Considerations on strength of intact sedimentary rocks

This study presents the results of laboratory testing of sedimentary rocks under point loading as well as in uniaxial and triaxial compression. From the statistical analysis of the data, different conversion factors relating uniaxial compressive and point loading strength were determined for soft to strong rocks. Additionally, the material constant m(i), an input parameter for the Hoek and Brown failure criterion, was also estimated for different limestone samples by analysing the results from a series of triaxial compression tests under different confining pressures. The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of intact rocks, as estimated from the point load index using conversion factors, together with the Hoek-Brown constant m(i), and the Geological Strength Index (GSI) constitute the parameters for the calculation of the strength and deformability of rock masses. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.