Rock mass classification for sedimentary rock masses in Indonesia coal mining areas

Abstract

Rock slopes stability is important for personnel and equipment safety in the open-pit mine. Instability and failure of slope occur due to many factors such as unsuited slope geometry, geological discontinuities, weak slope material due to weather influences. External loads such as high rainfall and seismicity could play an essential role in slope failure. Consequently, a precise classification of rock mass is needed for the basis of determining technical policy. Rock slopes in open pit coal mining areas, especially in Indonesia, are characterized by applying various rock mass classification systems, such as Rock Mass Rating (RMR) and Geological Strength Index (GSI), because the study area comprises well-exposed rock formations. In the RMR system, there are five main parameters i.e. Rock Quality Designation (RQD), Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) of rocks, discontinuity spacing, discontinuity and groundwater conditions were considered. Several rock mass classification systems developed for the assessment of rock slope stability were evaluated with the condition of rock slopes in the tropics, especially Indonesian region, particularly in sedimentary rocks in the open pit coal mining area in order to get the corrected GSI equation used to characterize rock slopes based on rock mass structure quantitative analysis and discontinuities surface conditions. This paper provides correlation between the GSI and RMR for sediment rock in coal mines.