Rock Mech Rock Eng (2014) 47:12551276

DOI 10.1007/s00603-013-0462-z

ORIGINAL PAPER

A New Rock Mass Quality Rating System: Rock Mass Quality

Rating (RMQR) and Its Application to the Estimation
of Geomechanical Characteristics of Rock Masses
mer Aydan Res at Ulusay Naohiko Tokashiki
O

Received: 9 March 2013 / Accepted: 22 July 2013 / Published online: 4 September 2013
Springer-Verlag Wien 2013

Abstract The qualitative description of rock masses by

means of classification systems and subsequent correlation
to establish engineering quantities or design parameters has
become one of the most challenging topics in rock engineering. Many rock mass classification systems have been
proposed for rock masses with the consideration of a particular rock structure and/or specific purposes. Therefore,
direct utilization of these systems, in their original form,
for the characterization of complex rock mass conditions is
not always possible. This is probably one of the reasons
why rock engineers continue to develop new systems or
modify and extend current ones. The recent tendency is to
obtain rock mass properties from the utilization of properties of intact rock and rock classification indexes, which
have some drawbacks. In this study, it is aimed to propose
a new rock mass quality rating system designated as Rock
Mass Quality Rating (RMQR). This new rock mass rating
system is used to estimate the geomechanical properties of
rock masses. In the first part of this paper, the input
parameters of RMQR and their ratings are given and discussed. In the second part, the unified formula proposed by
the first author is adopted for the new rock mass rating
system for estimating the rock mass properties and compared with the results of the in situ tests carried out in
. Aydan (&)
O
Institute of Oceanic Research and Development,
Tokai University, Shizuoka, Japan
e-mail: aydan@scc.u-tokai.ac.jp
R. Ulusay
Geological Engineering Department, Hacettepe University,
Ankara, Turkey
N. Tokashiki
Civil Engineering Department, Ryukyu University,
Okinawa, Japan

Japan and those estimated from some empirical relationships developed by other investigators, and the outcomes of
these studies are presented and discussed.
Keywords Rock Mass Quality Rating 
Geomechanical properties  Rock mass classifications 
Degradation degree  Groundwater absorption
condition  Groundwater seepage condition 
Discontinuity condition  Discontinuity spacing 
Discontinuity set number  RMR  Q-value

1 Introduction
Over the last seven decades, a large number of engineering
rock mass classifications have been proposed. However, it
is very likely that rock mass classifications might have
been used by engineers of rock mechanics in much earlier
times when the construction of man-made antique underground excavations in Bazda (SE Turkey) and Qurna
(Egypt) underground quarries, underground or semiunderground cities in Cappadocia (i.e., Agll, Derinkuyu,
Zelve, Ihlara, etc., Central Anatolia, Turkey) and Bezeklik
Buddha Caves in East Turkistan, and Pharaoh tombs (i.e.,
Amenophis III, Ramses II, Seti I, King V) in Luxor of
Egypt are considered. For example, one can easily notice
how the pioneers of rock mechanics recognized the differences among the responses of shale, fractured soft and
hard limestones, and massive soft limestone in the shortterm and long-term as rock mass when siting the underground tombs (Fig. 1). Unfortunately, there is no accessible document about the rock classifications of the pioneers
of rock mechanics about 3,0004,000 years ago, except for
the historical remains in various countries around the
world.

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Fig. 1 Siting of underground Pharaoh tombs (Luxor, Egypt) in

relation to the conditions of rock masses: a shaleearlier periods
(3,8003,500 years BP), b sidewalls (shale), roof (fractured soft

limestone)later period (3,5003,200 years BP), c cavity in soft

massive limestone (final stage, 3,0003,200 years BP)

The earliest accessible rock classification system was a

qualitative one proposed by Agricola (1556) in his famous
De Re Metallica, which was published in Latin 1 year after
his death. In Book V of this famous manuscript, he classified
ores and surrounding rocks as crumbling, hard,
harder, and hardest. Also, he gave short descriptions for
each class. The classifications of Terzaghi (1946) and Stini
(1950) constitute the bases of the modern rock classifications,
such as Rock Structure Rating (RSR) by Wickham et al.
(1972, 1974), Rock Mass Rating (RMR) by Bieniawski
(1973, 1989), and the Q-system by Barton et al. (1974) and
Barton and Grimstad (1994), and their derivatives, such as
Modified Basic RMR (MBR) (Cummings et al. 1982; Kendorski et al. 1983), Rock Mass Index (RMi) (Palmstrom
nal et al. 1992; U
nal
1996), Modified RMR (M-RMR) (U
1996), etc., together with the incorporation of Rock Quality
Designation (RQD) proposed by Deere et al. (1967). The
common purpose of these systems was to quantify rock mass
characteristics previously based on qualitative geological
descriptions. They were originally developed for assisting
with the rock engineering design of tunnels (Barton and
Bieniawski 2008). In 1995, an index called the Geological
Strength Index (GSI) was developed (Hoek et al. 1995) and
then modified (Hoek and Brown 1997; Hoek 1999) over the
years. The originators of the GSI pointed out that it is an
index of rock mass characterization for the estimation of rock
mass strength using the HoekBrown criterion, and is not
meant for replacing a classification system of the types RMR
or Q. The earlier classifications were single parameter (RQD,
Rock Condition), while recent classification schemes incorporate a number of parameters, such as, in particular, the
strength of rock material, discontinuity density, joint conditions, joint orientation, and groundwater conditions. However, all these classifications have been proposed with the
consideration of some specific rock structures, such as tunnels, underground caverns, dams, and slopes.
The rock classification system of the Central Research
Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) of Japan for

dam and underground cavern construction, which is known

as the DENKEN classification (Tanaka 1964; Kikuchi and
Saito 1975; Kikuchi et al. 1982; Yoshinaka et al. 1989) in
Japan, is directly related to the quality assessment of rock
masses. Nevertheless, this system is based on qualitative
interpretations. Kikuchi et al. (1982) and, later, Tanimoto
et al. (1989) attempted to provide quantitative parameters
for the evaluation of rock classes. Akagi and Aydan (2000)
(see also Ulusay and Aydan 1998) combined the attempts
of Kikuchi and Saito (1975) and Tanimoto et al. (1989),
together with new assessments of parameters to evaluate
the DENKEN classes in quantitative terms. However,
many available rock classification systems have some
repetitions of some rock fractures, such as RQD and discontinuity spacing, resulting in the doubling of the influence of the spacing of discontinuities on the final rating. In
addition, although the effect of water, particularly on claybearing rocks, plays an important role in decreasing their
strength, this effect is not adequately considered in the
existing rock mass classification systems.
The determination of geomechanical (i.e., strength and
deformability) properties of rock masses is one of the integral
parts of rock engineering design. By considering the scale
effect for rock masses, which include both intact rock and
discontinuities, laboratory testing on rock masses is not
always easy and is very cumbersome. For this reason, field
tests are preferred. But field tests to determine these
parameters are directly time consuming, expensive, and difficult to conduct. Therefore, some recent attempts to relate
the quantitative rock mass parameters such as RMR, Q, and
GSI with some engineering properties of rock masses have
been made. However, these parameters are used to estimate
directly or indirectly rock mass strength and elastic modulus,
except those by Aydan et al. (2012), who also considered
other geomechanical properties, through some empirical
relationships. As discussed by Aydan et al. (1997, 2012), the
direct relations often fail to estimate rock mass properties if a
great variety of rock masses are considered.

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A New Rock Mass Quality Rating System

In this study, the authors propose a new rock mass

quality rating system called Rock Mass Quality Rating
(RMQR). The RMQR system combines relevant parameters of rock masses with the consideration of all available
rock mass classifications, together with sound mechanical
reasoning, and provides a quantitative measure for the
physical state of rock mass with respect to intact rock. This
system is used to estimate geomechanical properties of
rock masses from the utilization of properties of intact
rock. First, selection of the input parameters used in the
classification and ratings assigned to them are given in the
following section in detail. Then, the adaptation of the
unified formula proposed by the first author for this new
rock mass rating system for estimating the rock mass
properties is compared with the results of in situ tests
carried out in Japan and those estimated from some
empirical relationships developed by other investigators,
and the outcomes of these studies are presented and
discussed.

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bonding of particles of rocks and producing clayey materials. As the intact rock is one of the most important
parameters influencing the mechanical response of rock
masses, weathering and/or the negative action of hydrothermal alteration may be accounted as the degradation
degree (DD) of intact rock. Groundwater is also an
important parameter affecting the mechanical response of
rock masses. There are also cases where some rocks may
absorb groundwater electrically or chemically, resulting in
the drastic reduction of material properties and/or swelling.
The rock mass quality rating system proposed herein
incorporates important parameters of the available quantitative modern rock classifications. This rock mass quality
rating system is expected to provide a better assessment of
the physical state of rock masses. In the following subsections, first, the basic concepts involving each parameter
and their ratings on the basis of knowledge gained in rock
mechanics and rock engineering so far are explained.
2.1 Degradation Degree (DD) and Its Rating

2 Rock Mass Quality Rating (RMQR)

It is well known that rock masses have discontinuities of
various scale associated with the formation in their geologic past. The authors particularly prefer to use the term
discontinuity instead of joint, as it covers all types of
interruptions of the structural integrity of rock masses.
Some of these discontinuities, such as bedding planes,
schistosity, flow plane, sheeting joints, and faults, may be
quite continuous with respect to the size of rock engineering structures, while other discontinuities, such as
joints and cracks, may be of finite length. The most commonly used factors in engineering descriptions of rock
masses are the condition and geometrical characteristics of
discontinuities. Therefore, the parameters associated with
discontinuities could be the discontinuity set number
(DSN), discontinuity spacing (DS), and discontinuity
condition (DC).
The intact rock bounded by discontinuities may be
subjected to weathering or alteration when they are
exposed to atmospheric conditions or hydrothermal fluids
through rock mass, respectively. The weathering of rocks
results from the physical and/or chemical actions of
atmospheric conditions and causes the weakening of bonds
and decomposition of constituting minerals into clayey
materials. The alteration process is due to percolating
hydrothermal fluids in rock mass and it may act on rock
mass in a positive or negative way. The positive action of
the alteration may heal existing rock discontinuities by rewelding through the deposition of ferrous oxides, calcite,
or siliceous filling material. On the other hand, the negative
action of the alteration would cause the weakening of

It is well known that rocks may undergo degradation when

they are exposed to atmospheric conditions and/or hydrothermal fluids through rock mass. The degradation process
is commonly known as weathering and alteration, depending upon the physical and chemical process involved. There
are different stages of degradation and these stages are
designated with adjectives such as fresh, stained, slight
degradation, moderate degradation, heavy degradation, and
decomposed. Figure 2 shows an example of various stages
of degradation of syenite (or Aswan granite, Egypt) and
rhyolite (Okumino Hydroelectric Power Project, Japan).
The degradation process generally causes weakening of the
bonds between particles or grains constituting rocks and,
physically, they cause the reduction of the strength and
deformation modulus of intact rock. The degradation process also influences the joint spacing and discontinuity
filling material in the form of clay. Therefore, in this study,
degradation degree, which is considered as one of the elements of the joint condition parameter in some previously
developed classifications, is taken as one of the input
parameters. Tables 1 and 2 give descriptions of degradation
(weathering) degrees and ratings of degradation degree of
rocks for each stage, respectively.
2.2 Discontinuity Set Number (DSN) and Its Rating
Rock masses may contain discontinuities in different
forms, such as intrinsic discontinuities associated with the
formations of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary
rocks, such as bedding planes, schistosity planes, and flow
planes, volumetric strain change associated with discontinuities, such as desiccation, cooling, erosion, freezing

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. Aydan et al.
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Fig. 2 a Views of syenite of Aswan subjected to weathering and

b rhyolite of Okumino subjected to hydrothermal alteration at
different stages of degradation: a.1b.1 fresh, a.2b.2 stained, a.3

b.3 slight degradation, a.4b.4 moderate degradation, a.5b.5 heavy

degradation, a.6b.6 decomposed

thawing-induced joints, and plastic deformation-induced

discontinuities, such as faults, fracture zones, tension (T),
Riedel (RR0 ) shear cracks, and Skempton (P) fractures
(Fig. 3). Although it is very rare to find any rock mass
without discontinuities in nature near the earths surface,
there are some good examples of rock masses without any
visible discontinuities. Such rock masses are observed as

batholiths, for example, the granite of Yosemite Park in the

United States. When unloading occurs in such batholiths
due to erosion, sheeting joints, which are fairly persistent
and are products of residual tensile stresses remaining from
the cooling process of igneous intrusion, may develop in
the rock mass. As a result, the rock mass structurally would
have at least one discontinuity set associated with the

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A New Rock Mass Quality Rating System

Table 1 Descriptions for
different degrees of degradation
(modified from the International
Society for Rock Mechanics,
ISRM 2007)

Table 2 Ratings for degree of

degradation

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Term

Description

Fresh

No visible sign of rock material weathering or hydrochemical alteration, slight

discoloration on major discontinuity walls may be observed

Stained

Some minerals may undergo oxidation or chemical reaction, causing some dark
brownish marks on the rock surface

Slight
degradation

Discoloration indicates weathering or hydrochemical alteration of rock material and

discontinuity surfaces. All the rock material may be discolored by weathering or
hydrochemical alteration, and may be somewhat weaker externally than in its fresh
condition

Moderate
degradation

Less than half of the rock material is decomposed and/or disintegrated to a soil. Fresh
or discolored rock is present either as a continuous framework or as corestones

Heavy
degradation

More than half of the rock material is decomposed and/or disintegrated to a soil. Fresh
or discolored rock is present either as a discontinuous framework or as corestones

Decomposed

All rock material is decomposed and/or disintegrated to soil. The original mass
structure is still largely intact

Degradation
degree (DD)

Fresh

Stained

Slight
degradation

Moderate
degradation

Heavy
degradation

Decomposed

Rating (RDD)

15

12

Fig. 3 Fractures induced during the shearing of rock masses

surface shape of erosion. Sedimentary and metamorphic

rocks have generally persistent discontinuity sets in the
form of bedding planes and schistosity/foliation planes,
respectively. Cooling joints in igneous rocks and desiccation cracks forming during the sedimentation process of
sedimentary rocks result from volumetric contraction due
mainly to tensile stress.
Freezingthawing processes also cause new and/or further propagation fractures. Folding and faulting of

geological units as a result of tectonic events may cause

further fracturing in rock masses. Figure 3 illustrates the
possible fracture types when rock masses are subjected to
folding or shearing. These new fractures would be superimposed over the existing discontinuity sets. Furthermore,
the shearing action during faulting may cause several zones
with different intensities of fracturing in rock mass. There
may be some cases where rock mass is completely shattered and crushed. Therefore, the discontinuous nature of
rock masses may be described through some adjectives,
such as none, one set plus random, two sets plus random,
three sets plus random, four sets or more, and crushed/
shattered. It should be noted that, if the discontinuity set
number is four or more, it would definitely imply that it
was subjected to tectonic events in the past. Figure 4 shows
the possible discontinuous nature of rock mass in nature as
examples for the possible discontinuous states of rock
masses. Besides the visual observations on the outcrops of
rock masses and/or borehole logs, the processing of stereographic projections or other techniques of measured
orientation data of discontinuities may be used to determine the number of discontinuity sets as a more accurate
interpretation of the discontinuous nature of rock masses
(i.e., Priest 1985). Table 3 gives the ratings of discontinuous states of rock masses.
2.3 Discontinuity Spacing (DS) and Its Rating
This is one of the most commonly used rock mass characterization parameters in rock mechanics and rock engineering. Many suggestions (i.e., Terzaghi 1965; Priest

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Fig. 4 Views of discontinuous states of rock masses: a solid or massive, b one set plus random, c two sets plus random, d three sets plus random,
e four sets plus random, f crushed/shattered
Table 3 Ratings for discontinuity set number
Discontinuity set number
(DSN)

None (solid/
massive)

One set plus

random

Two sets plus

random

Three sets plus

random

Four sets plus

random

Crushed/
shattered

Rating (RDSN)

20

16

12

Spacing depended on the choice of the users

1985; Priest and Hudson 1981) have been proposed on how

to eliminate bias associated with scan-line direction in
outcrops and the orientation and the possibility of measuring accurately the spacing of discontinuity sets from
borehole cores. If RQD is considered as an important
characterization parameter, there are several attempts to
correlate it with discontinuity set number and block size.
The modern rock mass classifications (i.e., RMR) consider
that the rock mass is massive when the discontinuity
spacing is more than 23 m. This definition may not be so
important when the underground openings have a smaller
size, say, less than 86 m in diameter or span. However,
when one considers the present common size of major
underground powerhouses and storage caverns for crude oil
and gas, which are 2028 m wide and 4555 m high, the
rock mass around the underground opening would look
very blocky. Therefore, the present discontinuity spacing
definitions are not compatible with actual circumstances
and it needs some improvements, with consideration of the

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actual size of underground structures. To describe the

representative discontinuity spacing, the authors introduce
six categories of discontinuity spacing, as given in Table 4.
Physical situations are given through actual examples as
shown in Fig. 5. As discontinuity spacing (S) with a unit
given in meters is related to it in a stepwise manner, the
continuous functions given below may be used instead, as
shown in Fig. 6.
S
RDS 501  0:4eS=10
1
1 2:5S
RDS 9:2 2:8 lnS:

Equation 2 can be used provided that the discontinuity

spacing is between 0.04 and 50 m.
In his RMR system, Bieniawski (1989) related the discontinuity spacing or joint intensity with RQD. RQD was
included originally among six parameters because case
histories collected in 1972 all involved RQD. Over the
years, it became apparent that RQD was difficult to

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Table 4 Ratings for representative discontinuity spacing (spacing or RQD)

Discontinuity
spacing
(DS) or RQD

None or
DS C24 m

Rating (RDS)

20

24 [ DS C 6 m

6 m [ DS C 1.2 m

RQD=100
16

12

1.2 m [ DS C 0.3 m

0.3 m [ DS C 0.07 m

0.07 m [ DS

100 [ RQD C 75

75 [ RQD C 35

35 [ RQD

1-0

Fig. 5 Examples of discontinuity spacing classes: a DS C24 m, b 24 [ DS C 6 m, c 6 m [ DS C 1.2 m, d 1.2 m [ DS C 0.3 m,

e 0.3 m [ DS C 0.07 m, f 0.07 m [ DS

Fig. 6 Relation between discontinuity spacing and rating

determine at the tunnel face, being directed to borehole

characterization, and it was subsequently combined with
the parameter discontinuity spacing and named spacing

Fig. 7 Relation between RQD and rating

density, since the two are interrelated. If this approach is

used, it may be related to the approach proposed here, as
shown in Table 4 and illustrated in Fig. 7. As understood
from Table 4, RQD is not sensitive to the variation of

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Table 5 Ratings for discontinuity conditions
Discontinuity
condition (DC)

None

Healed or
intermittent

Rough

Relatively
smooth and tight

Slickensided with thin

infill or separation (t \ 10 mm)

Thick fill or separation

(t [ 10 mm)

Rating (RDC)

30

26

22

15

10

discontinuity spacing greater than 1 m. However, by considering that RQD is a commonly used parameter, particularly in borehole cores, it is also included in Table 4 as an
alternative parameter to discontinuity spacing, depending
on the choice of the users.

2.4 Discontinuity Condition (DC) and Its Rating

The causes of the formation of discontinuities in rock
masses are various, and the condition of discontinuities
would be closely related to their genesis (i.e., Aydan and
Kawamoto 1990; Aydan and Shimizu 1995). The condition
of discontinuities not involving tectonic events would be
generally favorable unless they are filled with clayey
material or discontinuity walls are subjected to weathering
due to atmospheric agents or hydrothermal chemicals dissolved in groundwater. If circulating groundwater contains
dissolved quartz, calcite, or ferrous oxides, they may heal
discontinuities. However, the tectonically induced P and R0
fractures may be associated with relative shear displacement and they may produce slickensided discontinuities

with a certain thickness of clayey gouge or clayey coating

proportional to the amount of relative displacement. If the
amount of relative movement is large, a thick gouge may
occur. Such conditions would considerably reduce the
shear strength of discontinuities and they may be squeezed
out under redistributed in situ stress or washed away under
high groundwater pressure. Table 5 describes the possible
discontinuity conditions and the ratings suggested for
visual observations. Figure 8 shows the actual examples of
discontinuities for different discontinuity conditions.
If detailed surveys on the conditions of discontinuities,
which are very important in the design of large-scale projects such as dams, powerhouses, slopes, and nuclear waste
disposal site selection, are carried out, a more detailed
rating is necessary for rock discontinuities besides none
and healed or intermittent classes. Discontinuities may
be open or discontinuity walls may be separated through
infilling materials resulting from the degradation of adjacent rocks or gouges due to the shearing of rock masses,
which are taken into account through sub-parameters
such as aperture/separation and infilling. The roughness,
which is a parameter of paramount importance governing

Fig. 8 Examples of discontinuity conditions: a none, b healed or intermittent, c rough, d relatively smooth and tight, e slickensided with thin
infill or separation (t \ 10 mm), f thick fill or separation (t [ 10 mm)

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shearing strength and the permeability of discontinuities,

can be evaluated using different surface roughness
parameters (see Barton 1995; ISRM 2007; Aydan and
Shimizu 1995 for details). Based on the suggestion by
Barton (1976), the ISRM (2007) suggests ten profiles for
evaluating the surface roughness of discontinuities, as
shown in Fig. 9. The authors designate profile 1 with a
value of 1 to profile 10 with a value of 10 in ascending
order for evaluating the roughness of discontinuities. Based
on the geological descriptions of discontinuities, the rating
of roughness may be done as suggested in Table 6.
2.5 Groundwater Condition and Its Rating

Fig. 9 Roughness profiles to be used for roughness rating (arranged

from the ISRM 2007)

It is well known that groundwater plays an important role

on the mechanical response of rock masses and stability of
rock engineering structures. It has been one of the most
important parameters of rock mass characterization. The
effects of groundwater on rock mass are described through
adjectives such as dry, damp, wet, dripping, flowing, and
gushing. In addition to the effects of groundwater associated with seepage conditions, some rocks are quite vulnerable to the absorption of groundwater or desorption of
natural water content. It is known that the strength and
deformation modulus of weak rocks such as clay-bearing
rocks (tuff, mudstone, shale, etc.) decrease drastically with
water content (i.e., Aydan and Ulusay 2003, 2013). It is
also reported that even such properties of hard rocks may
decrease with saturation (i.e., Broch 1979; Colback and
Wiid 1965; Karakul and Ulusay 2013). Some rocks may
also exhibit volumetric straining (shrinkage and swelling),
depending upon the water content variation in addition to
the changes in their mechanical properties. In addition to
the seepage condition of groundwater (GWSC), the water
absorption characteristics of rocks (GWAC) would be

Table 6 Ratings for sub-parameters of discontinuity conditions, excluding none and healed or intermittent classes
Aperture or
separation

None or very tight,

\0.1 mm

0.10.25 mm

0.250.5 mm

0.52.5 mm

2.510 mm

[10 mm

Rating (RDCA)a

10

Infilling

None

Surface
staining
only

Thin coating
\1 mm

Thin filling
1 \ t \ 10 mm

Thick filling
6 [ t [ 10 mm

Very thick filling or shear

zones t [ 60 mm

Rating (RDCI)a

10

Very rough

Rough

Smooth
undulating

Smooth planar

Slickensided

Shear band/zone

10

10

10

10

Roughness
Descriptive
Profile no. in
Fig. 9
Rating (RDCR)a
a

RDC = RDCA ? RDCI ? RDCR

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Table 7 Ratings for groundwater seepage conditions
Groundwater seepage condition (GWSC)

Dry

Damp

Wet

Dripping

Flowing

Gushing

Rating (RGWSC)

Table 8 Ratings for groundwater absorption conditions

Groundwater absorption
condition (GWAC)

Nonabsorptive

Capillarity or electrically
absorptive

Slightly
absorptive

Moderately
absorptive

Highly
absorptive

Extremely
absorptive

Rating (RGWAC)

10

Fig. 10 Examples of groundwater conditions: a dry, b damp, c wet, d dripping, e flowing, f gushing

taken into account, as given in Tables 7 and 8. Figures 10

and 11 show actual examples of seepage and absorption
conditions associated with each groundwater condition,
respectively.
In order to determine the rating for the seepage conditions (GWSC) for six water conditions in Table 7, the
descriptions given in Table 9 are recommended to users.
The first five descriptions in Table 9 are modified from the
descriptive terms suggested by the ISRM (2007) for rock
mass. The authors added the last category.
In order to determine the ratings related to the absorption conditions of rock mass for the six water conditions in
Table 8, the descriptions given in Table 10 are

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recommended to users. Rocks containing water-absorbing

minerals would have this feature and the geomechanical
properties of the surrounding rock mass may drastically
reduce. Furthermore, it may also show large swelling
problems during excavation and cyclic groundwater
changes.
2.6 Summary of the Proposed Rock Mass Quality
Rating, Associated Rock Classes, and Comparisons
with the RMR and Q Systems
The rock mass characterization named rock mass quality
rating (RMQR) has six basic parameters, as described in

A New Rock Mass Quality Rating System

1265

Fig. 11 Examples of absorption conditions: a non-absorptive, b capillarity absorptive, c slightly absorptive, d moderately absorptive, e highly
absorptive, f extremely absorptive
Table 9 Descriptions for
seepage condition (GWSC)
observed on rock mass outcrops
(surfaces) (arranged from the
ISRM 2007)

Water
condition
Dry (none)

The rock mass is solid, having low porosity, and excavation is dry

Damp

The rock mass surface is damp, but no free water is present

Wet

The rock mass surface is wet, but no free water is present

Dripping

Occasional drops of water occur from the rock mass surface mainly through
discontinuities, but no continuous flow is present
The continuous flow of water though discontinuities of the rock mass occurs and/or filling
materials are washed out and considerable water flow along washout channels

Flowing
Gushing

Table 10 Descriptions for

absorption characteristics

Description

Groundwater gushes into the excavation space with an extreme amount of groundwater and
it may not be easily handled by grouting techniques

Water condition

Description

Non-absorptive

The rock itself is not attracted to groundwater and groundwater remains in pores and
fracture spaces as free water

Capillarity
absorptive

The free water is attracted to rock due to capillarity effects or electrically

Slightly
absorptive

Some decomposed clayey particles in rock may absorb water and its percentage is not
more than 1 % of the total volume

Moderately
absorptive

The rock itself contains a considerable amount of water-absorbing minerals, whose

volume could be around 15 % of the total volume

Highly absorptive

The rock easily absorbs water when it is saturated and may undergo volumetric
changes upon wetting and drying. However, volume changes do not result in the
fracturing of rock, although its geomechanical properties may drastically decrease

Extremely
absorptive

The rock rapidly absorbs water when it is exposed to saturation and disintegrates
during the absorption process

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Table 11 Classification
parameters and their ratings for
rock mass quality rating
(RMQR)

Slight

Moderate

Heavy

degradation

degradation

degradation

12

1-0

None
(solid or
massive)

One set
plus
random

Two sets
plus random

Three sets plus

random

Four sets plus

random

Crushed or
shattered

Rating (RDSN)

20

16

12

1-0

Discontinuity
spacing (DS)

None or
DS 24 m

24 >DS 6
m

6 m>DS
1.2 m

1.2 m > DS
0.3 m

0.3
m>DS0.07 m

0.07 m > DS

100 > RQD 75

75 > RQD
35

35 > RQD

1-0

Slickensided
with thin infill

Thick fill or

Degradation
degree (DD)

Fresh

Rating (RDD)

15

Discontinuity
set number
(DSN)

or RQD
Rating (RDS)

Discontinuity
condition (DC)

Decomposed

Stained

100
20

16

Healed or
intermittent

None

12

Relatively
smooth and tight

Rough

separation

or separation

(t > 10 mm)

(t < 5 mm)
Rating (RDC)

30

26

22

15

Discontinuity condition (DC) RDC = RDCA+ RDCI + R DCR

or , alternatively, excluding None and Healed or intermittent classes

Aperture or separation

Rating (RDCA)

Infilling

0.1
0.25 m
m

0.25
0.5 mm

0.5
2.5 mm

2.5
10 mm

>10 mm

Thin
filling

Thick
filling

None

Surfac
e
stainin
g only

1<t<1
0 mm

6 > t >1
0 mm

Thin
coating
<1 mm

Very
thick
filling or
shear
zone
t > 60 mm

Rating (RDCI)
Descripti
ve

Roughness

Profile
No. in
Fig. 9
Rating (RDCR)
Groundwater
seepage
condition
(GWSC)

None or
very
tight,
<0.1 mm

1-0

Very
rough

Rough

Smooth
undulati
ng

Smooth
planar

Slickensided

Shear
band/zone

10

1-0

10

1-0

Dry

Damp

Wet

Dripping

Flowing

Gushing

Nonabsorptive

Capillarity or
electrically
absorptive

Slightly
absorptive

Moderately
absorptive

Highly
absorptive

Extremely absorptive

1-0

Rating (RGWSC)

Groundwater
absorption
condition
(GWAC)

RMQR = RDD ? RDSN ? RDS

? RDC ? RGWSC ? RGWAC

123

Rating (RGWAC)

A New Rock Mass Quality Rating System

1267

Table 12 Rock mass quality classes according to RMQR values

Rock class

II

III

IV

VI

Description of
rock mass

Solid or rock
material

Very good

Good

Fair or medium

Poor or weak

Very poor or
very weak

RMQR

100 C RMQR [ 95

95 C RMQR [ 80

80 C RMQR [ 60

60 C RMQR [ 40

40 C RMQR [ 20

20 C RMQR

Fig. 12 The relations between:

a RMQR and RMR, and
b RMQR and the Q-value based
on data from Japan

the previous sub-sections and Table 11, which provides

the ratings of each parameter. The value of RMQR ranges between 0 and 100. Rock mass is divided into six
classes and their rating ranges are given in Table 12. It
should be noted that the RMQR is intended to serve
purely as an index to characterize the state of rock mass
in relation to the intact rock. Furthermore, it would not
be directly related to the selection of the support system,
standup time, bearing capacity of the foundations, or
slope angle, as considered in other rock mass classifications. In the following sections, some correlations with
other rock mass classification systems, such as RMR and
Q, which are the most commonly used in practice, are
established and the evaluation of the geomechanical
properties of rock mass in terms of those of intact rock is
proposed.
The proposed rock mass rating system, RMQR, could be
related to the two well-known rock mass rating systems,
RMR and Q, through the following relations:
RMQR
or
RMQR bA  RMQR
RMR
RMQR 100
RMR 1:1100  RMR

RMR 100

RMQR 16:7 logQ 50

or

Q 100:06RMQR3

The value of the parameter b is 0.8 and the value of

parameter A ranges between 90 and 100. Figure 12 shows
the correlations between RMQR, RMR, and the Q-value. It
should be noted that the value of RMR is generally less

than the value of RMQR. The data shown in Fig. 12 are

from various projects in Japan.

3 Relation Between Rock Mass Properties and Rock

Mass Quality Rating
The design of many geoengineering structures is based on
the equivalent properties of rock masses. For this purpose,
in situ tests on the strength properties of rock masses are
carried out using uniaxial and triaxial compression, direct
shear, and plate loading tests. However, it is very rare to
carry out in situ triaxial compression experiments due to
their cost. Using the available experimental data, some
empirical direct relations among different mechanical
properties and some rock mass classification parameters
proposed by various researchers are listed in Table 13.
Most of these relations are only concerned with the elastic
modulus and rock mass strength, except those by the
authors. As discussed by Aydan et al. (1997), the scattering
of experimental data and rock classification indexes is very
large, and such approaches generally fail when intact rock
itself is a soft rock. Therefore, the properties of intact rock
and rock mass classification indexes must be involved in
such evaluations.
The recent tendency is to obtain mass properties from
the utilization of properties of intact rock and rock mass
classification indexes (i.e., Hoek and Brown 1997; Hoek
1999; Aydan and Kawamoto 2000). There are several
proposed relations between the normalized properties of

123

 . Aydan et al.
O

1268
Table 13 Direct relations between rock mass classification and properties of rock mass
Property
Deformation modulus, Em

Empirical relation

Proposed by

Em 2RMR  100 (GPa) (for RMR [ 50)

Bieniawski (1978)

Em 10RMR10=40 (GPa)

Serafim and Pereira (1983)

Em e4:4070:081RMR (GPa)

Jasarevic and Kovacevic (1996)

Em 0:0097RMR3:54 (MPa)
Em 25 log Q (GPa)

p
GSI10=40
rci
Em 1  D2
10010

Aydan et al. (1997)

Grimstad and Barton (1993)
Hoek et al. (2002)

(GPa) (for rci \ 100 MPa)

10:5D
Em 100 1e7525DGSI=11
(GPa)
h
i1:1811
1
(GPa)
Em 0:135 Ei 1 WD
 RQD
100

Hoek and Diederichs (2006)

Kayabasi et al. (2003)

Em 5:6RMi0:3 (GPa) (for RMi [ 0.1)

Palmstrom (1996)

Mitri et al. (1994)

Em 0:1RMR=10
p
Em 73 10RMR44=21 (GPa)

Diederichs and Kaiser (1999)

1=3

Barton (1995)

Em 10Q (GPa)
 r 1=3
ci
Em 10 Q 100
(GPa)
p

rci
GSI10=40
Em 10
100 (GPa)

Barton (2002)
Hoek and Brown (1997)

Em 0:0876RMR (GPa) (for RMR [ 50)

Galera et al. (2005)

2

Uniaxial compressive strength,rcm (MPa)

Friction angle, /m ()

Cohesion, cm (MPa)

Poissons ratio, mm

Em 0:0876RMR 1:056RMR  50 0:015RMR  50

(GPa) (for RMR B 50)

Galera et al. (2005)

rcm 0:0016RMR2:5
 r 1=3
ci
rcm 5c Q 100

Aydan et al. (1997)

/m 20 0:5RMR

Aydan and Kawamoto (2001)

/m 20r0:25
cm


Jw
1 Jr
/m tan
Ja  1

Aydan et al. (1993)

Barton(2002)

Barton (2002)

/m
cm r2cm 1sin
cos /m


rci
1
cm RQD
Jn  SRF  100

Aydan and Kawamoto (2001)

Barton (2002)

mm 0:251 ercm =4

Aydan et al. (1993)

RMR
mm 0:5  0:2 RMR0:2100RMR

Tokashiki and Aydan (2010)

Em deformation modulus of rock mass, Ei Youngs modulus of intact rock, RMR rock mass rating, Q rock mass quality, GSI Geological Strength
Index, D disturbance factor, rci uniaxial compressive strength of intact rock, rcm uniaxial compressive strength of rock mass, RQD Rock Quality
Designation, RMi Rock Mass Index, WD weathering degree; /m friction angle of rock mass, cm cohesion of rock mass, vm Poissons ratio of rock
mass, Jn joint set rating, Jr joint roughness rating, Jw joint water rating, Ja joint alteration rating, SRF stress reduction factor, c rock density (t/m3)

rock mass by those of intact rock and rock mass classification indexes, as listed in Table 14.
Aydan and Dalgc (1998) proposed an empirical relation
between RMR and rock mass strength in terms of the
strength of intact rock. This relation was extended to other
geomechanical properties of rock mass by Aydan and
Kawamoto (2000). Recently, Aydan et al. (2012) and Aydan and Ulusay (2013) provided relations for six different
mechanical properties of rock mass using the relation
proposed by Aydan and Kawamoto (2000). In this study,
RMR is replaced by RMQR, and it is given in the following
form for any mechanical properties of rock mass in terms
of those of intact rock:

123

a a0  a0  a100

RMQR
RMQR b100  RMQR

where a0 and a100 are the values of the function at

RMQR = 0 and RMQR = 100 of property a and b is a
constant to be determined by using a minimization procedure
for experimental values of given physical or mechanical
properties. The authors proposed some values for these
empirical constants with the consideration of in situ experiments carried out in Japan as given in Table 15. When a
representative value of RMQR is determined for a given site,
the geomechanical properties of rock mass can be obtained
using Eq. (5), together with the values of constants given in
Table 15 and the values of intact rock for a desired property.

A New Rock Mass Quality Rating System

1269

Table 14 Empirical relations between rock mass classification and normalized properties of rock mass
Property

Relation

Proposed by

Deformation modulus, Em

Em
Ei

Nicholson and Bieniawski (1990)

Em
Ei
Em
Ei
Em
Ei
Em
Ei
Em
Ei
rcm
rci

Uniaxial compressive strength, rcm

rcm
rci

0:009eRMR=22:82 0:000028 RMR2

RMR
RMRb100RMR

Aydan and Kawamoto (2000)

10:5D

0:02 1e6015DGSI=11


12 1  cos p RMR
100
0:0186RQD1:91

Hoek and Diederichs (2006)

Mitri et al. (1994)
Zhang and Einstein (2004)

10

RMR100=36

e
p
s s eRMR100=9

Galera et al. (2005)

Hoek and Brown (1980)

RMR100=24

Kalamaras and Bieniawski (1995)

rcm

RMR
RMR6100RMR rci

Aydan and Dalgc (1998)

rcm
rci

GSI100
93D

Hoek et al. (2002)

1

 GSI=15

1
 e20=3
26 e

Cohesion, cm

RMR
cm RMR6100RMR
ci

Aydan et al. (2012)

Friction angle, /m

/m
/i

RMR
0:3 0:7 RMRb100RMR

Aydan and Kawamoto (2000)

Poissons ratio, mm

mm
mi

RMR
2:5  1:5 RMR100RMR

Aydan et al. (2012)

Tensile strength, rtm

rtm
rti

RMR
RMR6100RMR

Tokashiki (2011)

s, a rock mass constants, ci cohesion of intact rock, /i friction angle of intact rock, mi Poissons ratio of intact rock

Table 15 Values of a0 ; a100 ; and b for various properties of rock

mass
Property (a)

a0

a100

Deformation modulus

0.0

1.0

Poissons ratio

2.5

1.0

1.0

Uniaxial compressive strength

0.0

1.0

Tensile strength

0.0

1.0

Cohesion

0.0

1.0

Friction angle

0.3

1.0

1.0

4 Applications to In-Situ Experimental Results

Large rock engineering projects have been carried out in
Japan. The in situ testing techniques are illustrated in
Fig. 13. The diameter of plate bearing tests generally ranges between 30 and 60 cm. Shear strength samples are
generally about 60 cm long and 3040 cm high. Four tests
are carried out to determine the peak cohesion and friction
angle of rock masses. In addition, tests are repeated on
sheared samples to determine residual strength parameters.
The common size of triaxial samples is about 100 cm.
However, the largest size of the triaxial test at Kurobe Dam
was 280 cm. Historically, uniaxial compression tests on
rock masses were probably first undertaken in South Africa
(i.e., Bieniawski 1974; Van Heerden 1975) using coal
pillars. However, the first triaxial compressive strength
tests were undertaken at the Kurobe Dam site by Kansai

Electric Power Company (Nosei 1962). However, triaxial

compression tests are not carried out due to the high costs
and huge difference between strength values obtained from
triaxial compression tests and in situ shear strength tests, as
seen in the Kurobe Dam project. This problem was pointed
out by Hibino (2007), who was actively involved in the
large powerhouse and dam construction projects. In addition, natural underground openings and steep cliffs associated with Ryukyu limestone present some stability
problems for the superstructures on the ground surface.
Figure 14 shows the in situ plate loading test and rock
shear test at the construction site of Minami Daitojima
fishing port in Ryukyu Archipelago.
The empirical relations for normalized properties presented in the previous section are compared with the
experimental results from in situ tests carried out at various
large projects (underground powerhouses, dams, nuclear
power plants, and underground crude oil and gas storage
caverns) in Japan. Figure 15 compares the experimental
results for the elastic modulus and Poissons ratio of rock
mass. The experimental results on the normalized elastic
modulus of rock mass are closely represented by the
empirical relation in Eq. (5) together with the values given
in Table 15, and they are clustered around the curve with
the value of coefficient b being 6.
It should be noted that experiments on the Poissons
ratio of rock masses are quite rare. In this particular
comparison, the Poissons ratio of rock mass in tunnels
through squeezing rocks correlated with RMQR using the

123

 . Aydan et al.
O

1270

Fig. 13 Illustration of in situ testing techniques in Japan [translated and arranged from Hibino (2007)]

Fig. 14 Views of in situ experiments on rock mass in Minami Daitojima fishing port, Japan: a plate loading test, b rock shear test (Tokashiki and
Aydan 2012)
Fig. 15 Comparison of
experimental data for:
a deformation modulus and
b Poissons ratio of rock mass
with the empirical relation
(Eq. 5) together with the values
of the parameters given in
Table 15

approach proposed by Aydan and Dalgc (1998) and Aydan

et al. (2000) is also included. The data for RMQR values
less than 50 are mainly from those of rock masses exhibiting squeezing behavior (Aydan et al. 1993, 1996). The
measured data is well enveloped by the empirical relation
with the values of coefficient b ranging between 0.1 and 3.

123

The authors suggest that the values of a0 ; a100 ;and b should

be 2.5, 1.0, and 1, respectively, as given in Table 15.
Figure 16 compares the experimental results with the
empirical relations for the normalized uniaxial compressive
strength and tensile strength of rock masses with those of
intact rock. The uniaxial compressive strengths of rock

A New Rock Mass Quality Rating System

1271

Fig. 16 Comparison of
experimental data for: a uniaxial
compressive and b tensile
strengths of rock masses with
empirical relations (Eq. 5)
together with the values of the
parameters given in Table 15

Fig. 17 Comparison of:

a cohesion and b friction angle
of rock mass with the empirical
relation (Eq. 5) together with
the values of the parameters
given in Table 15

masses plotted in this figure are mostly obtained using the

rock shear test, together with the MohrCoulomb failure
criterion. The experimental results generally confirm the
empirical relation given in Eq. (5) in analogy to that proposed by Aydan and Dalgc (1998).
In the literature, there are almost no in situ experimental
procedures or experimental results for the tensile strength
of rock mass, to the knowledge of the authors. However,
there is a possibility of utilizing plate loading tests, largescale water chamber experiments, and borehole jacking
tests for the indirect inference of the tensile strength of rock
mass from the measured responses.
The authors investigated Ryukyu limestone cliffs along
the shores of Okinawa, Miyako, Kurima, Ikema, Ishigaki,
Ikejima, Heianza, and Miyagi and Iriomote Islands of
Japan for inferring the tensile strength of rock masses. The
authors also back-analyzed the stable and unstable (failed)
cliffs using a theory based on the cantilever theory
(Tokashiki and Aydan 2010). Tokashiki and Aydan (2011a,
b) fitted the inferred tensile strength of the rock mass
normalized by that of intact rock using the empirical
relation of Aydan and Kawamoto (2000). In this study,

such evaluations were revisited and RMQR values were

recalculated. The results are plotted in Fig. 17 by varying
the value of empirical constant b between 5 and 7. As the
ratio of the uniaxial compressive strength of rock to its
tensile strength is within the range of 1020 and remains
constant for the same rock type, it is found that the value of
empirical constant b could be designated as 6 in view of the
inferred tensile strength of rock mass. It is interesting to
notice that the value of empirical constant b for the elastic
modulus, and uniaxial compressive and tensile strengths of
rock masses is the same.
The MohrCoulomb yield criterion is one of the most
commonly used criterion in rock engineering. Although
the HoekBrown criterion (Hoek et al. 2002) was claimed
to be the best criterion for rocks and rock mass by some,
the recent paper by Aydan et al. (2012) clearly demonstrated that the validity of such a claim is found to be
false through comparisons of experimental results on all
rock types with the HoekBrown criterion. The linear
MohrCoulomb yield criterion can be safely used for
possible stress states encountered in actual engineering
projects.

123

 . Aydan et al.
O

1272

The authors again utilize the empirical relation in Eq. (5)

together with the values of the parameters given in Table 15
for comparing the experimental results as shown in Fig. 17.
The data used in this comparison are directly from rock shear
tests carried out on Ryukyu limestone and on rock masses
from other sites in Japan. The experimental results generally
confirm the empirical relation of Eq. (5) based on the formula
of Aydan and Kawamoto (2000) and Aydan et al. (2012).
The major issue in using Eq. (5) to obtain the geomechanical properties of rock mass in terms of those of intact
rock is how to select the value of constant b. For practical
applications, the authors strongly suggest the use of the
values given in Table 15.
Aydan et al. (2012) recently proposed a procedure to evaluate the direct shear tests on rock masses with the use of both
MohrCoulomb and Aydan yield/failure criteria (Aydan 1995)
together with the use of the unified formula of Aydan and
Kawamoto (2000). The same approach can be adopted herein
and replaces RMR with RMQR in the respective equations.
The specific form of the MohrCoulomb yield criterion in the
shear stress and normal stress space may be written as:
s cm rn tan /m

where:
RMQR
ci ;
RMQR
6100  RMQR

RMQR
/m 0:3 0:7
/i
100

cm

Fig. 18 Comparison of in situ

rock shear experiments with the
MohrCoulomb and Aydan
(1995) yield/failure criteria

Fig. 19 Comparison of in situ

rock shear experiments with the
MohrCoulomb and Aydan
(1995) yield/failure criteria

123

Similarly, Aydans criterion concerning the shear stress

and normal stress space may be written by omitting the
effect of temperature as:



cmo
8
ebm rn rn tan /m1
s cm1 1  1 
cm1
where:
RMQR
c1 ;
RMQR 6 100  RMQR
RMQR
co ;
cmo
RMQR 6 100  RMQR

RMQR
bm 0:3 0:7
bi
RMQR 100  RMQR
cm1

The procedure of Aydan et al. (2012) and the yield/failure

criteria described briefly above were also applied to rock
shear experiments carried out at Minami Daitojima Island
and the results are shown in Fig. 18. The RMQR values of
rock mass at the site of in situ experiments ranged between
69 and 79. The uniaxial compressive strength and friction
angle of intact rock were 88 MPa and 61, respectively. As
noted from Fig. 18, a good fitting to the experimental
results is obtained for the criteria of MohrCoulomb and
Aydan (1995) according to the procedure adopted from that
proposed by Aydan et al. (2012).
Figure 19a shows an application of the approach
described above to in situ shear experiments carried out on
andesite together with a fitted relation to the experimental

A New Rock Mass Quality Rating System

1273

results. The RMQR values of rock mass at the adits, where

the in situ experiments were carried out, ranged between 37
and 61. The uniaxial compressive strength and friction
angle of the intact rock were 90 MPa and 60, respectively.
Using the approach proposed by Aydan et al. (2012), the
fitted relations to the MohrCoulomb and Aydan yield/
failure criteria functions to the experimental results are
shown in Fig. 19a and the estimations are shown in
Fig. 19b. As noted from Fig. 19b, a good fit to the experimental results is obtained.

5 Comparisons of Estimations from Some Current

Empirical Relations
As pointed out in the previous section, most of the
empirical relations listed in Tables 13 and 14 available in
the literature are related to the deformation modulus of
rock mass. Following the publication of data on the uniaxial compressive strength of rock mass by Aydan and
Dalgc (1998), one can see a number of equations thereafter, as noted from Tables 13 and 14. However, direct
comparisons of empirical relations listed in Tables 13 and
14 for the deformation modulus and uniaxial compressive
strength of rock mass with estimations from Eq. (5) are not
possible unless they are related to RMQR using the relations among RMQR, RMR, and Q-value. Furthermore, the
comparisons of relations based on GSI and RQD are not
possible with the estimations by Eq. (5) for the mentioned
properties. Figures 20 and 21 show the comparison of
estimations from Eq. (5) with those from some of the
available empirical relations. In the same figures, the

Fig. 21 Comparison of estimations from various empirical relations

with experimental results for the normalized uniaxial compressive
strength of rock mass

experimental results are also plotted. As noted from both

figures, the experimental results are scattered as the rocks
vary from sedimentary origin to igneous rocks. An additional reason for the difference between the actual and
assigned RMQR values may be because it is difficult to
reach the original geological reports for data points. Almost
all experimental results are enveloped by Eq. (5) for three
different values of constant b. The empirical relation proposed by Nicholson and Bieniawski (1990) is quite close to
Eq. (5) with b = 6. while estimations, for example, by
Galera et al. (2005) and Mitri et al. (1994) are quite far
from the experimental results.
Regarding the uniaxial compressive strength of rock
mass, the estimations from Eq. (5) envelopes all experimental results. The empirical relation proposed by Kalamaras and Bieniawski (1995) is quite close to Eq. (5),
with b = 6, while estimations by Hoek and Brown (1980)
are quite poor and underestimate the uniaxial compressive
strength of rock mass. However, it should be noted that the
empirical relation proposed by Kalamaras and Bieniawski
(1995) has a value greater than zero.

6 Conclusions

Fig. 20 Comparison of various empirical relations with experimental

results for the normalized elastic modulus of rock mass

In this study, a new rock mass quality rating system, called

RMQR, has been proposed to assess the physical state of
rock mass, and it was used to estimate the geomechanical
properties of rock masses using a unified formula from the
properties of the intact rock in this article. This new system

123

 . Aydan et al.
O

1274

consists of five important parameters to assess the condition of rock mass. The RMQR is used for the evaluation
of engineering properties of rock masses utilizing the
unified empirical relation proposed by Aydan and
Kawamoto (2000) when it is considered to an be equivalent continuum body. Various mechanical properties of
rock mass evaluated through the unified formula have
been compared with actual measurements on rock masses
in various sites in Japan. The engineering properties
involve not only the uniaxial compressive strength and
deformation modulus of rock mass, but also Poissons
ratio, tensile strength, cohesion and friction angle, which
are of paramount importance for the design of rock
engineering structures. Furthermore, the authors strongly
suggest that the relations for normalized properties
should be used for evaluating the properties of rock mass
using properties of intact rock and its rock mass rating.
The comparison of the empirical unified formula together
with the values of constants were found to be quite
consistent with the experimental results for data compiled
from various major rock engineering projects in Japan.
Although some scattering of the measured data exists, the
values of parameters suggested for different geomechanical properties of rock masses are found to be
appropriate and can be used with some confidence. When
a representative value of RMQR is determined for a given
site, the geomechanical properties of rock mass can be
obtained using Eq. (5) together with the values of constants given in Table 15 and the values of intact rock for
a desired property. Furthermore, the procedure proposed
by Aydan et al. (2012) for evaluating the experimental
results from in situ shear tests is adopted in this study and
it was found that the estimations are consistent with
the actual measurements. The comparisons between
the experimental results and estimations indicate that the
proposed relations are quite promising. Therefore, the
empirical relations used in this study should be quite
useful tools for engineers involved in engineering projects in rock masses.
Acknowledgments The authors sincerely thank Prof. Hasan Gercek
of Bulent Ecevit University (Turkey) for reading the draft and making
many valuable suggestions for the improvement of this manuscript.
The authors also sincerely acknowledge Emeritus Prof. T. Kawamoto
of Nagoya University for providing the reports on the results of many
in situ tests on rock mass properties, as well as his participation in the
evaluation of properties of rock masses in large projects in Japan and
his advice. Furthermore, the members of the Sub-committee for Insitu Testing and Monitoring of Rock Mechanics Committee of the
Japan Society of Civil Engineers are gratefully acknowledged for
their hectic discussions on the generally non-accessible results of
experiments of in situ tests of rock masses in the meetings of the subcommittee. The authors also acknowledge the two anonymous
reviewers for their critical reviews and constructive comments that
lead to significant improvements to the article.

123

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