Characteristics Analysis of Generalized Rock Quality Designation (RQD) Based on Degree of Joint Development

Abstract

Rock quality designation (RQD) is widely adopted as a fundamental tool in characterizing rock masses since it was devised in 1964. Since the conventional RQD calculation is limited due to its dependence on the selected threshold, previous research introduced generalized RQD to adequately reflect the anisotropy and scale effect of RQD. However, the influence of the joint development inside rock mass on generalized RQD remains unclear. The objective of this work is to investigate characteristics of the generalized RQD in view of different development degrees of discontinuities in rock mass, including spacing (density) and trace length. Three-dimensional fracture network modelling is employed to simulate the actual rock mass of open-pit iron mine in China. Virtual scanlines are set to obtain RQD values in different directions. The results primarily show that the generalized RQD should be introduced to calculate the RQD with different thresholds to fully reflect the anisotropy of rock mass. The optimal threshold can be obtained based on an anisotropic coefficient, which is defined by (RQDmax-RQDmin). It is also indicated that the fracture spacing has a great influence on both the anisotropy of RQD and the selection of the optimal threshold. The optimal threshold of the generalized RQD increases with the increase in the fracture spacing. In addition, the scale effect of RQD in different models is discussed by changing the length of the scanlines. The longer the scanlines we set, the more stable RQD value can be obtained in the model. It is recommended to fit much longer scanline to get realistic RQD in heavily fractured rock mass.