Scale Effect on Mode of Failure and Strength of Offset Rock Joints

As a sustainable construction material, the use of rock has increased significantly. In this experimental study, the scale effect on failure mechanisms and compressive strength of rock blocks was investigated. Samples of rock with non-persistent offset joints were subjected to uniaxial loading. The angle of orientation of the rock bridge with respect to the applied axial load and the size of the block were studied. Two different block sizes, having dimensions of (63.5 × 28 × 20.3) cm and (30.5 × 15.24 × 10) cm, were tested. The joint inclination angle was maintained at 22.5° in both cases. Also, degree of persistence was kept constant at 0.3 for all tested blocks. However, the offset angle which connects the inner tips of the joints was changed from 30°-90° with an increment of 15°. The results showed a reduction in strength with increasing the size of the sample. This reduction is becoming more significant as the bridge inclination angle increases. This behavior is due to the fact that as the bridge inclination angle increases the mode of failure shifted from shear to tension mode which is more dependent on the size of sample due to the presence of more micro flaws. No effect of block size was noticed on mode of failure for the tested blocks.