ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to the mechanism and influencing factors of failure phenomena in rock engineering structures.
The first part of this chapter is devoted to the geological description of rocks and of the formation and types of discontinuities in rocks and rock mass. Then, the mechanical behavior of rock mass is discussed, considering the behaviors of intact rock, discontinuities, and the structure of the rock mass.
In the second part of the chapter, the discussion of various modes of instability of rock engineering structures such as underground openings, slopes and foundations under both compressive and tensile stress fields, and the factors associated with the modes of instability are presented in relation with the structure of rock mass.
