Geomechanical Assessment Model of Rocks Quality

Geomechanical assessment of rocks requires knowledge of phenomena that occur under the influence of internal and external factors at a macroscopic or microscopic scale, when rocks are submitted to different actions. To elucidate the quantitative and qualitative geomechanical behavior of rocks, knowing their geological and physical–mechanical characteristics becomes an imperative. Mineralogical, petrographical and chemical analyses provided an opportunity to identify 15 types of igneous rocks (gabbro, diabases, granites, diorites, rhyolites, andesites, and basalts), divided into plutonic and volcanic rocks. In turn, these have been grouped into acidic, neutral (intermediate) and basic magmatites. A new ranking method is proposed, based on considering the rock characteristics as indicators of quantitative assessment, and the grading system, by given points, allowing the rocks framing in admissibility classes. This paper represents a comprehensive geo-mechanical study of the magmatic rocks represented by a wide range of varieties; it is structured into two parts, experimental and interpretation of experimental data, showing the methodology to assess the quality of igneous rocks analyzed, and the results of theoretical and experimental research carried out on the analyzed rock types. Applying this evaluation system allows determining the specific parameters of the rock quality requirements, namely the conformity and unconformity degrees, and more specifically the safety level that these rocks can provide if they are used in the construction field, either as aggregates or as construction materials. The proposed method represents an appropriate tool for assessment and verification of the requirements regarding the quality of rocks used in construction. The last part includes a general classification of analyzed magmatic rocks based on the geomechanical assessment model.