Abstract
A rock mass failure criterion would have no practical value unless it could be linked to geological description that could be made easily by engineering geologists. The geological strength index (GSI) is a rock mass classification system that has been developed in rock engineering to meet the need of estimating reliable rock mass properties for the design of engineering projects. The heart of the GSI system is a careful engineering geology description of the rock mass encountered in engineering projects. The value of GSI is based upon the assessment of the two fundamental factors, namely, structure and discontinuities condition in the rock mass which can be estimated from visual examination of the rock mass exposed in outcrops. This Chapter attempts to introduce various descriptive and quantitative GSI charts for describing rock structure and the surface conditions of the discontinuities.
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Zuo, J., Shen, J. (2020). The Geological Strength Index. In: The Hoek-Brown Failure criterion—From theory to application. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1769-3_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1769-3_6
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