Rock Mass I II III VI V

Very Good Very Poor

Description Good Rock Fair Rock Poor Rock
Rock Rock
Seismic
>2150 2150-1850 1850-1500 1500-1200 1200-450
Velocity (m/s)
Rating 26 24 20 12 5
Extremely Very Hard Very Soft
Rock Hardness Hard Rock Soft Rock
Hard Rock Rock Rock
Rating 10 5 2 1 0
Rock Slightly Highly Completely
Unweathered Weathered
Weathering Weathered Weatheredd Weathered
Rating 9 7 5 3 1
Discontinuity
>3000 3000-1000 1000-300 300-50 <50
Spacing (mm)
Rating 30 25 20 10 5
Discontinuity Non Slightly Continuous Continuous Continuous
continuity Continuous Continuous no Gouge some Gouge with Gouge
Rating 5 5 3 0 0
Slightly Separation <
Joint Gouge No Separation Gouge < 5mm Gouge > 5mm
Separation 1mm
Rating 5 5 4 3 1

Strike Dip and Very Slightly Very

Unfavourable Favourable
Orientation * Unfavourable Unfavourable Favourable
Rating 15 13 10 5 3
TOTAL 100-90 90-70 ** 70-50 50-25 <25
RATING
Rippability Extremely Very Hard
Blasting Hard Ripping Easy Ripping
Assessment Hard Ripping Ripping
Tractor and Blasting
- DD9G/D9G D9/D8 D8/D7 D7
Selection
Horse Power - 770/385 385/270 270/180 180
Kilowatts - 570/290 290/200 200/135 135
 Mass strength
Hardness Identification in profile UCS, (MPa)
number, Ms

Material crumbles under firm

blows with sharp end of
Very soft geological pick and can be 1.7
0.87 - 1.86
rock peeled of with a knife it is too 1.7-3.3
hard to cut a triaxial sample
by hand

Can just be scraped and peeled

with a knife indentions 1 mm
3.3-3.6
Soft rock to 3 mm show in the 3.95-8.39
6.6-13.2
specimen with firm blows of
the pick point
Cannot be scraped or peeled
with a knife; hand-held
specimen can be broken
Hard rock 13.2-26.4 17.70
with hammer end of a
geological pick with a single
firm blow
Hand held specimen breaks
Very hard 26.4-53.0 70.0
with hammer end of pick
rock 53.0-106.0 140.0
under more than one blow

Extremely Specimen requires many

hard rock blows with geological pick
212.0 280
(very very to break through intact
hard rock) material