ABSTRACT
Rocks have been used as construction materials since the dawn of civilization. Different structures have been built on rock, in rock, and have been made of rock, including houses, bridges, dams, tunnels, and caverns. Rocks differ from most other engineering materials in that they contain discontinuities such as joints, bedding planes, folds, sheared zones, and faults that render their structure discontinuous. Hence, determination of physicomechanical properties of rocks is an important part of rock mechanics.
