<p>In the construction of a tunnel, the characterization of the rock mass is performed in three different steps, in the pre-investigations, in the engineering geological forecast and in the tunnel mapping during construction. There has in previous work been ...

Classifying the rock mass is widely seen as being the fieldwork required to characterize the rock mass and enable the application of empirical design methods associated with the different classification systems. This paper argues that it is fundamentally important ...

From the tunnelling perspective, the Himalayas arguably pose the most challenging ground conditions almost anywhere in the world. One of the prime reasons for this is that they are the youngest of the mountain chains. They are demonstrably rising faster than ...

Slopes in open pit mines must be considered as geotechnical structures. Therefore their design and implementation must be conducted with all consideration including technical, economical, environmental and safety issues. But these structures are above all ...

The role of classification in rock engineering and design is discussed. It is important to distinguish between characterization, classification and empirical design method. The classification systems used today should, strictly speaking, either be described ...

Rock engineering has now been practised as a discipline for about 50 years, and many sophisticated methods of analysis for use in rock engineering design have been developed. However, analysis is only a tool for use in engineering design, and rock masses are ...

A case history of a static evaluation of some shallow caves in the karstic geologic region of East Tennessee is presented. The evaluation consists of three parts: (1) characterization of the bedrock voids and openings, (2) rock characterization, and (3) finite ...

A site with shallow karst bedrock is characterized for engineering purposes by examination and testing of rock samples and by classification of the rock mass according to the RMR system. For all of the rock samples, an RMR of 65 was assigned. For the cave ...

Since it was first introduced, the Coal Mine Roof Rating (CMRR) has been widely accepted as a tool for geologic characterization and mine planning. This paper discusses the application of the CMRR to another practical ground control problem. Extended cuts ...

This paper presents the methodology used to characterise the weaker zones of Le Perthus tunnel. Two phase investigation, one with in situ and laboratory testing and second with pilot tunnel.