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Şen2000 Article RockQualityDesignationModelFor
Şen2000 Article RockQualityDesignationModelFor
Mathematical Geology [mg] PL098-20 September 5, 2000 14:29 Style file version June 30, 1999
An important factor in the rock quality assessment analysis from discontinuity measurements along a
scanline is the correlation of intact lengths. The autorun model and first order autorun coefficient are
proposed as a method for objectively quantifying intact length correlation structure and discontinuity
occurrences along any scanline. Necessary definitions for the methodology are presented on a quan-
titative basis such as the alternative intact length percentages and experimental autorun coefficient.
An expression is proposed for the number of discontinuity occurrences along a scanline depending
on the scanline length, alternate intact length percentages, and the autorun coefficient. Monte Carlo
simulation technique is used with a suitable autorun model to verify this expression. A mathematical
expression is derived for the expected Rock Quality Designation (RQD) value by taking into account
the correlation of the intact lengths. Additional simulations show the validity of the new RQD expres-
sion. With the methodology proposed much less engineering experience and judgment are required in
estimating the RQD value from scanline measurements. The application of the methodology has been
presented for some field data.
KEY WORDS: autorun; fracture; intact length; quality; rock; simulation; spacing.
INTRODUCTION
Fractures of all sizes including microcracks, joints, and faults are well known for
their effects on mechanical and fluid transportation properties of rocks. Mechani-
cal properties, such as elasticity constant and shear strength, are strongly affected
by the presence of fractures. Fractures also control the hydraulic conductivity of
the rocks. The shape, size, number, and strength of contacts between surfaces
control mechanical properties. The separation between surfaces, or the aperture,
determines transport properties. Joint surveys are an integral part of rock mass
characterization studies in rock engineering because the strength, deformation,
and flow behavior of rock masses are influenced strongly by the geometry and en-
gineering properties of discontinuities. Collection of geometric data on rock mass
985
0882-8121/00/1100-0985$18.00/1 °
C 2000 International Association for Mathematical Geology
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986 Şen
RQD ELEMENTS
100 X
∗
n
RQD = x∗ (1)
L i=1 i
where L is the total scanline length, n ∗ ≤ n is the number of intact lengths, xi∗ ,
intact length greater than a threshold value, say, t. It is obvious that RQD varies
from 0 to 100.
For the sake of convenience, alternative intact lengths are considered as
elements ai (i = 1, 2, . . . , k) in set A and b j ( j = 1, 2, . . . , l) in set B, where
k and l are the number of intact lengths in each set. It is obvious that k + l = n,
which is the total number of intact lengths. Furthermore, in an alternate sequence
practically with no loss of generality k = l = n/2. In short, the intact lengths
along a scanline will be an alternative combination of elements from two sets—
namely, A = (a1 , a2 , . . . , ak ) and B = (b1 , b2 , . . . , bl )—as shown in Figure 1A. In
such a combination, the correlation structure of sequence a1 b1 , a2 b2 , . . . , an/2 bn/2
(see Fig. 1B), is of utmost importance in addition to various statistical descrip-
tions of intact lengths. Besides, it may well be that the intact lengths in set A
have different probability distribution function (PDF) than B. However, this point
lies outside the scope of this paper. Of course, assumption of uncorrelated intact
lengths simplifies the analytical derivation of RQD but at the cost of precision.
Due to such an assumption there is no term representing the correlation of intact
lengths in any RQD formulations that are available so far in the literature.
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988 Şen
The major elements that affect the RQD calculations are as follows:
1. The Number of Discontinuities: As mentioned earlier, practically, half of
this number will be attached to intact lengths of set A and the second half
to set B.
2. Intact Length PDF: It has been assumed in the majority of RQD studies
as negative exponential type (Priest and Hudson, 1976, 1981). However,
the log-normal (Roulean and Gale, 1985) or uniform and Gamma PDF’s
(Şen, 1984) are also employed in practice.
3. Correlation Structure: Significant correlation affects not only the disconti-
nuity occurrences but also the intact lengths. This point is ignored invari-
ably in any of the previous RQD studies in the literature. However, only
some indirect procedures have been proposed for accounting the intact
length correlation (Higgs, 1984).
4. Threshold Value: It is a fixed value as 0.1 m or 4 inches below which the
intact lengths are not considered in the RQD calculations.
The first two elements are stochastic variables and in nature they are affected
by correlation structure. For instance, logically any increase in the correlation
implies the occurrence of longer intact lengths along a scanline than the case where
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the intact length are independent. It also implies that the number of discontinuities
decreases with increasing correlation. Hence, in general, existence of relatively
longer intact lengths (or lesser number of discontinuities) along a scanline implies
improvement in its quality and hence high RQD.
CORRELATION MEASUREMENT
Assuming uncorrelated intact lengths, Priest and Hudson (1976) have pre-
sented the analytical formulation of expected RQD as
990 Şen
2n k
rk = (3)
n−k
L
E(n) = (4)
E(x)
On the other hand, RQD as appears in Equation (1) is equivalent to the summation
of random number of random variables; by taking the expectations of both sides
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100 E(x ∗ )
E(RQD) = E(n)E(x ∗ ) = (5)
L E(x)
in which E(x ∗ ) is the expectation of intact lengths greater than a threshold value t.
Due to the fact that E(x ∗ ) < E(x), the ratio of expectations in the expression
always assumes a value between 0 and 100. The expectations on the right-hand
side of Equation (5) can be found analytically provided that the PDF of random
variables concerned are known.
It can be shown, similar to autorun modeling (Şen, 1985), that the PDF’s of
k successive heads and tails are of geometric distribution types as
and
· ¸k−1
p p
P(n t = k) = (1 − r1 ) 1 − (1 − r1 ) (7)
q q
1
E(n h ) = (8)
1 − r1
and
q
E(n t ) = (9)
p(1 − r1 )
The number of set A intact lengths is one less or more than set B intact
lengths. In other words, practically they may be assumed as equals, and therefore,
each type of intact length has its probability of occurrence equal to 0.5. With
this information, the overall expectation of intact lengths E(x) becomes E(x) =
0.5E(n h ) + 0.5E(n t ), which by considering Equations (8) and (9) leads to
1
E(x) = (10)
2 p(1 − r1 )
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992 Şen
Figure 2. Average number of discontinuity vs. scanline length for different autorun
coefficients.
or from Eq. (4) one can find the expected number of discontinuities as
In order to verify the validity of this expression, extensive Monte Carlo sim-
ulations have been carried out and the results are shown in Figure 2. It is obvious
that a very good agreement has been observed between the simulation and ana-
lytical formulation. Finally, the average number of discontinuities, λr1 = E(x)/L
per unit length becomes
where the subscript signifies the correlatedness of the intact lengths. The probabil-
ity P(k) of k discontinuity occurrences along a scanline of length x at an average
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Since interest lies in the discontinuity spacing PDF, by considering the distance
d from one discontinuity to the following it is possible to write that P(d ≤ x) =
1 − P(k = 1), and hence, substitution of Equation (13) with k = 1 leads to cumu-
lative PDF as
By taking its derivative with respect to x the PDF, f (x), of intact lengths becomes
Subsequently, the expectation of intact lengths that are more than t can be found
according to
Z ∞
E(x ∗ ) = x f (x) d x
t
1 + 2 p(1 − r1 )t −2 p(1−r1 )t
E(x ∗ ) = e (14)
2 p(1 − r1 )
Finally, the substitution of Eqs. (10) and (14) into Equation (5) gives
For independent intact lengths, r1 = 0.5, and the occurrences of unit intact lengths
comply with the binomial distribution, which implies to geometric intact length dis-
tribution with E(x) = 1/ p or λ = p = 0.5, and therefore Equation (15) becomes
identical to what was suggested by Priest and Hudson (1976) as in Equation (2). In
light of aforementioned discussions, Equation (15) can be rewritten, in general, as
The validity of this formula is checked with extensive Monte Carlo simula-
tion technique by using autorun model for generating correlated intact lengths as
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994 Şen
proposed by Şen (1985). First of all, estimates of average intact lengths of sets A
and B are calculated as
1 X k
nA = (n A )i (17)
m A i=1
and
1 X l
nB = (n B )i (18)
m B i=1
r A = (n A − 1)/n A (19)
Similarly, the geometric PDF parameter r B , for set B intact lengths turns out to be
r B = (n B − 1)/n B (20)
996 Şen
4. The difference between the dependent and independent intact length RQD
values is relatively less significant at small λ values than big λ’s. In fact,
at 5% relative error level the correlated intact lengths do not lead to sig-
nificantly different RQD values provided that λ < 3 and 10% error level
when λ < 10. In Figure 3 upper and lower confidence limits at 5 and 10%
significance levels are shown around the Priest and Hudson independent
intact length solution. It is obvious that for a small average number of
discontinuities their solution gives confident RQD estimates even though
the intact lengths are dependent. However, for a big average number of
discontinuities the significance of intact length correlation becomes very
pronounced in the RQD estimations.
APPLICATIONS
E(RQD)
Site Scanline λ (1/m) p q r1 Eq. (3) Eq. (16) Error (%)
E(RQD)
Scanline λ (1/m) p q r1 Eq. (3) Eq. (16) Error (%)
It is obvious that the use of the independent intact length RQD formulation
does not yield significant deviations from the dependent intact length case for two
reasons. First of all, because the average number of discontinuities are all less
than 3, and therefore, as already explained in the previous section even if intact
lengths are strongly correlated, there is no practical significant difference, i.e., the
relative error is less than 5%. On the other hand, the autorun coefficients are rather
close to 0.5, which also confirms the approximation in the results of E(RQD)
calculations either by the use of Equation (2) or (16).
The second set of data for the implementation of the methodology are ex-
tracted from a previous study by Ryckes (1984) on modes of failure and stabil-
ity of rock slopes in the Tytherington quarry, which is located halfway between
Thurnbury and Tytherington for about 16 km north of Bristol in the county of Avon,
England. The Paleozoic rocks of the lower coal series in the area are effected by
many movements in the past that led to faults, folds, and unconformaties with
different patterns of intact lengths. Because of these different mechanisms, it is
not possible to expect all intact lengths to have independent correlation structure.
In order to depict the regional discontinuity pattern in this area, three scanlines
were set up at different directions. The bedding plane orientation is almost hori-
zontal for the first scanline, which will be referred to as SL1. The second scanline
SL2 has a direction of 20◦ toward the southwest whereas the third, SL3, has an
intermediate inclination to the former. The necessary parameters as well as the
E(RQD) calculations are presented in Table 2.
The major difference between Tables 1 and 2 is that the average discontinuity
number of scanlines in Table 2 are far bigger than Saudi Arabian measurements;
however, the autorun coefficients in Table 2 are invariably less than 0.5, indicating
that there are negatively correlated intact lengths. Consequently, the Priest and
Hudson formulation [Eq. (2)] gives an overestimation.
CONCLUSIONS
998 Şen
correlation, and if its value is equal to 0.5, then the occurrences of intact lengths
or discontinuity numbers are independent and hence the expected RQD formula-
tions are reliable. Otherwise, related intact lengths, in general, lead to RQD values
significantly different than the independent case and the classical formulations do
not apply or in the best they provide biased estimations only.
The correlated intact lengths have been modeled by an autorun model and
total discontinuity number along a scanline is expressed in terms of alternative
intact length concept, first autorun coefficient, and the length of the scanline.
The validity of such a formulation has been checked by extensive Monte Carlo
simulation technique on digital computers. The formulation of RQD value by
considering correlation structure has been derived analytically and verified again
by Monte Carlo simulation techniques.
It has been shown that the difference between dependent and independent
intact length RQD is practically insignificant for small discontinuity numbers.
However, for intact lengths less than 3 the dependence does not yield significant
deviations from the independent intact length calculations at 10% relative error
level.
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