This text provides an introduction for graduate students, as well as engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers. It is also relevant to those working in nuclear waste disposal and oil and gas production. The early chapters deal with fundamental mechanics and physics as they apply to rock masses. It provides an introduction to the geological processes that give rise to the nature of rock masses and control their mechanical behavior. It discusses stresses in the earth’s crust and explains methods of measurement and prediction.

An Ideal Source for Geologists and Others with Little Background in Engineering or Mechanics

Practical Rock Mechanics provides an introduction for graduate students as well as a reference guide for practicing engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers. The book considers fundamental geological processes that give rise to the nature of rock masses and control their mechanical behavior. Stresses in the earth’s crust are discussed and methods of measurement and prediction explained. Ways to investigate, describe, test, and characterize rocks in the laboratory and at project scale are reviewed. The application of rock mechanics principles to the design of engineering structures including tunnels, foundations, and slopes is addressed. The book is illustrated throughout with simple figures and photographs, and important concepts are illustrated by modern case examples. Mathematical equations are kept to the minimum necessary and are explained fully—the book leans towards practice rather than theory.

This text:

• Addresses the principles of rock mechanics as it applies to both structural geology and engineering practice
• Demonstrates the importance of and methods of geological characterisation to rock engineering
• Examines the standard methods of rock mechanics testing and measurement as well as interpretation of data in practice
• Explains connections between main parameters both empirically as well as on the basis of scientific theory
• Provides examples of the practice of rock mechanics to major engineering projects

Practical Rock Mechanics teaches from first principles and aids readers’ understanding of the concepts of stress and stress transformation and the practical application of rock mechanics theory. This text can help ensure that ground models and designs are correct, realistic, and produced cost-effectively.