Rock mechanics

Rock mechanics studies how intact rock and rock masses deform, fail, and transmit forces under stress, including the effects of fractures and other discontinuities.

Stress (mechanics): Stress is the internal force per unit area acting within a material. Applied and in-situ stresses are the loads rock mechanics evaluates.
Rock mass: A volume of rock containing intact material and geological discontinuities. Rock mechanics distinguishes the behavior of a rock mass from that of a small intact specimen.
Rock slope stability: The assessment of whether a natural or excavated rock slope will resist sliding, toppling, or collapse. Discontinuity orientation and shear strength govern many slope failures.
Soil mechanics: The study of soil behavior under forces, including deformation, strength, and fluid flow. Soil mechanics addresses granular and cohesive ground, while rock mechanics emphasizes intact strength and discontinuities.
Strain (mechanics): Strain measures relative deformation in a material caused by displacement. Rock deformation is quantified by relating strain to applied stress.
Intact rock: Rock material considered without significant fractures or other large discontinuities. Its measured properties provide a baseline for understanding fractured rock masses.
Rock burst: A sudden, violent failure of highly stressed rock, often in a deep underground excavation. It is a hazardous consequence of stored stress released around excavations.
Structural geology: The study of rock deformation and the structures produced by geological forces over time. Structural geology reconstructs geological history; rock mechanics focuses on behavior under specified engineering conditions.
Mohr–Coulomb theory: A failure criterion that relates shear strength to normal stress through cohesion and friction. It estimates when stressed rock or discontinuities will begin to shear.
Uniaxial compressive strength: The maximum axial compressive stress a specimen withstands without lateral confinement. It is a common index of intact rock strength and a basis for classification.

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