During the last two decades rock mechanics in Europe has been undergoing some major transformation. The reduction of mining activities in Europe affects heavily on rock mechanics teaching and research at universities and institutes. At the same time, new emerging activities, notably, underground infrastructure construction, geothermal energy develo

Rock mechanics is a multidisciplinary subject combining geology, geophysics, and engineering and applying the principles of mechanics to study the engineering behavior of the rock mass. With wide application, a solid grasp of this topic is invaluable to anyone studying or working in civil, mining, petroleum, and geological engineering. Rock Mechanics: An Introduction presents the fundamental principles of rock mechanics in a clear, easy-to-comprehend manner for readers with little or no background in this field. The text includes a brief introduction to geology and covers stereographic projections, laboratory testing, strength and deformation of rock masses, slope stability, foundations, and more. The authors—academics who have written several books in geotechnical engineering—have used their extensive teaching experience to create this accessible textbook. They present complex material in a lucid and simple way with numerical examples to illustrate the concepts, providing an introductory book that can be used as a textbook in civil and geological engineering programs and as a general reference book for professional engineers.

Introduces the fundamental principles of applied Earth science needed for engineering practice, with case studies, exercises, and online solutions.

Engineering Rock Mechanics Part II: Illustrative Worked Examples can be used as an independent book or alternatively it complements an earlier publication called Engineering Rock Mechanics: An Introduction to the Principles by the same authors. It contains illustrative worked examples of engineering rock mechanics in action as the subject applies to civil, mining, petroleum and environmental engineering. The book covers the necessary understanding and the key techniques supporting the rock engineering design of structural foundations, dams, rock slopes, wellbores, tunnels, caverns, hydroelectric schemes and mines. There is a question and worked answer presentation with the question and answer sets collated into twenty chapters which match the subject matter of the first book.

Engineering rock mechanics is the discipline used to design structures built in rock. These structures encompass building foundations, dams, slopes, shafts, tunnels, caverns, hydroelectric schemes, mines, radioactive waste repositories and geothermal energy projects: in short, any structure built on or in a rock mass. Despite the variety of projects that use rock engineering, the principles remain the same. Engineering Rock Mechanics clearly and systematically explains the key principles behind rock engineering. The book covers the basic rock mechanics principles; how to study the interactions between these principles and a discussion on the fundamentals of excavation and support and the application of these in the design of surface and underground structures. Engineering Rock Mechanics is recommended as an across-the-board source of information for the benefit of anyone involved in rock mechanics and rock engineering.