4.7 Article

Estimating the geological strength index and disturbance factor in the Hoek-Brown criterion using the acoustic wave velocity in the rock mass

Journal

ENGINEERING GEOLOGY
Volume 306, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2022.106745

Keywords

Hoek-Brown failure criterion; Rock mass mechanical parameter; Acoustic wave velocity; Disturbance factor; Geological strength index

Funding

  1. National Natural Science Foundation of China [42002292]

Ask authors/readers for more resources

This study develops a method to estimate GSI and D values using acoustic wave velocity, and proposes a new method for determining the mechanical parameters of the rock mass based on these improved values. The analysis results show that the method accurately reflects the factors affecting rock mass quality and disturbance, and its reliability is verified in practical engineering.
The quantitative determination of the geological strength index (GSI) and disturbance factor (D) in the Hoek-Brown failure criterion is of great value because it can increase the reliability of the rock engineering design. In this work, a quantitative method for estimating GSI and D values is developed by considering the acoustic wave velocity in the rock mass, C-p. These improved GSI and D values are then used to propose a new method for determining the mechanical parameters of the rock mass based on the original Hoek-Brown failure criterion (which we refer to as 'the improved Hoek-Brown failure criterion'). The analysis results show that the new method to estimate GSI and D can accurately reflect the factors affecting the rock-mass quality and degree of disturbance before and after blasting or excavation. The new method has high reliability and is also applicable to rock masses that are quite broken (i.e. have low C-p values). More importantly, the mechanical parameters calculated using the improved Hoek-Brown criterion for the rock masses involved in our case studies are in good agreement with the results obtained through long-term monitoring of the deformation. The veracity of the improved Hoek-Brown failure criterion was thus verified in a practical engineering context. Therefore, the proposed method can be used to rapidly determine the mechanical parameters of the rock mass when there is an insufficient amount of test data available.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.7
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available