TITLE:
Assessment of Rock Mass Quality and Deformation Modulus by Empirical Methods along Kandiah River, KPK, Pakistan
AUTHORS:
Mian Sohail Akram, Kamran Mirza, Muhammad Zeeshan, Muhammad Asad Jabbar
KEYWORDS:
Rock Mass Classification, RMR and Q, Deformation Modulus (Em), Empirical Equations, RocLab, Tunnel
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Geology,
Vol.8 No.10,
September
21,
2018
ABSTRACT: The pivotal aim of this study is to evaluate the rock mass characterization and deformation modulus. It is vital for rock mass classification to investigate important parameters of discontinuities. Therefore, Rock Mass Rating (RMR) and Tunneling quality index (Q) classification systems are applied to analyze 22 segments along proposed tunnel routes for hydropower in Kandiah valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. RMR revealed the range of fair to good quality rocks, whereas Q yielded poor to fair quality rocks for investigated segments of the rock mass. Besides, Em values were acquired by empirical equations and computer-aided program RocLab, and both methods presented almost similar variation trend of their results. Hence, the correlations of Em with Q and RMR were carried out with higher values of the regression coefficient. This study has scientific significance to initially understand the rock mass conditions of Kandiah valley.