ROCK STRENGTH AND DEFORMABILITY

4 A series of laboratory tests on intact specimens of quartzite gave the following

mean peak strengths. The units of stress are MPa, and compression is taken as
positive.

1
2 (1 + 3 ) 1
2 (1 3 )

100 100
135 130
triaxial 160 150
compression 200 180
2 = 3 298 248
435 335

1 2 3
biaxial 0 0 13.5
tension/ 0 13 13
compression 218 50 0
225 100 0
228 150 0
210 210 0

Develop a peak strength criterion for the quartzite for use in underground excavation
design. Experience has shown that the in situ uniaxial compressive strength of the
quartzite is one-half the laboratory value.
5 A series of triaxial compression tests on specimens of a slate gave the following
results:

Conning Peak axial Angle between

pressure stress cleavage and 1
3 (MPa) 1 (MPa)

2.0 62.0 40
5.0 62.5 32
10.0 80.0 37
15.0 95.0 39
20.0 104.0 27

In each test, failure occurred by shear along the cleavage. Determine the shear
strength criterion for the cleavage planes.
6 In a further series of tests on the slate for which the data of Problem 5 were obtained,
it was found that, when failure occurred in directions other than along the cleavage,
the peak strength of the rock material was given by

1 = 150 + 2.83

where 1 and 3 are in MPa.

Construct a graph showing the expected variation of peak axial stress at a conning
pressure of 10 MPa, as the angle between the cleavage and the specimen axis varies
from 0 to 90 .

140