Preface to the Second Edition

It has been more than a decade since the first edition of this book was published.
During this time, much progress has been made in the field of rock mechanics
and rock engineering, including the 2008 release of the World Stress Map
(WSM) and the development of the three-dimensional Hoek-Brown strength
criteria. This, along with the popular reception of the first edition of the book,
has motivated the author to update the book with a second edition. The purpose
of preparing the second edition is to expand the various topics presented in the
first edition and add new topics that have either gained in importance or been
developed since the publication of the first edition.
Because many readers are familiar with the layout of the first edition, the
same format with the same number of chapters is followed in the second edition.
Yet all chapters have been revised to include the latest development in rock
mechanics and rock engineering. The following is a summary of the main addi-
tions and changes:
l Chapter 1: A new section has been added to describe briefly the rock expert
system for evaluation of rock engineering properties.
l Chapter 2: The ISRM suggested method for establishing the final rock stress
model has been added in the section on the strategy for determining in situ
rock stresses. The 2004 WSM has been replaced by the 2008 one. Also, new
empirical relations between in situ stresses and depth have been added.
l Chapter 3: Many new typical values and empirical correlations for the index
properties of intact rock have been added.
l Chapter 4: The effect of direction on rock quality designation (RQD) has
been briefly discussed. New methods for determining discontinuity fre-
quency and trace length using planar and nonplanar sampling windows have
been included. New information has been added on determination of block
size for rock masses containing nonpersistent discontinuities. The discus-
sion on discontinuity shape has also been expanded.
l Chapter 5: New methods for estimating the geological strength index (GSI)
have been included. A new section has been added to describe the rock mass
index (RMi). A number of new empirical correlations between different
classification indices have been added. The section on classification of
weathering of rock is also expanded.
l Chapter 6: New data and empirical relations for the elastic modulus of intact
rock have been added. New subsections have been added on the Poisson’s

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ratio of intact rock and rock masses, respectively. The section on evaluating
the deformation modulus of rock masses has been expanded by including
new methods. The discussion on scale effect and anisotropy for rock
deformability has also been updated.
l Chapter 7: New data and empirical relations for the unconfined compressive
strength (UCS) and tensile strength of intact rock have been added. The sec-
tion on evaluating the UCS of rock masses has been expanded by including
new methods especially those based on RQD. Two new sections, one on the
three-dimensional Hoek-Brown strength criteria and the other on the resid-
ual strength, have been added. The discussion on scale effect and anisotropy
for rock strength has also been updated.
l Chapter 8: The section on the permeability of rock masses has been expand-
ed by including new empirical relations between permeability and porosity
and those between permeability and RQD and RMR. The discussion on the
effect of different factors and the anisotropy of rock permeability has also
been updated by including new data.
It is believed that this is still one of the very few books devoted to the evaluation
of rock engineering properties. As with the first edition, it is still intended to be a
book that provides a single source of information and serves as a valuable tool
for practitioners to determine the engineering properties of rocks required for
particular projects. It is also a useful reference for researchers and students
to look into the typical values of different rock properties and the factors
affecting them.
I would like to add some acknowledgments to those I made in the preface to
the first edition. Working with the Elsevier staff was once again a pleasure. I
thank, in particular, Andr
e Gerhard Wolff, the Publisher of Elsevier S&T
Books, and Mariana K€ uhl Leme, the Editorial Project Manager of Elsevier
S&T Books. I moved from industry back to academia in 2007. My gratitude
extends to my colleagues in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineer-
ing Mechanics at the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, as well as my students,
from whom I learn new things all the time. Finally, I would like to thank my
wife and two children for their understanding and support during the prepara-
tion of this book.

Lianyang Zhang
Tucson, AZ