INTRODUCTION TO ROCK MECHANICS
Types of Rocks
A. Igneous rocks
B. Metamorphic rocks
C. Sedimentary rocks
A. Igneous Rock: They are formed from the cooling of magma deep inside the earth; they are visible to the eye and have large crystals. Magma is a mixture molten or semi-molten rocks as well as some gases and volatile elements. It gets hot Deeper and mantle surrounds the earth core. If the magma cools underground at high temperature, its process would be slow and crystals take time to develop e.g. Granites, but if magma erupts and cools rapidly, its produces volcanic rocks e.g. basalt. Volcanic rocks are called extrusive rocks. Types of a igneous Rock Volcanic bomb Basalt Dacite Gabbro Diorite Periodotile Metamorphic Rock These are rocks that undergo metamorphosis. There either sedimentary or igneous rock. They are made by either heating up or squashing the earth crust. They are found in mountainous regions. It occurs as pre-existing rock. The original Rock is subjected to very high heat and pressure, which caused obvious physical and chemical changes. They can be formed by pressure deep inside the earth, by tectonic processes sources continental collisions or when they are heated up by and intrusion of hot molten Rock called magma. Examples of these Rock times include I. Marble II. Slate III. Schist Sedimentary Rocks They are formed by deposition and subsequent cementation of materials at the earth surface and within water bodies. This rock is formed by accumulating particles called sediment. Before being deposited the sediments were formed by weathering and erosion from the surface area and then transported to the place of the deposition by water, wind, ice, Mass movements or glaciers, which are called agent of denudation. The sedimentary rocks cover the Continent of the earth extensively (about 73%).
Sedimentary rocks mainly only thin veneer over a crust consisting mainly of igneous rock and metamorphic rocks. The rocks are deposited in layers and Strata, forming a structure called bedding. Sedimentary rocks include some limestone deposits, halite, gypsum and anhydrate. Engineering Properties of Rock When Rock sis used as foundation for engineering structure, the relative property are mass density compressibility. Rock Strength In general, a rock can be subjected to three types of stress compressive, tensile, compressive stress tend to decrease the volume of the rocks by the forces acting in opposite direction to each other. Shear stress is caused by two equal forces acting in opposite directions as couple and tensile forces tends to pull a substance apart outwardly. Compressive, tensile and shear forces are illustrated below. The compressive strength is the compressive stress needed to break the spacing measured in N/mm2. The unconfined pressure strength (uniaxial) compressive strength is given by where p=failure load in it A = cross sectional area of sample (m2). The unconfined compressive strength of rod ranges from 100kpa-280,000kpa. Example 1 A rock core of limestone is 76.2mm in diameter and 152.4mm long. It is loaded to failure in an unconfined testing machine. If the failure load is 276KN. What is the unconfined strength of the limestone sample. Solution p=276kN, d=76.2/100= 0.00762m A= = = 276/456x10-3 = 6.05 x 10-4 3.142x0.762/4
TRIAL AXIAL COMPRESSION TEST They are performed on rocks to determine how it will behave under different confining pressure. The axial load required causing failure of rock increases with increasing confining pressure for the test, by performing 2 or 3 tests of different confining pressures, the relationship between axial compressive strength and confining pressure can be determined by that rock material. Data are plotted on shear and compression strength known as ‘Mohr diagram’. Elasticity of Rocks Compressibility is the amount of a soil that will reduce in length under load. Some of the deformation will be recovered when the load is removed but a portion will not be regained. The recoverable is called elastic while the non-recoverable is called the plastic deformation. Commonly, the elastic deformation of rock is directly proportional to the applied stress. When this is the case, the proportionality constant K can be determined as follows