Abstract

The main rock mass classifications consider uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) as a fundamental input parameter. The estimation of UCS in geomechanical field surveys is often carried out by Schmidt Hammer tests, so that it is very important to evaluate the accuracy and precision of the results derived from the application of this method. To this end, some of the most representative formations belonging to the Dolomites sequence (NE Italian Alps) were considered to carry out a comparison between in situ and laboratory tests (point load and uniaxial tests). The great lithological variability of the sequence allowed to include in the analysis different lithotypes: chalks, rhyolites, basalts, limestones, marly limestones, dolomites and sandstones. UCS values derived from the different methods were compared to analyse the correspondence of the results for each lithotype. A particular attention was paid to UCS values calculated using R index of Schmidt Hammer to estimate the degree of reliability of the method. The findings of this study provide a large database of compressive strength values for the lithotypes belonging to the Dolomites sequence and can help scientists and professionals to better understand the limits in using Schmidt Hammer method for geomechanical rock mass classification.

 

E. Longo · M. Floris (*)
Department of Geosciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
e-mail: mario.floris@unipd.it
E. Chiesurin
Geo-engineering studio, Feltre, Italy
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
M. De Maio, A. K. Tiwari (eds.), Applied Geology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43953-8_9