring range of 25 mm/m. zero measurement and the successive measurements, the
According to the comparisons of displacement profiles integrated displacements can then be calculated by sum-
measured at different times and, if required, the EdZ in ming these values and possible measuring errors.
the hard rock can be identified based on identifying the
effective inflection point in the displacement profile via the
3.2 Probe
precision of the sliding micrometer.
The probe uses the ball-and-cone positioning principle in
the measuring marks of the measuring tube. The spheri-
3 Apparatus
cally shaped heads on the two sides of the probe and the
circular cone shaped measuring marks ensure precise
3.1 Components and Measuring Principle
positioning of the 1 m long probe during measurement. By
means of high precision sensors and regular calibration
Eight main components comprise a sliding micrometer:
before and after each series of measurements, a high
probe, probe guide, rod, measuring tube, measuring mark,
accuracy of measurement and long-term stability is
cable, data controller and calibration device (Fig. 1). The
achieved.
basic principles of this instrument are described as follows.
At present, the ideal maximum accuracy of measure-
Before the start of an in situ measurement of the axial
ment of the sliding micrometer is ±0.002 mm/m, and the
displacement profile in the rock mass concerned, plastic
maximum measuring range is 25 mm/m. The practical
tubes are introduced into a clean pre-drilled borehole and
measuring accuracy might be influenced by installation and
cemented in place (Fig. 2a). The diameter of the pre-drilled
testing procedure.
borehole should be larger than 110 mm. The measuring
tubes are fitted with measuring marks at constant intervals
of 1.0 m. As a result of firmly cementing the measuring 3.3 Probe Guide
marks to the rock, the displacement of the surrounding rock
mass is transmitted to the measuring marks. The probe guide serves to rotate the probe within the
The measuring marks are constructed such that a probe, measuring tubes. For this purpose, it has a swivel joint to
also of 1.0 m gauge length, may be placed in the same rotate the probe from the sliding position to the measuring
position at every time, allowing reproducible measure- position. The probe guide is inserted above the probe as the
ments to be made. The actual measurement is conducted first guide rod. It is usually made of flexible polyamide rod
after carrying out the initial zero measurement. The mea- with a 45° swivel joint, the base length being 1.0 m.
surements are then carried out by sliding the probe along
the tubes (Fig. 2b), inserting it stepwise into the measuring 3.4 Measuring Tube and Mark
positions at 1.0 m intervals until all the sections defined by
the measuring marks have been measured, as shown in The measuring line for the sliding micrometer is given by
Fig. 2c. If there is a difference between two readings taken the measuring tubes that are installed in the borehole with a
at different times, such as different measuring date or minimum diameter of 110 mm. Each individual measuring
Measuring tube
Probe guide and mark
Probe
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ISRM Suggested Method for Measuring Rock Mass Displacement 647
(b)
(c)
Measuring mark Measuring tube
1.0 m
tube consists of a 1.0 m long connecting tube (aluminum or 3.7 Calibration Device
hard PVC) and the measuring marks with the conically
shaped precision measuring stop. Measuring marks in the The sliding micrometer has a calibration device which
form of rings are telescopic couplings and are fixed at serves to calibrate the zero reading and to check the cali-
distances of 1.0 m apart in the tube by glueing. The probe bration factor in the axis direction of the probes. The
measures the displacements at the measuring marks, which telescopic rod and separate temperature measuring device
are firmly connected to the rock by means of cement. are the two essential accessories for this calibration device
to be successfully used. The calibration of the probe should
3.5 LVDT be carried out before and after each series of measure-
ments. In this way, stable measuring accuracy of
The linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) is an ±0.002 mm/m and continuity are ensured.
electromatic device that produces an electrical voltage
proportional to the displacement of a movable magnetic 3.8 Drilling and Inspection Equipment
core. It is often composed of a coil winding assembly, a
cylindrical case, and a rod shaped magnetic core. When the Drilling equipment is, of course, essential for producing a
probe is tensioned tightly between two close measuring stable borehole of the required test depth and diameter. In
marks through connected rods by manual, the LVDT will view of the variety of possible spatial configurations of test
be activated and measurement data will be transferred to boreholes, the equipment must be capable of drilling at
the data controller. different trend and plunge angles. Percussion drilling
equipment is usually present on site, but core drilling
3.6 Data Controller should be used unless it is unavailable.
The borehole axis should be maintained a straight line,
The data controller is connected to the measuring head at the ratio of the designed borehole depth versus final devi-
top of the probe by a cable. During the entire process of ation distance should be less than 0.01. So that a special
field measurement, the successive measuring information, deviation measurement should be carried out to evaluation
consisting of both temperature and displacement data for the borehole orientation and position at very 3–5 m of
each measuring unit, is directly transferred to the data drilling footage. Measures should be taken to control the
controller. Then the data are displayed on a LED screen, deviation during drilling. However, if there are some
and can be recorded manually or directly transferred to a unexpected conditions leading to inevitable deviations, the
personal computer via an interface. borehole should be scrapped and another new borehole
123
648 S. J. Li et al.
near the position is necessary. A borehole camera should be required, the determination of borehole length should take
used to inspect the borehole condition and investigate the into consideration the EdZ development and the fixed
characteristics of the encountered joints and faults and any reference point which should be established in a stable
damage induced by drilling, particularly if the rock cores position sufficiently distant from the disturbed region. In
are significantly fractured with over 30 fractures per meter some cases, to obtain a reliable identification of the EdZ,
or when no core is retrieved in extreme cases due to poor the length of the measurement boreholes should be at least
geological conditions. twice the diameter of the underground opening to avoid the
influence of excavation damage effect.
4.1 Preparatory Investigations The outer diameter of the telescope coupling often reaches
75 mm and the diameter of the grouting pipe is 20–30 mm,
The site, project scale and type, rock properties, and pos- indicating that the diameter of the borehole should be
sible excavation methods should be considered in detail to larger than 110 mm.
specify the performance requirements of the displacement As mentioned, although percussion drilling equipment
measuring equipment to be used. may be available, diamond core drilling is much preferred
The displacement measurements made before, during and in many cases essential for providing the supporting
and after construction are all valuable, and recording of the geological information and for more reliable displacement
geological conditions and construction events in the measurements.
vicinity of the borehole measurements is essential to sup- Special attention should be given to the drilling tech-
port the proper interpretation of the field data. niques that maintain the borehole wall straight and smooth
The location, length, and number of boreholes should be and ensure minimal induced damage to the rock core
selected on the basis of a thorough review of both the geo- obtained.
engineering and construction conditions, such as rock mass The locations and orientations of the drillholes should be
structure, rock properties, and excavation methods, taking recorded. Also, the core should be well logged and described,
into account the anticipated directions and magnitudes of including as a minimum the rock lithology, fracture occur-
potential rock movements by predictive numerical simu- rence and width, and any degree of weathering.
lations and engineering analogies. The complete borehole should be thoroughly cleaned
immediately prior to installing the measuring tubes.
4.2 Layout of Boreholes However, in some poor ground conditions, special proce-
dures involving grouting and temporary casing may be
The layout of boreholes will depend on the purposes of the required to keep the borehole open sufficiently and long to
displacement measurements. Commonly, there are often allow installation, to guarantee both the borehole diameter
three approaches to such borehole layout. and length.
For slope engineering, boreholes are drilled directly into A borehole camera is suggested to be adopted to inspect
the slope body where there are concerns relating to slope the completed borehole and investigate the strata and
surface, as shown in Fig. 3a. fractures, especially if no core is available. It is noted that
For rock dams or dam abutments, boreholes are also camera is still available in those boreholes opened by
drilled directly into the dam body and bedrock, an example percussive drilling method on condition that the boreholes
is shown in Fig. 3b. maintain straight and can be thoroughly cleaned by water.
For underground excavations, there are two approaches to
the establishment of the measuring boreholes. The first is the 4.4 Installation
direct layout: boreholes are created within the surrounding
rock mass by being drilled directly through the sidewalls, roof Installation plays a key role in the measurement of rock
or floor of the underground opening after its excavation mass displacement by the sliding micrometer. A wrong
(Fig. 3c). The second is the pre-installed method: boreholes installation out of the instructions listed as below will lead
are drilled from one or more pre-existing adjacent openings, to rotation and dislocation of the measuring marks, causing
thus making it possible to measure the entire evolutionary difficulty in moving the probe in and out of the borehole. In
process of rock mass displacement before during and after some cases, if the measuring marks cannot be firmly con-
excavation of the underground opening, as shown in Fig. 3d. nected to the surrounding rock mass, the relevant mea-
The borehole length is important in terms of ensuring suring points will not be viable, possibly resulting in
good measurement results. If identification of the EdZ is scrapping of the entire measurement borehole.
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ISRM Suggested Method for Measuring Rock Mass Displacement 649
(a) (b)
Boreholes Pre-existed
openings
Boreholes
1. The measuring tubes and telescope couplings must be 6. Grouting: After the insertion of the tubes, the
inspected, any damage or breakage is not acceptable. annular space between the measuring tubes and the
2. Clean the inner surfaces of the tubes and telescope borehole wall is grouted starting from borehole
couplings using cotton yarn, acetone may be used if bottom. The maximum power of grouting pump
there is oil on the telescope coupling surfaces. should be at least 1.0 MPa. It is mandatory that the
3. Connect each numbered tube and telescope coupling grouting should not be interrupted until the entire
using an adhesive material which can make plastic and annular space within the borehole is completely
steel firmly sticked. Note that the line marks on the grouted. The state of annular space grouting can be
surface of the tube and telescope coupling should be inferred by cement from vent/drainage pipe and
strictly aligned, and a special base tube installed at the cement volume.
bottom of the borehole should include a closure plug. 7. After grouting, the interior of the tubes should be
All of the positions with the measuring marks should flushed with clean water. The water may be left in
be sealed to prevent any ingress of grout. place or the tubes may be pumped dry after the grout
4. A tremie pipe and a vent/drainage pipe are mandatory, has set.
they are fixed to the tubes and inserted into borehole 8. A closure flange or cap should be installed over the
together. The distance between the tremie pipe outlet exposed end of the measuring tubes.
and borehole bottom should be 1.0–1.5 m. The vent/
drainage pipe can be fixed near the opening or at the
middle of the borehole, permitting air or water to come 4.5 Testing
out during the entire process of grouting.
5. Insert all the firmly connected tubes and measuring 1. Testing should be conducted by a person familiar with
marks carefully, trying to maintain the tubes straight with the equipment, and trained to recognize critical mea-
no rotation. 24 h after the solidification of the adhesive surements and their relevance to the particular project.
material, a trial measurement is needed to check the 2. The mechanical/electrical devices should be checked
status of the tubes connections and insertion. If the probe on site both before and after each day’s testing.
and probe guide can run through all the measuring marks, Instrument malfunction should be promptly investi-
the borehole opening should be plugged by cement. gated and corrected.
123
650 S. J. Li et al.
3. Before a measurement, the data controller should be Z01 ¼ ðE1 þ E2Þ=2 ð2Þ
switched on and warmed up for 20 min. The probe
should be calibrated before and after each measure- The correction factor can be expressed as:
ment, and the temperature of the test site must be K1 ¼ C=DE ð3Þ
recorded every five measuring positions during testing.
where C is a calibration constant provided by the manu-
4. After the probe, probe guide, measuring rods and cables
facturer, it is often set to be 4.725 for most of the sliding
are connected, the ‘downhole’ (i.e. going into the
micrometers.
borehole) measurement is to be carried out. The probe
Similarly, for the ‘uphole’ measurement (the probe runs
is inserted into the measuring tubes and pushed through
back from the borehole bottom to the top), the correction
to the bottom of the borehole. When the probe head is
value of the zero point (Z02) and correction factor (K2) can
located at the measuring marks with 1.0 m intervals, it
also be obtained. Thus, the final correction parameters can
can be rotated at 45° to the measuring positions (Fig. 2b)
be determined using the following formula:
and pulled to a stationary clamping position by the
measuring rods, while recording the readings of depth Z0 ¼ ðZ01 þ Z02 Þ=2 K ¼ ðK1 þ K2 Þ=2 ð4Þ
and test data immediately at this time. It is necessary to The measurement data can be corrected as:
repeat the testing at this measuring position at least three
times until the differences of the consecutive data are mc ¼ K ðma Z0 Þ ð5Þ
acceptable. If the test data are always chaotic, there is where mc is the corrected value for each measuring point,
likely to be a problem with the measuring position, so the and ma is the field measured data determined by mean
values should be recorded and measured carefully again value of three readings taken at each measuring mark.
to establish whether the position is acceptable or should
not be used. 5.2 Data Processing
5. When the probe guide reaches the bottom of the
borehole, it is suggested that the ‘uphole’ (i.e. coming Unless otherwise specified, all data should be processed
out of the borehole) measurements should be carried within 24 h of the readings being taken so as to immedi-
out at the same measuring marks during the pullback ately respond to unusual displacement. The field data
of the probe, using the same testing method as should again be scrutinized carefully and obvious errors
described above. clearly marked in the field data sheet (Table 1).
Corrected readings should be transferred to a computa-
tion and data summary sheet. An example taken from a
5 Calculations and Data Processing measurement of tunnel displacement is shown in Table 1.
The method of calculating the displacement from the field
5.1 Calculation of Correction Factor and Measurement data depends on the test objectives (slope cases, rock dams or
Data underground openings) and borehole layouts. The key prob-
lem is assuming the fixed reference point. In general, the
As mentioned previously, the calibration should be carried reference point located at the bottom of the borehole is set to
out before and after each borehole measurement using the be stationary, such as for slope engineering and direct method
special calibration device. The calculation of the correction in underground opening cases, as shown in Fig. 3a, c. How-
factor is described as follows. ever, for the pre-installed method in underground opening
Val1, Val2, and Val3 are assumed to be the three shown in Fig. 3d, a certain point near the borehole orifice may
readings of each calibration. E1 and E2 are the mean values be assumed to be the fixed reference point.
of the negative and positive readings, respectively, and can A plot of displacements at different borehole depths
be expressed as: versus time is the best means of summarizing current data,
and should be kept up to date. Figure 4 gives an example of
E1 ¼ ðVal1 þ Val2 þ Val3Þ=3 ð1aÞ measurements of a tunnel displacement by the pre-installed
E2 ¼ ðVal1 þ Val2 þ Val3Þ=3 ð1bÞ method (Li et al. 2012). The distance between point P01
and the sidewall of the test opening is 1.0 m. The relations
DE ¼ E2 E1 ð1cÞ
among displacement, time, and construction are also
where DE is the difference of E2 and E1. illustrated in Fig. 4d.
For the ‘downhole’ measurement (the probe runs from Figure 5 shows an example of the determination of the
the borehole top to the bottom), the correction value of the EdZ for a tunnel with hard rock measured by the borehole
zero point is calculated as: pre-installed method. A graphical plot of total displacement
123
ISRM Suggested Method for Measuring Rock Mass Displacement 651
Calibration parameters:
Z0 –0.06 K 1.00
Measurement data
Depth Initial
Calibrated Relative Total Comments
(m) data Mean
Down Up
value
1 −0.229 −0.288 −0.289 −0.289 −0.229 0.001 0.001
2 0.988 0.929 0.930 0.930 0.990 0.002 0.002
3 −3.588 −3.637 −3.636 −3.637 −3.577 0.012 0.014
4 −0.023 −0.080 −0.082 −0.081 −0.021 0.002 0.015
5 −0.375 −0.370 −0.372 −0.371 −0.311 0.064 0.079
6 −0.287 −0.277 −0.277 −0.277 −0.217 0.070 0.149
7 −0.281 −0.334 −0.332 −0.333 −0.273 0.008 0.158
8 −0.243 −0.315 −0.316 −0.316 −0.256 −0.012 0.145
9 −0.330 −0.453 −0.453 −0.453 −0.393 −0.063 0.082
10 0.962 0.922 0.924 0.923 0.983 0.021 0.103
11 0.090 0.055 0.055 0.055 0.115 0.025 0.128
12 0.726 0.658 0.659 0.659 0.719 −0.008 0.120
13 0.253 0.432 0.434 0.433 0.493 0.240 0.361
14 −0.355 −0.426 −0.423 −0.425 −0.365 −0.010 0.351 Not stable
15 −0.499 −0.177 −0.177 −0.177 −0.117 0.382 0.734
16 −0.384 −0.366 −0.365 −0.366 −0.306 0.079 0.812
17 0.303 0.523 0.525 0.524 0.584 0.281 1.094
18 0.038 0.050 0.051 0.051 0.111 0.072 1.166
19 0.150 0.240 0.241 0.241 0.301 0.151 1.317
20 0.976 1.435 1.435 1.435 1.495 0.519 1.835
21 0.807 1.071 1.073 1.072 1.132 0.325 2.161
versus depth should be prepared, as shown in Fig. 5a. The on the instrumentation system at the time of installation,
EdZ within the rock mass is identified by comparison of these and monitoring reports presenting the results of routine
displacements measured at different times during excavation. measurements. For those projects with hard rock and high
In most cases, it is easy to find the effective inflection point: stress, identification of the EdZ might be included.
this is defined as the position where displacement increases
continuously in the subsequent test time. The zone between 6.1 General Data Report
the effective inflection point and the slope surface or sidewall
of the underground opening is regarded as the EdZ (Fig. 5b). (a) A brief description of the test site, purpose of mea-
surement, geological condition, rock lithology, and
mechanics.
6 Reporting of Results (b) The location, rock cores, length, direction, and dip
angle of the boreholes.
All reports of results should, unless otherwise specified, (c) Testing date and time and abnormal readings of each
include general data, an installation report giving basic data borehole.
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652 S. J. Li et al.
Connection tunnel
borehole and underground
openings, b locations of some
typical measurement points, Test borehole
c relation between displacement Advancing direction
and time, d comprehensive
relation between displacement
and excavation progress of an Test opening
underground opening
(c) 2.5
Point P01
Displacement (mm)
0.5
0.0
2009-11-28 2009-12-3 2009-12-8 2009-12-132009-12-182009-12-232009-12-28 2010-1-2 2010-1-7 2010-1-12
Date (yy-mm-dd)
(d) 45 2.5
Acceleration
Excavation footage (m)
Displacement (mm)
30 Point P01
1.5
25 Point P02
20
1.0
15
10 0.5
5
0 0.0
2009-11-28 2009-12-3 2009-12-8 2009-12-132009-12-182009-12-232009-12-28 2010-1-2 2010-1-7 2010-1-12
Date (yy-mm-dd)
(d) Possible excavation method, progress and support (c) Log of drilling. For cored holes, summary log to include
during the entire measurement process if undertaken. the log of drilling and a log of the core. Inspection
(e) Description of fracture distribution and groundwater summaries of borehole camera when undertaken.
condition in boreholes. (d) Details and methods for installation, grouting, cali-
bration and test measurements. Reference may be
made to this ISRM Suggested Method stating only
6.2 Content of the Installation Report departures from the recommended procedures.
(e) For each borehole, a diagram that relates the specific
(a) A description and diagrams of all components of the instrument to the entire project showing the rock
sliding micrometer including procedures employed. conditions and displacement evaluation by numerical
Reference may be made to the present method. simulation or analogy for such kind of ground condi-
(b) Record of type and details of drilling equipment used. tion. This should include: the station or co-ordinates
123
ISRM Suggested Method for Measuring Rock Mass Displacement 653
Displacement(mm)
of the identification of the EdZ 1.5 2009-12-24 2009-12-26
corresponding to the effective 2009-12-28 2009-12-30
inflection point of 2010-01-02 2010-01-03
displacements as shown in (a) 1.0 2010-01-05 2010-01-07
2010-01-09 2010-01-10
2010-01-12
0.5
0.0
-0.5
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Borehole depth (m)
(b)
Test borehole
Pre-existed EdZ
opening Test opening
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