Relationship of Physical Properties of Limestone and Marble with Rock Strength Under Specific Geological Conditions from Khyber Region Hunza

Abstract

The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) is one of the input parameters mostly used in surface andunderground designs. A literature review revealed that most of the empirical equations between UCS and Schmidthammer rebound number (N) are not satisfactory because of the low coefficient of correlation. In most of the cases, asingle formula is used for all types of rocks. In this study, a relationship UCS with N, slake durability, moisture content,and specific gravity has been developed for a particular limestone and marble deposit. These equations help todetermine the strength of these deposits directly using N value and other properties. The UCS value increased withincreasing N value, specific gravity, and slake durability. While the UCS value decreased with increasing moisturecontent. A relation between slaking cycles and slake durability index is also developed. In this study, the slakedurability value decreased with increasing slaking cycles for both limestone and marble. The UCS showed a linearrelationship with these physical properties.