Rock mechanics. An introduction / Горная механика (механика горных пород, геомеханика). Введение

The earth materials that make up the relatively thin outer shell, called the crust, of the Earth are categorised by civil engineers as soils and rocks. These materials are made up of small crystalline units known as minerals. A mineral is basically a naturally occurring inorganic substance composed of one or more elements, with a unique chemical composition, unique arrangement of elements (crystalline structure) and distinctive physical properties.
Soils and rocks have various meanings across different disciplines. In civil engineering, soil is considered a natural aggregate of mineral grains that can be separated by gentle mechanical means such as agitation in water. It comprises all the materials in the surface layer of the Earth’s crust that are loose enough to be normally excavated by manual methods using a spade or shovel. Rock is a hard, compact and naturally occurring earth material composed of one or more minerals and is permanent and durable for engineering applications. Rocks generally require blasting and machinery for their excavation. Note that geologists consider engineering soils as unconsolidated rock materials composed of one or more minerals. One rock is distinguished from another primarily based on its mineralogical composition.

Geology is the science concerned with the study of the history of the Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the changes it has undergone or is undergoing. In short, geology is the science of rocks and earth processes. Engineering geologydeals with the application of geologic fundamentals to engineering practice. Rock mechanics is the subject concerned with the study of the response of rock to an applied disturbance caused by natural or engineering processes. Rock engineeringdeals with the engineering applications of the basic principles and the information available in the subjects of engineering geology and rock mechanics in an economic way. All these subjects are closely related to several engineering disciplines such as civil, mining, petroleum and geological engineering. <...>