Rock Strength and UCS of Rock

11/6/2012
Rock strength and Unconfined

Compressive Strength of Rock
Dr. A.K. Shrivastava

Dr.A.K.Shrivastava , DTU,
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Email:[email protected]
Question in Design ?
Will the stresses in rock reach the
maximum levels that are tolerable with
consequent local or gross failure? Limit State
Will the displacements of rock produce

such large strains that they cause its damage
or destruction? Serviceability
Economy
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Assumption
We are addressing to the first question here.
Insitu stresses in rock mass known.
We can predict how these stresses are
modified by construction and operation of
engineering work.
Rock: Flow, Yield, Crush, Crack, Buckle or

Fail
Utilize Criteria of Failure: relates Stresses at
Failure- Strength
Constitutive Model Dr.A.K.Shrivastava , DTU,
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Strength
The word “failure” infers an almost total loss of
integrity in a sample of rock; in an engineering
context, it usually implies loss of ability to
perform the intended function.
Failure is often defined as either :
 when the peak strength is reached
when the rock is no longer able to support the
applied load adequately
In rock engineering we must have a means of
predicting what level of stress will result in
failure. This failure may take a number of forms
(i.e. mechanisms) including flow, yield, crushing,
buckling and cracking.Dr.A.K.Shrivastava , DTU,
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Modes of Failure of Rock

No single mode of failure predominates.
Flexure
Shear
Tension
Compression
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Deformation
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Modes of Failure of Rock

Flexure Failure
Failure by bending.
Development and propagation of tension
cracks.
 Occurs in layers above a mine roof. As one
layer fails, other layers will slowly and slowly fail.
Flexure failure in rock slopes with steeply
dipping layers
Toppling, Buckling
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Flexure Failure Buckling Failure
Toppling Failure
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Shear Failure
Formation of a surface of rupture where shear
stresses have become critical followed by shear
displacements along the rupture surface.
Common in Slopes cut in Weak Soil like Rocks:
Shales, Crushed Rock of Fault Zones
Occurs in Mines: Punching of Pillar (Stiff Rock-
Ore) into Roof/Floor (soft rock)
Cutting action of Rock Cutters: Shear along the
Fractures caused by Compression under the
Edge of Bit.
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Crushing and Tensile

Cracking, Shear
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Direct Tension
Failure due to Direct Tensile Force
Rock layers resting on convex upward surfaces
at the flank of anticline
The layers will be in direct tension due to self
weight
Direct tension is also the mechanism of failure
in rock slopes with non-connected, short joint
planes
The formation of tension cracks severs the rock
bridges and block translates downward.
Direct tension failure also occurs in Hydraulic
Fracturing. Dr.A.K.Shrivastava , DTU,
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Direct Tension
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Compression Failure
Crushing or compression failure occurs in
intensely shortened volumes or rocks penetrated
by a stiff punch.
Shear Failure: Surface is slick and has much
powder from crushing and grinding.
Direct Tension Failure: Surface is rough, free
of crushed rock particles.
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Common Laboratory Strength Tests

Following tests conducted
to characterize the
strength of rock
specimens:
 Unconfined
Compression Tests
Triaxial (Confined)
Compression Tests
Shear Tests
 Direct and Indirect
Tension Tests Dr.A.K.Shrivastava , DTU,
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Unconfined Compressive Strength of Rock
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Test Procedure IS:9143
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Specimen Dimension
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Specimen Dimension
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Calculation of Modulus of Elasticity and

Poisons Ratio (IS: 9221)
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Calculation of Modulus of Elasticity and

Poisons Ratio (IS: 9221)
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The failure plane in compression, however, is

not as obvious as in tension.
In metals and other plastic materials, there
may be a very distinct failure plane inclined to
the direction of applied compression (i.e.
shear fracture).
Brittle materials, on the other hand, fail
through a complex process of
microfracturing that may or may not show an
ultimate shear fracture plane.
Brittle microfracturing may occur at less than
1/3 to 1/2 of the uniaxial compressive
strength, and it is the development of these
microfractures parallel to the uniaxial load
that leads to the development of a failure
plane resulting in the failure of the rock
sample. Dr.A.K.Shrivastava , DTU,
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STRONG
Ultramafic and
mafic rocks
Granites
Schist
Dolomite
Limestone
Quartzite
WEAK
The factors which affect the mode of failure and stress-

strain behaviour
End effect (Friction)
Specimen geometry (Size, Shape)
Rate of Loading
Environment, Temperature
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End Effects
(Friction) Fracture in Compression
with Unlubricated Ends
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Friction between Platens and End Surfaces

End Friction is reduced by
Paraffin, Capping material like rubber sheet,
Teflon, Neoprene, Thin copper or Lead Sheet,
Wood Fibre Plates, Treatex, Mesonite, Card
Board, Leather, Blotting Paper etc.
Rubber sheet produces very high tensile stress at
top and bottom of specimen premature failure or
vertical splitting of specimen
Soils: Thin rubber membranes smeared with
high vacuum silicon grease
Friction reduces to 1° to 2°
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Shape Effect
Shape: Cube and cylinder of L/D=1 give more or
less the same results.
Cylindrical specimens are preferred:
 The specimens are in Elastic Stability.
 Stress distribution is uniform if L/D=2-2.5
Preparation of specimens easy: from Cores
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Influence of Sample Size
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Rate of Loading
Impact or Sonic Test will give high σc values that the
laboratory values by usual tests.
As rate of loading increases,
Strength and Modulus of elasticity increase and
Strain at failure decreases.
For Sandstone:
Time to Failure Fast Slow
Failure, (sec) 0.03 30
σc (kg/cm2) 800 575
ISRM (1972) recommends Stress
rate of 0.5 – 1.0 MPa/sec
Strain Rate ≤ 0.01 cm/cm/sec
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Variation of σc with Strain Rate Kobayashi (1970)
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Environment
Moisture
Liquids which wet the surface of rock decrease
the surface energy and thus σc.
Sandstone σ Saturated ≈ 45% of σ Dry
Basalt σc Saturated ≈ σc Dry
Shales σc Saturated ≈ 50% of σc Dry
Phyllites 10-20% reduction
But the Testing environment should be same as
that of insitu.
Temperature
Strength σc increases with decrease in
temperature Dr.A.K.Shrivastava , DTU,
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Post Peak Strength Behaviour

Normally when stresses become high enough to cause
fractures in the wall of a tunnel or mine, rock simply spalls
off, producing a destressed zone that drives the flow of
stress away from the opening.
This can be studied by examining the complete stress strain
curve of a laboratory sample.
Post-peak behaviour can be classified
as involving pure plastic strains, or
strains below, strain-softening, or
above, strain hardening, the pure
plastic line.
Although these effects are not normally measured during a

standard compression test, the subject is important in
assessing the rocks ability to support itself, as well as
rockburst potential. Dr.A.K.Shrivastava , DTU,
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Deviatoric Compression
Deviatoric stresses are much more disruptive than the
corresponding levels of hydrostatic stress. A number of
stages in rock behaviour have been detected for
conditions involving a gradually increasing deviatoric
load. These stages and their corresponding threshold
levels are known as the rock deformation curve and
are usually defined using laboratory stress-strain data.
I. Seating
II. Elastic
III. New cracks
IV. Increasing micro-crack density
V. Macro cracking by joining of microcracks
VI. Sliding on macrocracks
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Stress- Strain
Behaviour
Volumetric Strain Vs
Axial strain
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Physical phenomena associated with uniaxial

compression tests of rock cylinders, under
near confinement.Email:[email protected]
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Stress – Strain Behaviour of Natural

Rocks
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Testing machine stiffness is a function of elastic

distortion during loading. It can be evaluated by
advancing opposing rams without the rock
specimen
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Post Peak Strength Behaviour: Testing Machines

Loading frames can be considered either (a) soft or (b) stiff,
with respect to the specimen. If the machine is ‘soft’ then
catastrophic failure of the sample will occur at, or shortly after,
the peak strength because the excess energy released by the
machine during unloading is greater than that which can be
absorbed by the specimen. If the machine is stiff with respect
to the specimen in the post-peak region, then the complete
post-peak curve can be followed.
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Post Peak Strength Behaviour: Testing Machines

For some brittle rocks, portions of the post-peak curve can
be very steep so that it becomes difficult to ‘control’ post-
peak deformation even in the stiffest of testing machines. In
these cases, the post peak curves and the associated
mechanisms of fracture may be studied by using a servo-
controlled loading system.
The essential features of a closed-loop servo-control involve
the use of an experimental variable (e.g. force, stress,
deformation, strain, etc.) which is programmed to vary in a
predetermined manner, generally incrementally increasing
with time. The measured and programmed values are
compared electronically several hundred times a second, and
a servo valve adjusts the pressure within the loading frame to
produce the desired equivalence.
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Hydraulic Power Pack With

Servo Valve (Shrivastava,
2011)
Close Loop Principle,

Shrivastava, 2011
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Rock Strength and UCS of Rock

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11/6/2012

Rock strength and Unconfined

Dr. A.K. Shrivastava

Will the displacements of rock produce

Rock: Flow, Yield, Crush, Crack, Buckle or

Modes of Failure of Rock

Modes of Failure of Rock

Flexure Failure Buckling Failure

Crushing and Tensile

Common Laboratory Strength Tests

Unconfined Compressive Strength of Rock

Test Procedure IS:9143

Calculation of Modulus of Elasticity and

Calculation of Modulus of Elasticity and

The failure plane in compression, however, is

The factors which affect the mode of failure and stress-

Friction between Platens and End Surfaces

Influence of Sample Size

Variation of σc with Strain Rate Kobayashi (1970)

Post Peak Strength Behaviour

Although these effects are not normally measured during a

Physical phenomena associated with uniaxial

Stress – Strain Behaviour of Natural

Testing machine stiffness is a function of elastic

Post Peak Strength Behaviour: Testing Machines

Post Peak Strength Behaviour: Testing Machines

Hydraulic Power Pack With

Close Loop Principle,

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