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doi: 10.3850/978-981-07-3757-3_RP-015-P103

Interaction Between Mineral Constituents, Weathering,

Fracturing and Strength and Hydraulic Properties of
Bukit Timah Granite

Table of Contents

Tint Lwin Swe

Author Index

M. E. Geo, MMGSS, MGeoSS.

tlwinswe@gmail.com

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ABSTRACT

Bukit Timah Granite generally consists of quart, feldspar, mica and hornblende and

other minor accessories. Individual mineral grains alter due to weathering of rock
mass. The alteration of those minerals increases with increasing degree of
fracturing and brecciation which in turn affects the great variation of the strength of
the rock material.

The intact rock samples are not always be tested for representing typical strength

value of the Singapore Granite. Most of the samples are affected by various degrees
of weathering and some internal cracks appeared as resulted from the tectonics
activities in the past. The relationship between the strength values of Singapore

Granite and weathering grades with or without the cracks in the material are
described in this study.

The density and network of discontinuities in a rock mass also play major role in

determining the hydraulic properties of the Bukit Timah Granite. Generally, the
highly fractured rock mass with a considerable thickness of in situ rock mass have
the larger the transmissivity and the hydraulic conductivity values. The interaction
between those physical processes and properties of Bukit Timah Granite is disclosed
based on the results of drilled core mapping, laboratory tests and field pumping
tests.

Keywords: Granite, Bukit Timah, Alteration, Strength, RQD, Transmissivity,

Hydraulic conductivity.
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FULL TEXT(PDF)

2013 The Society for Rock Mechanics & Engineering Geology (Singapore)

http://rpsonline.com.sg/proceedings/9789810737573/html/RP-015-P103.xml

20/10/2015

PaperID103

INTERACTIONBETWEENMINERALCONSTITUENTS,
WEATHERING,FRACTURINGANDSTRENGTHANDTHE
HYDRAULICPROPERTIESOFTHEBUKITTIMAHGRANITE

TINTLWINSWE
tlwinswe@gmail.com
7Nov2012
MarinaBaySandsSingapore

PaperID103

GeologicalMapofSingapore(DSTA,2009)
Bukit Timah Granite
Widely distributed in the central part of Singapore

PaperID103

INTERACTIONS
Mineral
composition

Weathering

Strength

Fractures

Groundwater

PaperID103

ROCKWEATHERING
Mechanical
Chemical

Decompositionofrock
Hydrationreactwithwater
Oxidationreactwithoxygen
Temperatureandclimate
Carbonation

Biological

PaperID103

RockweatheringofBukitTimahGranite

Residual
soil

Moderately
weathered
rock
CourtesyofKyawWinSein(2012)

Slightly
weathered
whenexposed
andoxidized

Completely
weathered
granite/
transitionto
residualsoil

FreshGranite

Highly/
Completely
weathered
granite

PaperID103

INTERACTIONS

Mineral
composition

Weathering

Fractures

PaperID103

Petrographicanalysis
quartz>30%of
themineral
present,
Feldspar,6065%
varyingamountsof
alkalifeldsparand
acidplagioclase
subordinate
amountsofbiotite
andhornblende

Hornblende

Quartz
Biotite
Chlorite
Plagioclase
Feldspar
CourtesyofC.M.Gray

2.5mm

PaperID103

ClassificationofWeathering(BS5930)
Grade

Classifier

Typical characteristics

Fresh

Unchanged from original state

Graphic

Remarks
Intact
Microcracks

II

Slightly
weathered

Slight discoloration, slight

weakening

Intact
Fissures

III

Moderately
weathered

Considerably weakened,
penetrative discoloration, Large
pieces cannot be broken by hand

Microcracks

Often associated
with joints and
fractures

IV

Highly
weathered

Large pieces cannot be broken by

hand. Does not readily
disaggregate (slake) when dry
sample immersed in water.

Completely
weathered

Considerably weakened, Slake,

Original texture apparent

VI

Residual soil

Soil derived by in situ weathering

but retaining none of the original
texture or fabric

Joints

PaperID103

FaultRockandWeathering

Rock samples of Bukit Timah Granite

(Various places of Singapore)

Brecciated Bukit Timah Granite (Loc. Gambas Avenue)

Highly weathered Granite and Completely weathered Granite

(Loc. Upp. Bukit Timah Road)

Weathering of Brecciated
granite and fractured granite

PaperID103

STRENGTHOFGRANITE

PaperID103

UCSandPLS

PaperID103

GraniteCoreSamplesforTesting
(SamplelocationsvariousplacesofSingapore)

PaperID103

RelationshipbetweenUniaxialCompressiveStrengthandPointLoadStrengthofBukit
TimahGranite(ThisStudy)

PaperID103

INTERACTIONS

Fractures

Weathering

Strength

PaperID103

TypicalrockcoresamplesofBukitTimahGraniteforstrengthtests

PaperID103

EffectofweatheringandfracturingonthestrengthofBukitTimahGranite

Description

Mean

Fresh

Fresh with
micorcracks

Slight

Slight
with
some
cracks

Moderate

Moderate
with
cracks

High

100.5

41.3

86.5

37.0

34.7

15.9

10.9

2.4

4.1

3.5

2.2

4.4

3.3

1.9

100.0

38.2

79.5

34.3

28.0

11.5

9.9

Standard Deviation

23.7

17.2

19.8

17.6

17.5

11.3

3.8

Minimum

59.1

15.8

60.5

5.9

12.5

3.4

7.8

Maximum

161.1

78.3

127.3

77.7

72.3

48.0

15.9

Count

96

18

32

65

16

12

Confidence Level (95.0%)

4.8

8.6

7.1

4.4

9.3

7.2

6.0

Standard Error
Median

PaperID103

FRACTURESANDROCKMASS

PaperID103

FracturedGranite

PaperID103

RQDandFractureFrequency

Deere and Deere (1988)

PaperID103

RelationshipbetweenRQDandFractureFrequency

PaperID103

TypicalBedrockProfileofBukitTimahGraniteandFractureZone

RockHeadTopography

ZoningoffracturedrockbasedonRQD

Fracturedrock=RQD<75%

PaperID103

INTERACTIONS

Fractures

Groundwater

PaperID103

Pumpingouttest

Drilling and installation of pumping well

at Upp. Bukit Timah Road (2012)

Drilling and installation of pumping well

at Upp. Bukit Timah Road (2012)

Well development after installation

PaperID103

Pumpingouttestandmonitoringresults

Monitoring drawdown during pumping test

Rock core samples of monitoring section

Pumping out test by compressed air lifting method

PaperID103

PumpingTestResults

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SummaryofPumpingTestandRQD
Discharge,
Q (l/s)

Thickness,
B (m)

Drawdown,
s (m)

Transmissivity,
T (m/day)

Permeability,
K (m/day)

Storage
coefficient,
S

MW1

1.3

2.4

1.17

17.57

7.32

0.00025734

MW2

1.3

3.3

0.95

21.64

6.56

0.00131088

77

MW3

1.3

1.05

19.58

6.53

0.00110114

MW4

0.42

1.7

0.32

20.75

12.21

0.00081063

51

MW6

1.62

3.9

1.07

23.94

6.14

0.00014962

47

MW7

1.62

1.05

24.39

4.10

0.00051457

31

MW8

1.62

2.2

1.11

23.08

10.49

0.00015324

MW8A

1.62

1.35

18.97

2.37

0.0000732

MW11

0.17

1.5

0.16

16.80

11.20

0.00103044

13

MW1

1.44

0.64

35.58

8.89

0.00101755

27

MW1A

1.44

0.86

26.47

5.29

0.00102744

20

MW2

1.69

8.25

1.06

25.28

3.10

0.000709

14

Monitoring
Well

RQD#
*

PaperID103

PredictionofPermeabilityofFracturedGranitefromRQDValues

IfRQD<=50%

PaperID103

Conclusions
ItisobviousthatthestrengthpropertyofBukitTimahGranite
isstronglyinfluencedbyweatheringandalterationof
constituentmineralsaswellasthepresenceoffissuresinthe
rock.
Theeffectofweatheringandfissuresonthestrengthis
describedintermsofUCSandPLSvalues
RQDisusedtocorrelatewithfracturecountandhydraulic
conductivityoffracturedgranite
RQDlessthan75%aredescribedasthefracturedrockwhich
iscorrelatedtohydraulicpropertiesoftherock.
ThelowertheRQDvalue,thehigherthecoefficientof
hydraulicconductivity.

PaperID103

Thanks for your kind attention