Skip to main content
Log in

Metric Scale Study of the Bonded Concrete-Rock Interface Shear Behaviour

  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Published:
KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 05 March 2020

This article has been updated

Abstract

The shear strength of concrete-rock interface is a key factor to evaluate the stability of gravity dams. The shear strength assessment by achieving tests on small samples gives values different from those estimated by back-analysis on the existing dams. This work aims to study the shear behaviour of concrete-rock interface in the metric scale. Five direct shear tests were performed on bonded meter-scale concrete-granite interfaces in the range of normal stresses to which gravity dam foundation is subjected. Specific instrumentation were installed to monitor the failure mechanisms during the tests. The five concrete-rock interfaces have not broken by shearing of materials (concrete, rock) in the shear plane imposed by the test device, but by debonding of the contact between concrete and rock. Considering roughness of the contact surface in the decimeter scale and the results of shear tests carried out in the same scale, the decimeter scale is demonstrated to correspond to the elementary surface for the shear behaviour of the metric concrete-rock interface. According to the level of normal stress, the stiffness of both materials and the main asperities in the decimeter scale, different failure mechanisms occur locally to justify the overall failure in the metric scale.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Change history

  • 05 March 2020

    This erratum is to notify a mismatch of DOIs between the items uploaded in Springer web page and the final manuscripts published in Volume 24, Issue 2 (Feb. 2020). Due to a technical error, incorrect DOIs were used in the Springer web page. The DOIs in the published issue are correct.

Abbreviations

σ n :

Normal stress

τ_A :

Peak shear strength of the type A concrete-rock interface behaviour measured in the decimeter scale

τ_B :

Peak shear strength of the type B concrete-rock interface behaviour measured in the decimeter scale

τ max :

Peak shear strength

τ res :

Residual shear strength

Ω :

Fraction of the elementary surfaces compared to the total area which exhibit the type A shear behaviour

References

  • Andjelkovic V, Pavlovic N, Lazarevic Z, Nedovic V (2015) Modelling of shear characteristics at the concrete-rock mass interface. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 76:222–236, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrmms.2015.03.024

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D5607-08 (2008) Standard test method for performing laboratory direct shear strength test of rock specimens under constant normal force. D5607-08, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1520/D5607-08

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandis S, Lumsden AC, Barton NR (1981) Experimental studies of scale effects on the bahavior of rock joints. International Journal of Rock Mechanics Mining Sciences & Geomechanics Abstracts 18:1–21, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-9062(81)90262-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbosa RE (2009) Constitutive model for small rock joint samples in the lab and large rock joint surfaces in the field. Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS rock mechanics symposium, May 9–14, Toronto, Canada

  • Barla G, Robotti F, Vai L (2011) Revisiting large size direct shear testing of rock mass foundations. Proceedings of 6th international conference on dam engineering, February 15–17, Lisbon, Portugal

  • Barton N, Choubey V (1977) The shear strength of rock joints in theory and practice. Rock Mechanics 10:1–54, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01261801

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown ET (2017) Reducing risks in the investigation, design and construction of large concrete dams. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering 9:197–209, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2016.11.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casagrande D, Buzzi O, Giacomini A, Lambert C, Fenton G (2017) A new stochastic approach to predict peak and residual shear strength of natural rock discontinuities. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 51:69–99, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-017-1302-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castelli M, Re F, Scavia C, Zaninett AI (2001) Experimental evaluation of scale effects on the mechanical behavior of rock joints. Proceedings of EUROCK 2001 rock mechanics — A challenge for society, June 3–7, Espoo, Finland

  • CDA (2007) Structural considerations for dam safety. Technical bulletin, Canadian Dam Association, Toronto, Canada

    Google Scholar 

  • CFBR (2012) Recommendations for the justification of the stability of gravity dams. Comité Français des Barrages et Réservoirs, Chambéry, France

    Google Scholar 

  • Chataigner S, Gaillet L, Falaise Y, David J-F, Michel R, Aubagnac C, Houel A, Germain D, Maherault J-P (2017) Acoustic monitoring of a pre-stressed concrete beam reinforced by adhesively bonded composite. SMAR 2017, the 4th international conference on smart monitoring, assessment and rehabilitation of civil structures, September 13–15, Zurich, Switzerland, 8

  • Cravero M, Iabichino G, Piovano V (1995) Analysis of large joint profiles related to rock slope instabilities. Proceedings of 8th ISRM congress, September 25–29, Tokyo, Japan

  • EDF (2012) Barrage du RIZZANEZE: Rapport géologique de réalisation du fond de fouilles. No EDTGG110070, EDF-TEGG, Aix-en-Provence, France

  • EPRI (1992) Uplift pressures, shear strengths and tensile strengths for stability analysis of concrete gravity dams. EPRI-TR-100345-Vol.1, Electrical Power Research Institute, Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation ed., Denver, CO, USA

  • Fardin N, Stephansson O, Jing L (2003) Scale effect on the geometrical and mechanical properties of rock joints. Proceedings of ISRM 2003 — Technology roadmap for rock mechanics, September 8–12, Sandton, South Africa, 319–324

  • FERC (2002) Engineering guidelines for the evaluation of hydropower projects, chapter III, gravity dams. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Ed., Washington, DC, USA

  • Ghosh AK (2010) Shear strength of dam-foundations rock interface — A case study. Proceedings of Indian geotechnical conference, GEOtrendz, December 16–18, Mumbai, India

  • Grasselli G (2001) Shear strength of rock joints based on quantified surface description. PhD Thesis, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

  • Gu XF, Seidel JP, Haberfield CM (2003) Direct shear test of sandstone-concrete joints. International Journal of Geomechanics 3(1–2):21–33, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1532-3641(2003)3:1(21)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gutiérrez MC (2013) Shear resistance for concrete dams. MSc Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Gjøvik, Norway

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutierrez-Ch JG, Senent S, Melentijevic S, Jimenez R (2018) Distinct element method simulations of rock-concrete interfaces under different boundary conditions. Engineering Geology 240:123–139, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2018.04.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hencher SR, Toy JP, Lumsden AC (1993) Scale dependent shear strength of rock joints. Proceedings of the 2nd international workshop on scale effects in rock masses, June 25, Lisbon, Portugal, 233–241

  • Johansson F (2016) Influence of scale and matedness on the peak shear strength of fresh, unweathered rock joints. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 82:36–47, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrmms.2015.11.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khadour A, Waeytens J (2017) Monitoring of concrete structures with optical fiber sensors. In: Eco-efficient Repair and Rehabilitation of Concrete Infrastructures, Chapitre 5, Woodhead Publishing Series in Civil and Structural Engineering, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, Nederland, 97–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Kodikara JK, Johnston IW (1994) Shear behaviour of irregular triangular rock-concrete joints. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences & Geomechanics Abstracts 31(4):313–322, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-9062(94)90900-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krounis A, Johansson F, Larsson S (2015) Effects of spatial variation in cohesion over the concrete-rock interface on dam sliding stability. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 7, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2015.08.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krounis A, Johansson F, Larsson S (2016) Shear strength of partially bonded concrete-rock interfaces for application in dam stability analyses. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 49(4):1–12, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-016-0962-8

    Google Scholar 

  • Krounis A (2016) Sliding stability re-assessment of concrete dams with bonded concrete-rock interfaces. PhD Thesis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

  • Lo KY, Lukajic B, Wang S, Ogawa T, Tsui KK (1990) Evaluation of strength parameters of concrete-rock interface for dam safety assessment. Proceedings of Canadian dam safety conference, January, Toronto, Canada

  • Maksimovic M (1996) The shear strength components of a rough rock joint. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 33(8):769–783, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-9062(95)00005-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moradian Z, Ballivy G, Rivard P (2012) Application of acoustic emission for monitoring shear behavior of bonded concrete-rock joints under direct shear test. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering 39(8):887–896, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/l2012-073

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mouzannar H, Bost M, Joffrin P, Pruvost C, Rojat F, Blache J, Houel A, Valade M, Khadour A, Chataigner S, David JF, Quiertant M (2016) Instrumentation of large scale direct shear test to study the progressive failure of concrete/rock interface. Proceedings of 8th RILEM international conference on mechanism of cracking and debonding in pavements, Nantes, France, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0867-6_91

    Google Scholar 

  • Mouzannar H, Bost M, Leroux M, Virely D (2017) Experimental study of the shear strength of bonded concrete-rock interfaces: Surface morphology and scale effect. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 50(10):2601–2625, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-019-01951-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muralha J, Grasselli G, Tatone B, Blümel M, Chryssanthakis P, Yujing J (2014) ISRM Suggested method for laboratory determination of the shear strength of rock joints: Revised version. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 47(1):291–302, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-013-0519-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patton FD (1966) Multiple modes of shear failure in rock. Proceedings of 1st Congress of International Society of Rock Mechanics 1:509–513

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt HR, Black AD, Brace WF (1974) Friction and deformation of jointed quartz diorite. Proceedings of 3rd ISRM Congress on Rock Mechanics II:306–310

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruggeri G, Pellegrini R, Rubin de Celix M, Berntsen M, Royet P, Bettzieche V, Amberg W, Gustafsson A, Morison T, Zenz A (2004) Sliding stability of existing gravity dams. Final report, ICOLD European Club

  • Saiang D, Malmgren L, Nordlund E (2005) Laboratory tests on shotcrete-rock joints in direct shear, tension and compression. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 38(4):275–297, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-005-0055-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schleiss AJ, Pougatsch H (2011) Les barrages — Du projet la mise en service, volume 17. Traitde Gie Civil de l’Ecole Polytechnique Fale de Lausanne, Presses Polytechniques et Universitaires Romandes, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh H, Basu A (2017) A comparison between the shear behavior of ‘real’ natural rock discontinuities and their replicas. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 51:1–12, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-017-1334-8

    Google Scholar 

  • Swan G, Zongqi S (1985) Prediction of shear behavior of joints using profiles. Rock Mechanics Rock Engineering 18(3):183–212, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01112506

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tatone B, Grasselli G (2013) An investigation of discontinuity roughness scale dependency using high-resolution surface measurements. Rock Mechanics Rock Engineering 46:657–681, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-012-0294-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tatone BSA, Grasselli G, Cottrell B (2010) Accounting for the influence of measurement resolution on discontinuity roughness estimates. Proceedings of ISRM international symposium — EUROCK 2010, June 15–18, Lausanne, Switzerland

  • Tian HM, Chen WZ, Yang DS, Yang JP (2015) Experimental and numerical analysis of the shear behaviour of cemented concrete-rock joints. Rock Mechanics Rock Engineering 48:213–222, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-014-0560-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian Y, Liu Q, Liu D, Kang Y, Penghai D, He F (2018) Updates to grasselli’s peak shear strength model. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 51:2115–2133, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-018-1469-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westberg Wilde M, Johansson F (2013) System reliability of concrete dams with respect to foundation stability: Application to a spillway. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 139(2): 308–319, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao W, Chen W, Zhao K (2018) Laboratory test on foamed concrete-rock joints in direct shear. Construction and Building Materials 173:69–80, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.04.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was funded by a contract from EDF.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marion Bost.

Additional information

A correction to this article is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-020-2402-2

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bost, M., Mouzannar, H., Rojat, F. et al. Metric Scale Study of the Bonded Concrete-Rock Interface Shear Behaviour. KSCE J Civ Eng 24, 390–403 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-019-0824-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-019-0824-5

Keywords

Navigation