Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 1
Mohr-Coulomb relationship between shear stress (τ),
normal stress (σ) and cohesion (c) in rock mass; see text for
explanation. The shear stress required for failure in a rock mass
with normal stress σ
1
falls from τ
1
in intact (non-fractured) rock to
τ
2
in dry, discontinuous rock and to τ
3
in wet, discontinuous rock
Figure 2
Forces acting on a block on a rock slope; see text for
explanation. In wet conditions, water in discontinuities (dark area)
reduces sliding resistance by exerting a buoyancy or uplift force, u,
and adding the weight of water behind the block, v, to sliding stress.
