Strength reduction method and ADINA software are adopted to study the stability of submarine tunnel structures subjected to seepage and earthquake under different seawater depths and overlying rock strata thicknesses. First, the excess pore water pressure in the rock mass is eliminated through consolidation calculation. Second, dynamic time-history analysis is performed by inputting the seismic...

This paper presents the results of ongoing research on the characterization of rock mass structure from discontinuity data. Multivariate clustering analysis represents a relatively recent development in characterizing the structure of rock masses. Multivariate clustering allows characterization of discontinuities into subsets according to multiple parameters, such as orientation, spacing, and r...

Since rock fracture is a key property for different rock engineering applications, rock fracture measurement is often carried out in classifying the rock mass. Most geo-mechanics models (e.g. finite element) are of the equivalent continuum type in which fractures are represented not individually, but by their influence on a large element of the rock mass. Elastic modulus, for example, is obtain...

Modelling a rock mass in an accurate and realistic way allows researchers to reduce the uncertainty associated with its characterisation and reproduce the intrinsic spatial variability and heterogeneities present in the rock mass. However, there is often a lack of a structured methodology to characterise heterogeneous rock masses using geotechnical information available from the prospection pha...

An excavation damage zone (EDZ) can be defined as a rock zone where the rock properties and conditions have been changed due to the processes related to an excavation. This zone affects the behavior of rock mass surrounding the construction that reduces the stability and safety factor and increase probability of failure of the structure. This paper presents an approach to build a model for the ...

Various geological processes such as tectonic activities develop fractures and discontinuities in the rock mass body; these, in turn, form blocks with different shapes and sizes in the rock mass body. Accurate understanding of these blocks' geometry is essential in different domains of rock and mine engineering such as determination of yield in quarries, optimization of fragmentation energy, th...

The objective of this paper is to present a new rock mass classification system which can be appropriate for rock slope stability assessment. In this paper an evaluation model based on combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Fuzzy Delphi method (FDM)was presented for assessing slope rockmass quality estimates. This research treats the slope rockmass classification as a group deci...

The rock masses in a construction site of underground cavern are generally not continuous, due to the presence of discontinuities, such as bedding, joints, faults, and fractures. The performance of an underground cavern is principally ruled by the mechanical behaviors of the discontinuities in the vicinity of the cavern. During underground excavation, many surrounding rock failures have close r...