Rock Mechanics in Civil and Environmental Engineering

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 development, radioactive waste and CO2 repository, and natural hazard management, are creating new opportunities of research and engineering. Rock mechanics today is closely associated with, and indeed part of, construction, energy, and environmental engineering.

Rock Mechanics in Civil and Environmental Engineering collects 200 papers presented at the European Rock Mechanics Symposium EUROCK 2010, covering recent developments in rock mechanics. Topics include: rock mechanics theory, rock dynamics and rate dependent behaviour, laboratory and field test techniques, numerical modelling methods, and rock mechanics applications to engineering design, tunnel excavation and support, slope stabilisation, radioactive waste repository, petroleum and hydropower energy, earthquake and natural hazard management. The book will be invaluable to academics and engineers involved and interested in rock mechanics and rock.

Preface 1. Keynotes (H.H. Einstein, R.L. Sousa, K. Karam, I. Manzella & V. Kveldsvik, Rock slopes from mechanics to decision making; J. Sulem, Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in fault zones during rapid slip; P.K. Kaiser, F. Amann & W. Steiner, How highly stressed brittle rock failure impacts tunnel design; R.W. Zimmerman, Some rock mechanics issues in petroleum engineering; M. Kwaśniewski & M. Takahashi, Strain-based failure criteria for rocks: State of the art and recent advances) 2. Fundamental rock mechanics 2.1 Rock testing and material properties 2.2 Rock mechanics constitutive models and modelling 2.3 Rock joints and discontinuities 2.4 Rock dynamics, wave propagation and geophysics 3. Tunnels and underground structures 3.1 Theory, design and numerical modelling 3.2 Tunnel methods and support 3.3 Case studies of rock tunnels 4. Slopes and landslides 4.1 Theoretical concepts and numerical modelling 4.2 Laboratory and field investigation and monitoring 4.3 Case studies of rock slopes and landslides 5. Resources, environment and others 5.1 Mines and petroleum 5.2 Radioactive waste repository 5.3 Dams and retaining structures 5.4 Other topics