Rock Mechanics for
Mining and Petroleum
Engineers
Prodeepta Neogi
Course Code: PME Lecturer
211 Dept. of PME, MIST
Introduction to Rock
Mechanics
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Course Materials
Main Book:
◉ Rock Mechanics for Underground Mining; - B.H.G Brady and
E.T. Brown
Reference Book:
◉ Fundamentals of Rock Mechanics – Jaeger, Cook and
Zimmerman
◉ Engineering Properties of Soils and Rocks – F. G. Bell
◉ Principles of Engineering Geology – Johnson R.B.
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What is Rock Mechanics
◉ Study of rock behavior in the
solid state when subjected to
forces under varying
environmental and internal
conditions
◉ Main focus is how rocks respond
to applied stresses due to:
○ Gravity
○ Mantle Convection
○ Plate Tectonics
○ Diapiric Movements (magma, salt
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diapirs)
Rock Mechanics
A widely accepted definition of rock mechanics is that first offered
by the US National Committee on Rock Mechanics in 1964, and
subsequently modified in 1974:
“Rock mechanics is the theoretical and applied science of
the mechanical behavior of rock and rock masses; it is that
branch of mechanics concerned with the response of rock
and rock masses to the force fields of their physical
environment.”
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Scope of Rock
Mechanics
◉ Design of Blasting Operation
Disciplines related to Rock Mechanic
◉ Design of Support System • Engineering Geology
◉ Design of Rock Structures • Geo-physics
◉ Analysis of Slope Stability • Mining
• Petroleum Engineering
◉ Evaluation of Geological Hazard
• Civil Engineering.
◉ Evaluation of Excavation Characteristics.
◉ Selection of Construction Materials
◉ Studies of Rock Deformation
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Applications of Rock
Mechanics
◉ Rock mechanics deals with civil construction activity such
as tunnels, mining shafts, underground excavations,
open pit mines, oil and gas wells, road cuts, waste
repositories, and other structures built in or of rock.
◉ It also includes the basic understanding of how the earth
works under:
⮚ Fault Mechanism
⮚ Lithosphere Strength
⮚ Propagation of Seismic Waves
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Applications of Rock
Mechanics
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What Happens if We Cannot
Understand Rock Mechanics
Rana Plaza Collapse, Savar, Bangladesh (2013) 9
What Happens if We Cannot
Understand Rock Mechanics
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Complexities in Rock
Mechanics
◉ Rock Fracture
◉ Scale Effects
◉ Tensile Strength
◉ Effect of Groundwater
◉ Weathering
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Rock Fracture
◉ A fracture is any kind of separation or break in a rock
formation. These divides the rock into two or more pieces.
A fracture can sometimes form a deep, wide crack in the
rock.
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Scale Effects
◉ Scaling, the removal of loose rock from the roofs and walls
of a mine by manual or mechanized means, may be
necessary during any stage of mining. Manual scaling is
very labor intensive, and mechanical methods can be too
powerful and actually produce a less stable roof.
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Rock Strength
◉ The principal factors controlling the strength of solid rocks
are: I) mineral composition, structure and texture; 2)
bedding, jointing and anisotropy; 3) water content; 4) state
of stress in the rock mass.
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Effect of Groundwater
◉ Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface
in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock
formations. About 30 percent of all readily available
freshwater in the world is groundwater.
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Effect of Groundwater
o Groundwater may affect the mechanical performance of a
rock mass.
o Firstly, water under pressure in the joints defining rock
blocks reduces the normal effective stress between the
rock surfaces, and therefore reduces the potential shear
resistance
o Also in porous rocks, such as sandstones, the effect of
fissure or pore water under pressure is to reduce the
ultimate strength of the mass.
o Clay seams may soften in the presence of groundwater,
reducing the strength and increasing the deformability of16
Weathering
◉ Weathering may be defined as the chemical or physical
alteration of rock at its surface by its reaction with
atmospheric gas and aqueous solutions.
◉ The process is analogous to corrosion effects on
conventional materials.
◉ Although physical processes such as thermal cycling and
insolation may be important in surface mining,
underground weathering processes are chiefly chemical in
origin. These include dissolution and ion exchange
phenomena, oxidation and hydration.
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Implementation of a Rock Mechanics
Program
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Thanks!
Any questions ?
You can find me at
◉ prodeeptaneogi@[Link]
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