ABSTRACT

As explained in Chapter 1, since recognition of the discipline of rock mechanics and its application to rock engineering design in the 1950s and 1960s, there has been a variety of publications describing the many methods that have been proposed to model rock masses; and there has also been a commensurate development in the approaches to rock engineering design. These modelling methods and design approaches now cover the full range from simple methods (e.g., repeating procedures that were successful in the past) to coupled numerical modelling (e.g., coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) models). In particular, rock engineering has been significantly enhanced by seminal publications covering the stability principles of rock slopes and underground openings in rock; these have also included design methods and related flowcharts.