Thiel K. Rock Mechanics in Hydroengineering

Elsevier, 1989. – 413 p. – (Developments in geotechnical engineering: v. 51). – ISBN: 0-444-98909-9Rock mechanics is the theoretical and applied science concerned with the mechanical behaviour of rocks in their physical environment. As a theoretical science, it is based on the mechanics of continuous media, and recently, to an increasing extent, also on the mechanics of discontinuous media. As an applied science rock mechanics borders on many disciplines, including in particular geology, engineering geology, hydrogeology, hydraulics of fluids, geophysics, and soil mechanics. These disciplines overlap and complement each other so that it is difficult to establish boundaries between them and any attempt to do so will be merely conventional.
The book contains 9 chapters.
Chapter 1 describes a general procedure to be followed in solving problems of rock mechanics which vary with size and time. The significance of representing the geological structure and the mechanical behaviour of rock masses by physical and mechanical models is emphasized.
Chapter 2 describes the major features of rocks and rock masses. The geological structure of the near-surface layer of the lithosphere is described and the physical and mechanical properties of rocks and rock masses are discussed with emphasis on the essential differences between them.
Chapters 3, 4 and 5 present methods for investigating the geological structure of rock masses and for determining their physical and mechanical properties, describe the physical and mechanical models constructed to represent these properties, and discuss the geotechnical classifications of rock masses.
Chapters 6, 7 and 8 deal with the three fundamental problems of rock mechanics: the stress distribution, failure, and the hydraulics of rock masses. Chapter 6 discusses the analytical solutions to the problem of stress distribution, based on the theory of elasticity for continuous and discontinuous media and on the results of investigations using physical and mechanical models, and presents the principles of the finite element method as applied to numerical solutions; a detailed discussion is confined mainly to the linear-elastic medium.
Chapter 7 discusses the basic failure criteria for rocks and rock masses (among others, the Coulomb-Navier, the Möhr, and the Griffith criteria) and describes the failure processes occurring in jointed rock masses. Chapter 8 describes the flow of water in a rock mass, especially in its joints, discusses the physical and numerical methods for simulating the flow and gives a general account of the flow in the presence of a stress field.
Chapter 9 deals with methods for solving certain problems of hydroengineering such as the stability of dam foundations, the stability of slopes, the stability of underground structures, and the stabilization of rock masses. The chapter also describes methods for monitoring the behaviour of rock masses during the construction and exploitation of structures founded on them. These methods enable the engineer not only to estimate whether or not a given structure will be safe, but also to study the behaviour of rock masses under natural conditions and under the actual loads imposed on them.