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New techniques in rock mass classification: application to welded tuffs at the Nevada Yucca Mountain

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Summary

Many rock mass classification systems exist to assist the engineer in assessing the rock support requirements for underground design. On-going research in this area is directed at attempting to utilize the fractal dimension and the acoustic emission response of the tuffs at the Nevada Yucca Mountain to further aid in rock mass classification. Acoustic emission response is shown to be correlated with the porosity of the sample. Engineering behaviour of the rock varies dramatically with porosity; events and peak amplitude offer a means to distinguish between fracture porosity and pore porosity and consequently the engineering behaviour of the rock. Fractal dimension is used to characterize the roughness of fracture surfaces. Two fractal dimension calculation methods, one based on the semi-variogram for the surface and the other based on the use of dividers, are applied for this purpose. The divider method is shown to resolve deviation from a straight line; the semi-variogram method is shown to identify statistical similarity to various types of noise.

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Abbreviations

D :

fractal dimension

AE :

acoustic emission

b :

b-value determined from log(frequency) against log(amplitude) plots

γ(h):

semi-variogram function

h :

lag distance for semi-variogram function

H :

an exponent term related to fractal dimension asD=2 −H

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Sciences, Geological Engineering Division, Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, 89557, Reno, Nevada, USA

    R. J. Watters, J. R. Carr & D. M. Chuck

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  1. R. J. Watters
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  2. J. R. Carr
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  3. D. M. Chuck
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Watters, R.J., Carr, J.R. & Chuck, D.M. New techniques in rock mass classification: application to welded tuffs at the Nevada Yucca Mountain. International Journal of Mining and Geological Engineering 8, 241–260 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01554044

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