Classificação e resistência de juntas rochosas sãs e alteradas

Abstract

Joints present lower strength and stiffness properties than the surrounding rock matrix and can therefore control the mechanical behavior of rock masses. For this reason, many of the problems is engineering projetcs are directly or indirectly related to these structures, so their correct recognition is extremely important. Although rock masses classification systems exist, none of them focus exclusively on joints. Thus, it is necessary to develop a joint characterization methodology, in order to help the determination of joint strength parameters. The main objective of this research is to develop a joint characterization and classification system focusing on its strength, aiming a better understanding of its mechanical behavior for rock slopes stability analysis. The uniaxial compressive strength of the gneiss from the Simplício hydroelectric power dam was evaluated using the Schmidt hammer. The equipment was satisfactory to evaluate the material uniaxial compressive strength, detecting the effect of discontinuities presence and material degradation.