ExampleofChallenges Unforeseen

Groundconditions
d
d

Rock Mass Rating Systems

RockMassRatingSystems

ROCKMASSRATINGSYSTEM
orRMR
RMR
Bieniawski(1972)
numerousamendmentssince
For assessing the stability of rock slopes
Forassessingthestabilityofrockslopes

RMR Basic System =RMR

RMRBasicSystem
RMRbasic
b i
Strength
St
th off the
th intact
i t t rockk
RQD
Groundwater
Discontinuities:
Spacing, length, roughness
Aperture width, infill, weathering
9 ratings to add RMRbasic
b i = 100 maximum

Elements of RMR
ElementsofRMR
1 Strength
1.
S
h basedon
b d
(UCS) Is50
c (UCS)orI

15pts

25:1ratio
c=250MPaormore;15 points

2 RQD RockQualityDesignation
2.
Rock Quality Designation
<25%;3/20 pointsonly

20 t
20pts

Elements of RMR
3. Groundwater
Inflow rate
ujoint:1
If > 0
0.5;
5; zero points?
Dry, damp, wet, dripping, flowing?

15 pts

Elements of RMR - discontinuities

4 Spacing
4.

20 pts

2 m or more; 20 points
< 60 mm;

5 points

5. General condition (refer section E)

Roughness
Continuity
y
Opening
Weathering

30 pts

RMR modified for slopes or tunnels

RMRmodifiedforslopesortunnels

Additional factors applied to RMRbasic

Accounts for excavation method
BUT moreover,
Accounts
A
t for
f joint
j i t orientation
i t ti wrtt the
th excavation
ti
Unfavourable conditions, deduct points from
RMRbasic
refersectionFofTable

Slopes unfavourable
Slopes

Slopes - favourable

Tunnels - unfavourable

Tunnels - favourable
Widelyspacedjoints?
Widely spaced joints?

RMR & Tunnels

RMR&Tunnels
Stand up time for various tunnel spans
based on RMR
Unreinforced tunnels
no advice re support e.g. shotcrete or
rockbolts/anchors

Shotcrete = sprayed
p y concrete,, lightly
g y reinforced

EvaluationofTunnels
b d RMR
basedonRMR

Example: 10mspan
RMR=80
Standuptime>4years
RMR=50
Standuptime 2days

Class of Rock from RMR

ClassofRockfromRMR
RMR

Description

Class

100-81

Very good

80-61

Good

II

60-41

Fair

III

40-21
40
21

Poor

IV

<21

Very poor

An Alternative Rating System

AnAlternativeRatingSystem

NGI index or Q rating

NGIindexorQrating
RQD Jr J w
Q=
Jn J a SRF
RQDasbefore
RQD as before
Jn =jointsetnumber
(0.5 20:massiverocktoacrushedrock

TheratioRQD:Jn blocksize

Q System

RQD Jr J w
Q=
Jn J a SRF
Jr = joint roughness number (0 - 6)
Ja = the joint alteration number
0.75 4?: hard to soft filling; Ja =fn(r)

The ratio Jr:Ja jjoint roughness

g
& friction

Q System
JRC

1-5

5-101

5-101

Jr

0.5

1.5

10-152 15-20

1. slightly rough, planar v undulating

2 rough/regular
2.
rough/regular and undulating

Q System

RQD Jr J w
Q=
Jn J a SRF
Jw = joint water reduction factor
(1 0.05: dry to water under pressure)
SRF = the stress reduction factor
(0.5 20: low stress & favourable orientation
t high
to
hi h stress)
t
)

1 RQD
1.RQD
Very poor

0 25
0-25

Poor

25 50
25-50

Fair

50-75
50
75

Good

75-90

Excellent

90-100

2 . JOINT SET NUMBER, Jn

2.JOINTSETNUMBER,J
O
One
jjoint
i t sett

Two joint sets

Two jjoint set + random

Three joint sets

12

Notes refer to tunnelling & possibly greater Jn

3.JOINTROUGHNESSNUMBER,Jr (notfor
openjoints)
Description

JRC

Jr

Discontinuous joints

15 - 20

Smooth undulating
g

1-5

Smooth planar

1-5

0.5

Slickensided planar

4.JOINTALTERATIONNUMBER,Ja
r ()

Ja

Unaltered joint walls, surface staining

only

25 - 35

Slightly altered joint walls, no clay

25 - 30

Silty/sandy coatings, some clay

20 - 25

8 - 16

D
Description
i ti

Kaolinite, mica, chlorite, talc, gypsum,

graphite and/or some swelling clay

5 JOINT WATER REDUCTION, Jw

5.
Description
Dry excavation or minor inflow
Large inflow, or high pressure in
competent rock with unfilled joints
Exceptionally high inflow or pressure

Jw
1
0.5
0.1 - 0.05

6 STRESS REDUCTION FACTOR

6.
Description

c : 1

SRF

Low stress, near surface rock

200

2.5

200 - 10

5 2.5
25

5 - 10

Medium stress
Mild rockburst (massive rock)

Tunnels and the Q rating

TunnelsandtheQrating
RequireD
R
i De andESR
d ESR
De =equivalentdimension
=ratioofexcavationspanor heighttoESR
ESR=excavationsupportratio
ESR = excavation support ratio
ESR=fn(thetunneluse&levelofrisk
chosen)

ESR Values (Bartonetal1974)

ESRValues
(Barton et al 1974)
Temporary mine openings
Permanent mine openings, water tunnels
l
for hydro power, etc.
Power stations, major road & railway
tunnels, etc.
Underground nuclear power stations,
railway stations, etc.

3-5
1.6 - 2
1
0.8

Tunnel Support
TunnelSupport
Lining,e.g.
shotcrete
Rockbolts

DE

Shotcrete
thickness

Areas within the chart

Areaswithinthechart

area1
area
1
area2
area3
area4
area5
area6
6
area7
area8
area9

unsupported
spotbolting
systematicbolting(SB)
SB+4050mmshotcrete
SB+5090mmFRS
SB + 90 120 mm FRS
SB+90120mmFRS
SB+120150mmFRS
,
SB+150120mmFRS,ribbed
Castconcretelining

FRS = fibre reinforced shotcrete

FRS=fibrereinforcedshotcrete

Tunnels and the Q rating

TunnelsandtheQrating

Example:
10mspanESR=2
Q=40
10mspanESR=1
Q=40

Example:
10mspanESR=1
Q 10
Q=1.0

Tunnels and the Q rating

TunnelsandtheQrating

EvaluationofTunnels
b d Q i
basedonQrating
E
Example:
l

10mspan&ESR=2

Q 40
Q=40

Area1:UNSUPPORTED

10mspan&ESR=1

Q=40

Area(2):SPOTBOLTING
Requiresrockboltsat3mspacing,3mlong(max)

DraftLayoutGuidanceforDUSEL
Laughton,February2006

Rock Bolt length

RockBoltlength

DraftLayoutGuidanceforDUSEL
Laughton,February2006

Quantifying shotcrete design

Quantifyingshotcrete

DraftLayoutGuidanceforDUSEL
Laughton,February2006

Typical Rock Support

TypicalRockSupport

DraftLayoutGuidanceforDUSEL
Laughton,February2006

KEY POINTS?
KEYPOINTS?
R
Rock
k mass rating
ti systems
t
are a useful
f l way off
forming an evaluation of rock masses
The Q or NGI system was based on tunnelling
y
is more commonlyy
The RMR ((CSIR)) system
used for slope stability
The strength of rock masses can be judged
from these systems