SEMINAR ON TRIAXIAL TEST ON ROCK MASSES AND RQD

SUBJECT :Rock Mechanics and Tunneling

Name :Rahul Keshriyar
Roll No.MT/CE/10002/23
 ROCK QUALITY DESIGNATION (RQD)

• The Rock Quality Designation index (RQD)

introduced by Deere (Deere et. al 1967) to
provide a quantitative estimate of rock mass
quality from drill core logs.
• It is defined as the percentage of intact core
pieces longer than 100 mm (4 inches) in the
total length of core.
• The core should be at least NW size (54.7 mm
or 2.15 inches in diameter) and should be
drilled with a double-tube core barrel.
 NUMBER OF DISCONTINUITIES PER UNIT VOLUME

• Palmström (1982) suggested that, when no core is

available but discontinuity traces are visible in surface
exposures or exploration audits, the RQD may be
estimated from the number of discontinuities per unit
volume. The suggested relationship for clay-free rock
masses is:

RQD = 115 - 3.3 Jv

where, Jv is the sum of the number of joints per unit length
for all joint (discontinuity) sets known as the volumetric
joint count.
Factor RQD Depend
• RQD is a directionally dependent parameter and its
value may change significantly, depending upon the
borehole orientation.
• The use of the volumetric joint count can be quite
useful in reducing this directional dependence. RQD is
intended to represent the rock mass quality in situ.
• When using diamond drill core, care must be taken to
ensure that fractures, which have been caused by
handling or the drilling process, are identified and
ignored when determining the value of RQD.
Result obtained
• Obtaining rock core is expensive must therefore more care
should be taken while extracting core. For RQD
calculations, one need to use only the natural joints, proper
check should be done to identify any man made fractures
in the core pieces during drilling or handling
• operation. There is some difference between natural
discontinuities and will normally will be planar, discolored,
weathered, usually form in sets and sometimes in filled
with clay or gouge material. On the other hand, manmade
fractures will normally be irregular and fresh usually
random.
Triaxial Compression Test in Rock

• Triaxial tests are widely used in geotechnical engineering both in soil

and rock mechanics. Specimens are axially loaded to failure while a
confining pressure is constantly applied. As a result, the behavior of
geomaterials is investigated in a three-dimensional stress state.
• The principal stresses (the maximum and minimum normal stresses
acting on a plane at which the shear stress is zero) in 3-dimensional
objects are three (σ1> σ2> σ3). In nature, the principal stresses may
differ. However, in laboratory triaxial tests, the intermediate stress σ2
is equal to σ3. Conducting laboratory tests in which all applied
principal stresses differ is challenging and is not widely used.
• The confining pressure is determined and remains constant during a
test. The sample is initially loaded isotropically until the principal
stresses are equal to the predetermined confining pressure. Then, the
axial stress, σ1, increases at a certain rate until the specimen fails and
the maximum σ1 is recorded.
Sample preparation
• Test samples are obtained by core drilling and must be selected to be representative of the rock formation
examined.
• The specimens should be tested within 30 days of the drilling date to preserve their initial conditions (e.g.
natural water content).
• It should be pointed out, that saturation or pore-pressure built up is not a critical issue in rock mechanics
since the porosity of rocks is much lower than that of soils, thus testing a dry or a saturated sample would
not significantly affect the results.
• The sample shape is cylindrical and the diameter must range from 38 to 54 millimeters. The diameter is
derived by taking measures at the top, mid and the bottom parts of the specimen with a tolerance of 0.1
millimeters.
• The height to diameter (H/D) ratio must be between 2.0 and 3.0. The height should be determined to the
nearest millimeter. Moreover, the size of the largest frock fragment should be maximum 10% of the
sample’s diameter.
• The ends of the samples must be smoothed so that the top and bottom surfaces are flat with a tolerance of
±0.01 mm. This ensures that the applied loads are uniformly transmitted to the sample and there is no
loading eccentricity.
• The lateral sides of the specimen must be smooth and not present irregularities within 0.3mm tolerance.
Testing Procedure

• A cylindrical rock specimen is placed in a

specifically designed cell (such as a Hoek cell). A
specially designed membrane is attached to the cell
so that it remains airtight. The lateral pressure is
hydrostatic and is applied through a liquid (usually
oil) which is pumped into the membrane. A
hydraulic pump or a servomotor capable of
regulating pressure within 1% accuracy is utilized.
The specimen is axially enclosed by steel spherical
seats. To derive the vertical and circumferential
deformation of the sample, strain gauges can be
used. However, it is not mandatory to record the
strain response when conducting a triaxial test.
Testing Procedure
• The Hoek cell is then placed in the loading apparatus that is used to apply a vertical
load to the specimen. Modern loading systems are servo-control devices that apply a
hydraulic pressure at a constant rate. The loading rate (kN/s) is selected so that the
specimen fails in approximately 10 minutes (5-15 min). If there is already data about
the maximum σ1 under a constant σ3 (derived from previous tests), this rate can be
calculated. Otherwise, a logical assumption should be made based on existing
knowledge on the behavior of the tested material.
• The lateral pressure is applied at the same rate selected for the axial load until it
reaches the prescribed value. Once this confining pressure is reached, it should be
maintained within 2% accuracy.
• The loading machine must be stiff and sufficient of applying the maximum required
pressure for a rock specimen to fail. In addition, it should be frequently calibrated to
correctly derive the loading measures.
Results and Calculations

• The raw data of a triaxial test include the dimensions of the

sample, the lateral pressure σ3, the axial load P, the duration
of the test, which must be within the required limits, and, if
strain gauges are utilized, the deformation measurements.
• Firstly, the cross-sectional area of the sample is calculated as:

• where D is the diameter of the sample.

Results and Calculations
• The axial stress is derived by dividing the axial load with the specimen’s cross-sectional area:

• where P is the axial load.

• If deformations measurements are recorded, the stress-strain response of the sample is
plotted. The axial and circumferential strains, eA and eC, respectively are both calculated as:

• where R is the initial electrical resistance of the strain gauge, ΔR is the change in resistance due
to deformation and k is a gage factor. After a sequence of at least 3 triaxial tests, failure
envelopes of the rock samples are derived.
MOST COMMON FAILURE CRITERIA USED IN ROCK
MECHANICS
• The Mohr-Coulomb (M-C) Failure Criterion
• he M-C Failure Criterion correlates the shear strength and the
normal effective stress that act on the failure plane. It can be
also expressed in terms of principal stresses as:
• Where t is the shear strength of the material, c is the
cohesion, φ is the friction angle, σn is the normal stress acting
on the failure plane, σ1 and σ3 are the principal stresses.
• The M-C criterion is utilized due to its simplicity and its
universal acceptance in geotechnical engineering. However,
the H-B criterion was developed based on a series of
laboratory tests in many rock types that showed there is a
non-linear correlation between principal stresses in rocks’
brittle failure.
 The principal stresses correlation in H-B Criterion is expressed as:

• where σci is the uniaxial compressive strength, mi is

a constant based on the rock type, σ1 and σ3 are the
principal stresses.
• After conducting at least 3 triaxial tests in different
lateral pressures, the best-fit envelopes of the
criterion selected are plotted and the parameters of
each one (cohesion, friction angle in M-C
and mi, σci in H-B) are derived. Nevertheless, in H-
B criterion, most of the times σci is already
determined from Uniaxial Compression Tests on
the material. It is critical to ensure that the samples
derive from the same core or rock block and
present similar properties.
EXAMPLE OF DERIVING THE M-C AND THE
H-B CRITERIA PARAMETERS
• Assume 4 triaxial tests were conducted
on a specific type of rock specimens.
The pre-determined lateral stresses and
the corresponding axial stresses on
failure are presented
EXAMPLE OF DERIVING THE M-C
AND THE H-B CRITERIA
PARAMETERS
• Based on the best-fit curves, the parameters for the two
failure criteria are derived