This practical guide describes the stage-by-stage development of a method for predicting the penetration rate (PR) and the advance rate (AR) for tunnel boring machines based on an expanded version of the Q-value, QTBM. The author analyzes 145 TBM tunnels that total 1,000km in length. He then develops simple formulae to estimate PR and AR from the QTBM value and to back-calculate QTBM from performance data. The book quantitatively explains actual advance rates as high as five m/hr for one day or as low as 0.005 m/hr for several months. It also covers logging methods, empirical TBM tunnel support design, and numerical verification of support.

Topics covered in this text include: geology and structural geology; mechanics; dynamics of jointed and faulted rock; physical modelling and testing; constitutive modelling; seismicity and tectonics; instrumentation; hydraulics; and applications.

This book focuses on the implementation and application of new concepts and methods to modelling, analysis, building, performance control and repair of structures of and in jointed rock and rock masses. It provides a forum for presentation of new research results and discussion for researchers.

This book focuses on the implementation and application of new concepts and methods to modelling, analysis, building, performance control and repair of structures of and in jointed rock and rock masses. It provides a forum for presentation of new research results and discussion for researchers.

Rock Joints deals exclusively with the mechanical genesis of joints in rocks. It is aimed at a coherent, critical and comprehensible presentation of the underlying mechanical processes of various types of joints and joint systems. Special care is taken to elucidate and quantify the role of high fluid pressures in the formation of joints. The background is an offshoot of the author's courses on "Genesis of Rock Joints" in the Department of Rock Mechanics and Tunneling at the Technical University of Graz, Austria.

This book presents some fundamental concepts behind the basic theories and tools of discrete element methods (DEM), its historical development, and its wide scope of applications in geology, geophysics and rock engineering. Unlike almost all books available on the general subject of DEM, this book includes coverage of both explicit and implicit DEM approaches, namely the Distinct Element Methods and Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA) for both rigid and deformable blocks and particle systems, and also the Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) approach for fluid flow and solute transport simulations. The latter is actually also a discrete approach of importance for rock mechanics and rock engineering. In addition, brief introductions to some alternative approaches are also provided, such as percolation theory and Cosserat micromechanics equivalence to particle systems, which often appear hand-in-hand with the DEM in the literature. Fundamentals of the particle mechanics approach using DEM for granular media is also presented.· Presents the fundamental concepts of the discrete models for fractured rocks, including constitutive models of rock fractures and rock masses for stress, deformation and fluid flow· Provides a comprehensive presentation on discrete element methods, including distinct elements, discontinuous deformation analysis, discrete fracture networks, particle mechanics and Cosserat representation of granular media· Features constitutive models of rock fractures and fracture system characterization methods detaiing their significant impacts on the performance and uncertainty of the DEM models

Joints in rocks, as distinct from tectonic faults, are fractures that form without "visible" displacement along the fracture plane. They are usually interpreted as tension fractures and analysed mechanically by employing a continuum mechanical theory of this fracture mode. "Rock Joints" deals exclusively with the mechanical genesis of joints in rocks. It is aimed at a coherent, critical and comprehensible presentation of the underlying mechanical processes of various types of joints and joint systems. In addition to tension fractures, the book extensively treats jointing from a different origin, i.e. hydraulic intrusion fractures, cleavage fractures, and shear joints. Throughout, special care is taken to elucidate and quantify the role of high fluid pressures in joint formation. Field examples illustrate formational aspects of jointing, and Mohr's stress circle used where possible to simplify the mathematics.