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Correlation of the Rock Mass Rating (RMR) System with the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS): Introduction of the Weak Rock Mass Rating System (W-RMR)

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Abstract

Underground gold mines in Nevada are exploiting increasingly deeper ore bodies comprised of weak to very weak rock masses. The Rock Mass Rating (RMR) classification system is widely used at underground gold mines in Nevada and is applicable in fair to good-quality rock masses, but is difficult to apply and loses reliability in very weak rock mass to soil-like material. Because very weak rock masses are transition materials that border engineering rock mass and soil classification systems, soil classification may sometimes be easier and more appropriate to provide insight into material behavior and properties. The Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) is the most likely choice for the classification of very weak rock mass to soil-like material because of its accepted use in tunnel engineering projects and its ability to predict soil-like material behavior underground. A correlation between the RMR and USCS systems was developed by comparing underground geotechnical RMR mapping to laboratory testing of bulk samples from the same locations, thereby assigning a numeric RMR value to the USCS classification that can be used in spreadsheet calculations and geostatistical analyses. The geotechnical classification system presented in this paper including a USCS–RMR correlation, RMR rating equations, and the Geo-Pick Strike Index is collectively introduced as the Weak Rock Mass Rating System (W-RMR). It is the authors’ hope that this system will aid in the classification of weak rock masses and more usable design tools based on the RMR system. More broadly, the RMR–USCS correlation and the W-RMR system help define the transition between engineering soil and rock mass classification systems and may provide insight for geotechnical design in very weak rock masses.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) under contract no. 200-2011-39965. The authors would like to thank Barrick Gold Corporation and Newmont Mining Corporation for providing access to their underground mine operations in Nevada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, MS0172, Reno, NV, 89557-0712, USA

    Sean N. Warren, Raj R. Kallu & Chase K. Barnard

  2. Barrick Gold Corporation, Turquoise Ridge Joint Venture, Golconda, NV, USA

    Chase K. Barnard

Authors
  1. Sean N. Warren
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  2. Raj R. Kallu
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  3. Chase K. Barnard
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Correspondence to Raj R. Kallu.

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C. K. Barnard was employed by the University of Nevada Reno, when this research was performed. He is now employed by Barrick Gold Corp.

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Warren, S.N., Kallu, R.R. & Barnard, C.K. Correlation of the Rock Mass Rating (RMR) System with the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS): Introduction of the Weak Rock Mass Rating System (W-RMR). Rock Mech Rock Eng 49, 4507–4518 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-016-1090-1

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