Site Investigation and In Situ Tests 10-17

FIGURE 10.6 Rock cores in a core box.

temperature may subject samples to unacceptable conditions during transport, the samples
are placed in suitable core boxes that provide cushioning or thermal insulation. The proper-
ties of soft rocks depend to some extent on their moisture content. Representative samples
of such rocks should therefore be preserved by coating them completely with a thick layer of
wax after removing the softened skin. Core photography in color is performed on all cores
to permanently record the unaltered appearance of the rock. Based on the length of rock core
recovered from each run, the following quantities may be calculated for a general evaluation
of the rock quality encountered:

 Length of the core recovered 

Core recovery =  × 100  % (10.3)
 Total length of the core run 

and


RQD = 
Σ Lengths of intact pieces of recovered core ≥ 100 mm 
× 100  % (10.4)
 Total length of the core run 

where RQD is the rock quality designation. A core recovery of 100% indicates the presence
of intact rock; for fractured rocks, the core recovery will be TABLE 10.2 Relation between
smaller than 100%. RQD is used to define the quality of the RQD and In Situ Rock Quality
rock mass as given in Table 10.2.
It is important that a sample be accurately identified RQD (%) Rock Quality
with the test pit and borehole and the depth below reference <25 Very poor
ground surface from which it was taken. A waterproof iden- 25–50 Poor
tification tag is placed inside the container, and an identifi- 50–75 Fair
cation number is also marked outside the container and 75–90 Good
>90 Excellent
box.

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