Interpretation of Triaxial Testing Data for Estimation of the Hoek-Brown m i

Triaxial tests are conducted to determine the relationship between confinement and axial compressive strength. Depending on the confining stress applied to a core specimen, the failure process changes depending on the rock type’s internal composition (i.e. porosity, flaws, stiffness heterogeneity, grain shape, etc.). These failure process changes are not typically considered when planning a triaxial testing program or when processing triaxial test data. This paper summarises the changes in failure process that occur depending on the confining stress level for various rock types and outlines a procedure for processing triaxial data depending on the confining stress level for the determination of the Hoek-Brown strength envelop parameter m i and
confidence intervals. For this, a triaxial and uniaxial dataset from Bingham Canyon is presented for a quartzite. The dataset is exceptionally complete in terms of the number of tests conducted (total of 217 uniaxial and triaxial tests) and the detail in test data quality and characterization of the specimens. The results show that triaxial data requires m i values outside (m i >50) the typically assumed range (m i ≤50). These high m i values appear to be needed to fit data at high confining stress levels (larger than about UCS/10). Based on the discussion in this paper; (1) the sel ection of confinement levels for testing purposes should include sufficient data in the confinement range of 0 to UCS/10 and UCS/10 to UCS/2; and (2) two sets of strength curves may need to be considered depending on the problem being assessed. One curve is valid for confinements of 0 to UCS/10 (representative of strengths near excavation boundaries) and the other for >UCS/10 to approximately the Mogi line (representative of strengths, for example, in wide pillars or mine abutments), after which a third envelop is needed. These changing envelop requirements are a result of changing failure mechanisms.