ROCK MECHANICS

Rock mechanics

*It is a branch of mechanics

concerned with the response of
rock and rock masses to the force
fields of their physical
environment.
*Discipline that uses the
principles of mechanics to
describe the behaviour of rock on
engineering scale.
Scope of Rock Mechanics
Civil Engineering
* Evaluation of Geological hazards
* Selection of construction materials
* Selection and layuot of construction site
Mining Engineering
*Analysis stability
*Design of blasting operation
*Design of support systems
 Petroleum Engineering
*Design of instrumentation program
*Evaluation of Excavation Characteristics

Geology
* Studies of deformation at high
temperature and pressure.
APPLICATION OF ROCK MECHANICS
Surface Stucture - are structural elements that are able to
transfer load basically through. membrane stresses.
Surface structures have small thickness compare to their
other dimensions.
*Low rise (housing)
*High rise (tower)
*High load (dams)
Transfortation Routes - the regular path that is followed
by a movement of people or goods.
*Highway/railway
*Canals
*Pipelines
Shallow Excavation - defined as being anything less than 1.5
metres deep, which is not very deep; a relatively short person
could comfortably see over the top.
*Quarries
*Strip mines
*Trenches
Deep Excavation - defined as being any excavation which
is more than 4.5 metres in depth and considerable a
height indeed.
* Mines
* Tunnels
* Underground Chambers (power stations, storage)
Energy Development - defined as the development of
obtaining, distributing, and exploiting the energy sector
and is based on sustainability principles.
*Petroleum
*Geothermal
*Nuclear (power plant, waste diposal)
EXAMPLES OF ROCKS ALL
OVER THE WORLD

:How dynamics are rocks?