Rock Engineering Design

About the Book

With a modern approach and anticipating future developments, this volume introduces a fresh methodology for the design of all types of rock engineering projects, both at the surface and underground. It provides guidance on the nature of modelling to support design, on flowcharts, on the information required, and on the procedure for the technical auditing of modelling and design. The authors also describe and explain the use of computer programs, model calibration through site observation, interpretation of computer results and virtual underground laboratories. Elaborate case studies on the design and construction of a rock slope and of a large underground hydroelectric plant, as well as technical auditing protocol sheets with examples, further facilitate bringing theory into practice. Written by two eminent authors, this illustrated guidebook benefits engineers, contractors, clients, researchers, lecturers, and advanced students who are working on rock engineering projects in civil, mining, geological and construction engineering. Templates of the protocol sheets and more information can be accessed at www.crcpress.com.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction 2. The ways ahead for rock engineering design methodologies 3. Flowcharts for rock engineering modelling and design 4. Specifying the information required for rock mechanics modelling and rock engineering design 5. Technical auditing of rock mechanics modelling and rock engineering design 6. Case example of the design and construction of a rock slope 7. Case example of the design and construction of a large underground hydroelectric powerhouse in a deep valley region 8. Protocol Sheets 9. Illustrative example of the Protocol Sheets use 10. Concluding Remarks. Appendix A. List of all the ISRM suggested methods (in chronological order) Appendix B. The Chinese 'Basic Quality' (BQ) System for rock mass classification.

About the Author :
Professor Xia-Ting Feng obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering at the Northeastern University, China, where he continued as a Professor. He was admitted by the Hundred Talents Program to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 1998 and later permanently joined CAS's Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics. He later obtained the support of the China National Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists and became a Chair Professor of the Cheung Kong Scholars' Programme of the Chinese Ministry of Education. Dr Feng is the President of the International Society for Rock Mechanics for the period 2011--2015. He has made original contributions to the subject of 'intelligent rock mechanics' and his methods have been applied to large rock engineering projects in China and other countries. Professor John A. Hudson graduated in 1965 from the Heriot-Watt University, UK, and obtained his PhD at the University of Minnesota, USA. He has spent his professional career in engineering rock mechanics--as it applies to civil, mining and environmental engineering--in consulting, research, teaching and publishing and was awarded the DSc. degree for his contributions to the subject. In addition to authoring many scientific papers and books, he edited the 1993 five-volume "Comprehensive Rock Engineering" compendium, and the International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences from 1983--2006. Since 1983, he has been affiliated with Imperial College, London as a Reader, Professor and now Emeritus Professor and was elected as a Fellow of the UK Royal Academy of Engineering in 1998. Prof. Hudson was the President of the International Society for Rock Mechanics between 2007 and 2011. He is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Hong Kong and an Adjunct Professor in the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Review :

This highly original and innovative book is the outcome of the work of the Commission on Rock Engineering Design Methodology of the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) in the period 2007–2011. The work of the Commission was managed by the authors, Professor John A Hudson, ISRM President for 2007–2011, and Professor Xiating Feng, ISRM President for 2011–2015, in association with the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering. Recently, this reviewer (2011) has argued that the work of its Commissions has been among the major achievements of the ISRM in the 50 years since its foundation in 1962. This book adds to that impressive record of achievement.

This superb book has many outstanding features. Its original approach and arguments are set out and developed with the greatest clarity; the writing is clear, fluent and accessible; the structure of the book is logical, guiding the reader through a series of stages required to develop a good, or even deep, understanding of the subject matter; the chapter summaries are succinct and informative, as are the summaries of some topics presented in tables and figures; and the detailed technical auditing approach developed is especially valuable. Perhaps most importantly, the several detailed practical examples given in each chapter illustrate just how the approaches developed and described have been applied in practice to the most challenging rock engineering design projects. These examples, together with a summary given in Chapter 1, provide compelling evidence of the monumental achievements of rock mechanics and rock engineering in China in recent years. Through this book and in other ways, the authors have contributed significantly to those achievements.

E. T. Brown
Senior Consultant, Golder Associates Pty Ltd.

Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 2012, 4 (1): III–IV