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Geosciences
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Rock Mass Characterization: A Focus on Geometrical Features of Discontinuities
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Rock Mass Characterization: A Focus on Geometrical Features of Discontinuities

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263). This special issue belongs to the section "Geomechanics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2021) | Viewed by 6725

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Gessica Umili

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Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125 Torino, Italy
Interests: rock mechanics; slope stability; numerical modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Anna Maria Ferrero

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Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Turin, 10124 Torino, Italy
Interests: rock mass characterization; slope stability; rockfall hazard
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Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maria Migliazza

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Guest Editor
Department of Structural Engineering, Construction and Soil Mechanics, Polytechnic University of Turin, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: rockfall hazard; rock and rock mass characterization; no-contact survey technique
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Discontinuities are an intrinsic characteristic of rock masses, and they appear at every scale of a technical survey. The International Society for Rock Mechanics has proposed quantitative descriptors of discontinuities (ISRM, 1978). Discontinuity geometry is mainly characterized by location, orientation, spacing, and persistence. Since discontinuities have essential effects on rock mass behaviour, it is crucial to estimate their mean geometry. 

The automatization of the non-contact survey of discontinuity orientation is a recurrent topic in the research community. On the other hand, spacing and persistence are still the most challenging characteristics to be determined. The natural variability of discontinuity spacing in a rock mass leads to difficulties in collecting enough data to properly describe its statistical distribution. Moreover, direct measurements of the true discontinuity persistence are quite impossible to obtain. In this regard, discontinuity trace assumes an essential role, due to the fact that a rock discontinuity, which is usually assumed to be planar, appears as a trace on a rock exposure (e.g., natural outcroppings, tunnel walls, etc.), and its measurements give information regarding discontinuity size. However, non-contact survey methods for spacing surveys, and trace mapping on a representation of the rock mass, such as an image or a digital model, do exist.

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect all research developments related to non-contact survey methods devoted to rock mass characterization, with a special focus on geometrical features of discontinuities, combining multidisciplinary approaches coming from rock mechanics, geology, remote sensing, and numerical simulations, to provide a comprehensive update of the state-of-the-art findings in this field.

Dr. Gessica Umili
Prof. Dr. Anna Maria Ferrero
Assoc. Pro Maria Migliazza
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Geosciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Discontinuity trace
  • Discontinuity Orientation
  • Discontinuity Persistence
  • Discontinuity Spacing
  • Trace mapping
  • Rock mass
  • Non-contact survey

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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23 pages, 9082 KiB  
Article
Rock Mass Characterization by UAV and Close-Range Photogrammetry: A Multiscale Approach Applied along the Vallone dell’Elva Road (Italy)
by Maria Migliazza, Maria Teresa Carriero, Andrea Lingua, Emanuele Pontoglio and Claudio Scavia
Geosciences 2021, 11(11), 436; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11110436 - 21 Oct 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3123
Abstract
Geostructural rock mass surveys and the collection of data related to discontinues provide the basis for the characterization of rock masses and the study of their stability conditions. This paper describes a multiscale approach that was carried out using both non-contact techniques and [...] Read more.
Geostructural rock mass surveys and the collection of data related to discontinues provide the basis for the characterization of rock masses and the study of their stability conditions. This paper describes a multiscale approach that was carried out using both non-contact techniques and traditional support techniques to survey certain geometrical features of discontinuities, such as their orientation, spacing, and useful persistence. This information is useful in identifying the possible kinematics and stability conditions. These techniques are extremely useful in the case study of the Elva valley road (Northern Italy), in which instability phenomena are spread across 9 km in an overhanging rocky mass. A multiscale approach was applied, obtaining digital surface models (DSMs) at three different scales: large-scale DSM of the entire road, a medium-scale DSM to assess portions of the slope, and a small-scale DSM to assess single discontinuities. The georeferenced point cloud and consequent DSMs of the slopes were obtained using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and terrestrial photogrammetric technique, allowing topographic and rapid traditional geostructural surveys. This technique allowed us to take measurements along the entire road, obtaining geometrical data for the discontinuities that are statistically representative of the rock mass and useful in defining the possible kinematic mechanisms and volumes of potentially detachable blocks. The main purpose of this study was to analyse how the geostructural features of a rock mass can affect the stability slope conditions at different scales in order to identify road sectors susceptible to different potential failure mechanisms using only kinematic analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rock Mass Characterization: A Focus on Geometrical Features of Discontinuities)
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31 pages, 20103 KiB  
Article
Photogrammetric Prediction of Rock Fracture Properties and Validation with Metric Shear Tests
by Lauri Uotinen, Masoud Torkan, Alireza Baghbanan, Enrique Caballero Hernández and Mikael Rinne
Geosciences 2021, 11(7), 293; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11070293 - 15 Jul 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2726
Abstract
An accurate understanding of jointed rock mass behavior is important in many applications ranging from deep geological disposal of nuclear waste, to deep mining, and to urban geoengineering projects. The roughness of rock fractures and the matching of the fracture surfaces are the [...] Read more.
An accurate understanding of jointed rock mass behavior is important in many applications ranging from deep geological disposal of nuclear waste, to deep mining, and to urban geoengineering projects. The roughness of rock fractures and the matching of the fracture surfaces are the key contributors to the shear strength of rock fractures. In this research, push shear tests with three normal stress levels of 3.6, 6.0, and 8.5 kPa were conducted on two granite samples with artificially induced well-matching tensile fractures with sizes of 500 mm × 250 mm and 1000 mm × 500 mm. The large sample reached on average a −60% weaker peak shear stress than the medium-sized sample, and a strong negative scale effect was observed in the peak shear strength. The roughness of the surfaces was measured using a profilometer and photogrammetry. The scale-corrected profilometer-based method (joint roughness coefficient, JRC) underestimates the peak friction angle for the medium-sized slabs by −27% for the medium sample and −9% for the large sample. The photogrammetry-based (Z′2) method produces an estimate with −7% (medium) and + 12% (large) errors. The photogrammetry-based Z′2 is an objective method that consistently produces usable estimates for the JRC and peak friction angle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rock Mass Characterization: A Focus on Geometrical Features of Discontinuities)
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