A new engineering-geological rock durability classification

The construction of the 5.3-m diameter, 82-km long Orange—Fish Tunnel in the Republic of South Africa, in sensibly horizontal beds of mudrocks, siltstones and sandstones of the Karoo Supergroup (Upper Carboniferous to Triassic age), revealed the paramount importance of rock durability. The presence of non-durable rock types was found to be one of the causes of the rock distress problems encountered in some tunnel sections during construction.

Geomechanical tests conducted on representative samples of potentially difficult rock types from the Orange—Fish Tunnel, indicated important limitations of international rock material classifications, such as the Deere—Miller Modulus—Strength and the Deere—Gamble Durability—Plasticity systems. The inadequacy of these classifications in the case of the Karoo sedimentary rocks, underlined the need for a new rock durability classification which could be used for the timely indication of the presence of non-durable rock material sections at tunnel level.

An account is given of the lithology, mineralogy and the postulated weathering mechanics of the Karoo rocks encountered, as well as the application of these parameters to the numerical methods used for the quantitative assessment of rock durability. It is considered that a reliable appraisal of this time-dependent parameter can be provided by the measurement of the strength and free swelling properties of the intact rock material.

A new rock durability classification, styled the Geodurability Classification, is discussed. This empirical system appears to be practical and simple as it depends on the minimum number of index rock properties, which can be measured fairly rapidly in a field laboratory by means of simple test apparatus and semi-skilled labour. It is based on different ranges of ratios of the uniaxial compressive strength, σ_c, and the “Duncan” free swelling coefficient, ε_D, as index parameters. The intact rock material is classified according to a rating system which varies from “excellent” (Class A) to “very poor” (Class F).

The extensive use of the Geodurability Classification indicated such a system to be particularly relevant to compacted and weakly cemented rocks, where the tendency of the rock material to deteriorate with time (and not the presence of rock discontinuities such as joints and bedding planes) dominates the time-dependent behaviour of tunnel rock masses.