MODULE 4

LABORATORY AND FIELD

TESTING OF ROCKS
 OVERVIEW
• Laboratory tests :
• Tension- Split tensile / Brazilian test
• Shear –UCC and Triaxial test
• Flexure- Beam bending test
• Elastic Modulus by Brazilian and bending tests
• Insitu tests:
• Deformability- PLT, Uniaxial jacking, Pressuremeter
• Shear strength- Insitu direct shear test
• Internal stresses- Hydraulic fracturing, Flat
jack tests, stress relief technique
 ROCKS
• Naturally formed, solidly bonded mass of minerals which cannot be easily
disintegrated by hand or by a single wetting and drying cycle
• Rock  progressive fracture  soils transported

• Distinction? UCS qu> 1MPa Rock

• Response of rock to different loads important

• Depends on : rock mechanical properties, and geological features

Applications
 Complexities in rock analysis
• Specimen properties different from mass properties
• Anisotropic and heterogeneous
• Time and scale dependent
• Coupled geological processes
 Primary classification of rocks
• Based on origin
1. Igneous: by cooling and solidification of molten lava or
magma
Eg: Granite, Basalt

2. Sedimentary: By weathering of igneous rocks and transportation by

several agents Deposited in layers(weak planes) Eg: limestone,
sandstone

3. Metamorphic: Formed from igneous or sedimentary rocks, due to changes

induced by heat and pressure eg: marble (from limestone), Shale (from
sandstone)
 ROCK SAMPLING
• Using percussion drilling or
core drilling
• Preparation IS 9179-1979
• Expensive
• Borelog: Borehole no:, location,
orientation of borehole, drilling
technique, drilling progress,
flush returns, standing water
level
• State of recovery  important
to be noted
• Labelled in coreboxes: with
site name, BH no: , contract
details, labels on lid and
sample
• Rock core recovery noted
 Lab tests for Mechanical Properties
1. Triaxial Test
2. Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS)
3. Ring shear Test
4. Split Tensile Test/ Brazilian Test
5. Beam bending Test for Flexure
 1. Triaxial test on rock
• Conducted by applying confining pressure to a desired value and
axially loading the specimen in the compression testing machine till
failure
• The axial load and the confining pressure are increased simultaneously
and in such a way that to maintain a hydrostatic condition until the
predetermined test level for the confining pressure is reached.
• Subsequently the confining pressure has to be maintained in
the predetermined level till failure occurs with axial loading.
• Three minimum test need to be conducted at three different confining
pressure levels to get the three different failure loads but testing on five
specimens are preferred at 5 different levels of confining pressure and
gives more reliable results (IS 13047).
 Apparatus

Test cell

Hydraulic pump
 Procedure
• Confining pressure applied by means of hydraulic pump and
maintained through the oil, filled in the cell.
• Axial load  applied at a constant rate of deformation or loading in a
loading machine.
• Each test provides one point(peak strength) on the failure envelope
minimum 3 done under various confining pressures  Mohr circles
drawn
• With the increase in confining pressure the peak failure stress also
increases
and the corresponding Mohr envelops drawn
• From this the value of the internal friction angle ϕ and the apparent
cohesion 'c' may be obtained.
• The cohesion and friction values of the rock material is determined from the
best fit line (usually the Mohr- coulomb failure envelope)
 2.Unconfined Compressive Strength of Rock(UCS)

 The uniaxial compressive strength is the value of compressive stress at

which
the specimen fails.
 The compressive strength is usually obtained by compression testing

machine.
 This test is usually conducted in straight circular cylindrical .

 Load on the specimen shall be applied continuously at a constant stress rate

such that the failure will occur within 5-10 minutes of loading.
 For practical consideration atleast five numbers of tests are preferred.
UCS test under progress with 200t capacity compression testing
machine
Modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio

From uniaxial compression test, young's modulus of

elasticity and Poisson's ratio of rock specimen are
determined if the stress strain behaviour till peak is
captured. The slope of the stress-strain curve is
basically gives the elastic modulus of the specimen.
 Young's modulus defined as the ratio of the axial stress change to axial strain rate
produced by the stress change may be calculated using any one of several
methods plotted by stress - strain curve.
 Tangent young's modulus is measured at stress level which is fixed percentage of
the ultimate strength (shown in Figure a).
 Secant young's modulus measured from zero stress to some fixed percentage of
the ultimate strength taken generally at 50% (shown in Figure b).
 Poisson's ratio shall be calculated as the ratio of the total diametric strain to the
total axial strain at any given stress level.
PROCEDURE
 It is more commonly used test for rocks to determine its
strength but it should be done carefully for accurate
results.
 The samples obtained during exploration are trimmed
as per requirements.
 The specimen should in the cylindrical form and length
to width ratio of specimen should be varying from 2 to
2.5
 The ends of specimen should be exactly perpendicular to
the axis of cylinder and ends should be flat, smooth and
parallel.
The dia of specimen should not be less than
35mm. generally 45 mm dia is preferable as per
IS:9143-1979.
The specimen is placed in compression testing
machine and subjected to compression with a
stress rate of 0.5 to 1.0MPa per second.
Note down the peak load value (P) where it fails
and find out the strength of rock using below
formula.Where A
= initial c/s area of specimen.
q u = P/A
Some typical values of compressive strength of some
rocks
 4. Brazilian Test
• The Brazilian test is a simple indirect testing method to obtain the
tensile strength of brittle material such as concrete, rock, and rock-like
materials.
• Due to its simplicity and efficiency, it is the most commonly
used laboratory testing methods in geotechnical investigation of rocks.
• In this test, a thin circular disc is diametrically compressed to failure.
Four typical loading configurations are shown in Fig
The indirect tensile strength is typically calculated based on the
assumption that failure occurs at the point of maximum tensile
stress, i.e., at the center of the disc.

ROCK
SPECIMEN
BRAZILIAN TEST APPARATUS

• The instrument is useful for testing specimen from 50mm dia to 100mm and
of thickness of half the diameter.
• The specimen is held in circular jaws, this is primarily similar to a
compression machine and consists of a small load frame having sturdy base
with two vertical threaded rods and an adjustable cross head.
• The hydraulic jack is fitted at the centre of the base of the load frame
• The jack of the load frame is self retracting and two plain platens are
supplied.
• A pressure gauge capacity 0-100 kN is fixed at the base of jack
• A maximum pointer is also provided on the gauge, a pair of semi
circular
platens for 50mm dia samples also provided.
•
 PROCEDURE
• In the Brazilian test, a disc shape specimen of the rock is loaded by two
opposing normal strip loads at the disc periphery.
• The specimen diameter shall preferably be not less than NX core size (54
mm), or at least 10 times the average grain size.
• The thickness/diameter ratio should be 0.5 to 0.6.The load is
continuously increased at a constant rate until failure of the sample occurs
within few minutes.
• The loading rate depending on the material and may from 10 to 50 kN/min.
• At the failure, the tensile strength of the rock is calculated as follows.

where ,
P- load at failure (N),
D- diameter of the test specimen (mm)
t -thickness of the test specimen measured at the center (mm).
 INSITU TESTING OF ROCKS
• Limitations of laboratory testing:
– Wrong extrapolation on behaviour of rock mass
– Sample disturbance
– Scale and time dependent

• Insitu tests preferred –esp. for determining insitu rock stresses and
deformability, shear strength of rock mass, rock mass
permeability
• Limitations of insitu tests-
– High and non uniform strain rates
– No control over drainage conditions
– Expensive and time consuming
– Poorly defined
Affected by siteboundary conditions
conditions
 Test
s
• 1. Tests for shear strength

• 2. General Strength Tests

• 3. Tests for deformability

• 4. Tests for internal stresses

 I. SHEAR STRENGTH TESTS
• INSITU DIRECT SHEAR TEST
• The test is to find out the insitu cohesion and friction values.
• In this test, peak & residual direct shear strength are measured as a function
of stress normal to the sheared plane, on the same test horizon with each
specimen tested at a different normal stress keeping it constant for the
particular observation.
• Equipments : equipment for cutting & encapsulating the test block- rock saws,
drills, hammer & chisels, formwork of appropriate dimensions & rigidity,
expanded polystyrene sheeting & steel shear box (700 x 700 x 350 mm),
equipment for applying normal load usually hydraulic jacks, equipment for
applying the shear force usually hydraulic jacks, equipment for measuring the
applied forces, pumps and pressure gages and equipment for measuring shear,
normal & lateral displacements.
Schematic view of test apparatus
 1. INSITU PLATE LOAD TEST

• Deformability of rock mass is characterized by a modulus describing

the
relationship between the applied load and the resulting deformation
• Plate load test on rocks is for finding the deformation modulus as
rock mass usually doesn‟t behave elastically.
EQUIPMENTS

• 1. Dead loading platform

• 2. Hydraulic Jack assembly
• 3. Pump with calibrated pressure
gauge.
• 4. Circular bearing plates
• 5. Precise dial gauges
Plate load test
2. UNIAXIAL JACKING TEST (IS: 7317-
1993)
• The test is conducted in drift in two directions (horizontal and vertical).

• Load is applied on rigid plate in increments and displacement of plate and

rock mass below the plate is measured with multiple positions of
borehole extensometers (MPBX) in reference to a base anchor.
• Assuming rock mass homogeneous and semi-infinite, Boussinesq
principle
of stress distribution under point load is applied.
• The observed displacements at various depths and corresponding to
the order of stress, values for modulus have been estimated.
• The test methodology suggested by
Equipments and procedure
• Test preparation equipments excavation tools
• Deformation measuring units
• Loading equipments
• Load applied on 2 parallel faces of a section of drift
• Drift size minimum 1.25m wide and 2.2m high
• Starting load_ 0.5 Kg/cm2
• Test surface prepared
• Concrete pads between loading plate and rock
• Sufficient time for cement mortar to set, before test
• Minimum 6 cycles
 3.PRESSUREMETER TEST

• To measure the “at-rest horizontal earth pressure” and soil/soft rock

modulus.
• Louis Menard from France in 1955
• Applications:
– • Bearing capacity of shallow and deep foundations

– • Settlement of all types of foundations

– • Deformation of laterally loaded piles and sheet piles

– • Resistance of anchors
 Procedur
•e Performed by applying pressure to the sidewalls of the borehole.

• Two units, one readout unit that rests on the ground surface and a probe
that is inserted into the borehole.
• Probe inserted into the borehole upto desired depth supported by guard
cells
• Measuring cell- and inflatable rubber membrane filled with water
expands, exerting uniform pressure on borehole wall.  walls deform
• The pressure within the measuring cell is held constant for approximately 60
seconds and the increase in volume required to maintain the constant
pressure is recorded.

•
 III. STRENGTH TESTS
• Bearing capacity test:  Plate load test
• Compressive strength test:
– Load applied on a rock column through jacks  deformation recorded by
dial gauges  Loading pad ensures uniform loading loaded till failure
empirical relations used
• Tensile strength test:
– Commonly used test is pull test
– 20-25cm deep hole drilled into rock mass Pull applied inserting
hydraulic jack failure envelope forms a cone around the drilled hole
tensile strength estimated as a function of radius of cone formed