EAT152

Engineering Geology
ASSIGNMENT 2

NAME :

said abdirahman nur

MATRIX NO:131200065-1
PROGRAM: CIVIL ENGINEERING
Lecturer : mdm NUR FITRIAH ISA

MARKS

Submission Guidelines:
Please write all the answer in the space provided and submit the hardcopy to your respective
lecturer by 13/5/2014 (during lab sessions).

1) Predict how the volume of a specimen will change during uniaxial compression test.
What physical processes are occurring in the sample?

Initially, the compressive load closes any open, pre-existing cracks,

and so there is contraction of the specimen. Following this is a region
of elastic contraction during the linear portion of the pre-peak region
of the curve. From about 50% of the peak load onwards, new cracks
form at an increasing rate, causing a dilatation component to the volume
change and slowing down the contraction rate. Eventually, the dilatation
associated with new cracks is greater than the elastic contraction, and
the volume change versus displacement curve alters from a negative

2) Based on the following diagram, how can we differentiate between natural fractures and
those induced by drilling?
Induced fracture. Any rock fracture produced by human activities, such as drilling,
accidental or intentional hydrofracturing, core handling,
Induced fractures are easily distinguished from natural fractures in core by visually examining
fracture surface morphology and the geometric relationships between the core and the fracture
shape

Induced fractures that do not completely cut the wellbore have a consistent orientation
and tend to appear at the same azimuth in the image but natural fractures with a
consistent orientation that do not completely cut the wellbore appear at different

azimuths in the image.

Induced tensile fractures are always open; natural fractures may be open or partially

to completely mineralized or gouge-filled.

The continuity of a fracture trace is not an indication of its origin.

Induced fractures are geometrically related to the wellbore but natural fractures are
not. This relationship causes the traces of natural fractures that do not cross the entire
wellbore to appear at different azimuthal positions in image logs even if the fractures
have similar orientations. However, the traces of induced fractures that do not cross
the entire wellbore tend to stack in depth

3) Which rock mass is more suitable as a foundation for a structure, rock with RQD = 90%
or RQD = 30%? Justify your answer.
In this question the rock with 90% RQD is more suitable as a foundation of a structure when
we consider these following definithion and formula.
RQD is defined as the percent ratio of the sum of core pieces of the rock.
Based on the percent or RQD from 0-100% the rock mass quality can be assessed .For
example rock mass with RQD<25% is characterized as very poor. If RQD is higher than
75% it is classified as Good.