The Sri Lankan Rock Mechanics and Engineering Society (SLRMES) along with the Peruvian Society of Geoengineering (SPEG) invite you to participate in the First ISRM Commission Conference on Estimation of Rock Mass Strength and Deformability to be held in Lima, Peru on December 6, 2024. The main purpose of the conference is to establish the current status of the procedures available to estimate rock mass strength and deformability.
Most naturally occurring discontinuous rock masses comprise intact rock interspaced with different types of discontinuities. Fissures, fractures, joints, faults, bedding planes, folds, shear zones, and dykes are different types of discontinuities that exist in rock masses. Discontinuities may be divided into major and minor using the feature size. Large features may be considered as major discontinuities, and the rest of the small features may be considered as minor discontinuities. For most of the civil and mining engineering projects, at the uppermost level (for the domain size considered for analysis), rock masses contain only a few major discontinuities. For such rock engineering projects, major discontinuities may be considered as single features, and their geometry may be represented deterministically. On the other hand, due to their large number and inherent statistical nature, the geometry of minor discontinuities should be characterized probabilistically. Henceforth, the minor discontinuities are referred to as either “joints” or “fractures” in this document. It is a well-known fact that the intact rock mechanical properties estimated at the laboratory level do not reflect the in-situ jointed rock mass mechanical properties at the project level. Rock mass strength and deformability depend on the (a) lithology & alteration, (b) geo-mechanical properties of the intact rock, (c) discontinuity geometry network including the number of discontinuity sets, their intensity, the spatial distribution of orientation, size, and spacing, (d) geo-mechanical properties of the discontinuities including roughness, strength and deformation of asperities and filling material, (e) in-situ stress system, (f) size of the rock mass relative to the size and intensity of the fractures (leading to scale effects), (g) shape of the rock mass (h) loading/unloading stress path, (i) loading rate, (j) pore pressure in the rock mass and (k) environmental conditions (such as the temperature, humidity etc.) of the rock mass. The presence of complicated fracture networks, the inherent statistical nature of their geometrical parameters, and the variabilities and uncertainties involved in the estimation of their geometrical and geo-mechanical properties and in-situ stress make accurate prediction of rock mass strength and deformability a very difficult, and challenging task. On the other hand, understanding the mechanical behaviour of rock masses is crucial in designing safe and economical rock engineering structures in or on rock masses.
The strength and deformability of rock masses show a very significant scale effect and anisotropic behaviour at the three-dimensional (3-D) level due to the pre-existing fracture system. It has been a great challenge for the rock mechanics and rock engineering profession to predict rock mass strength and deformability in 3-D which incorporates the effect of important fracture geometry, relevant intact rock and fracture mechanical parameters, and intermediate principal stress and to capture the scale effects and anisotropic properties of jointed rock masses. Various procedures that belong to the following three groups have been suggested in the literature to estimate rock mass strength and deformability: (a) Based on empirical methods that use one or several rock mass classification systems; (b) Based on numerical modelling and (c) Based on back-calculation methods using field monitored data. The main goals of this conference are to provide a critical review of the said available methods, to provide guidelines for rock mechanics teaching, to suggest future research to improve the available techniques in predicting rock mass strength and deformability properties, and to recommend the best techniques to apply in rock engineering practice to improve the prediction of rock mass mechanical behaviour in field problems associated with mining, civil geotechnical, geological, and petroleum engineering.
The conference will cover advances in all the aforementioned areas of rock mechanics and rock engineering encompassing the fields of mining, civil, geological, and petroleum engineering, and geophysics focusing on the theme “Estimation of Rock Mass Strength and Deformability Including the Associated Components”. Each session is expected to start with a Session Lead Lecture given by an expert on the session topic. The technical lectures and trade exhibition programs are organized to provide conference supporters maximum exposure and interaction with participants from universities, industry, government, and exhibitors.
Peru is located on the central western coast of South America facing the Pacific Ocean. It lies wholly in the Southern Hemisphere, its northernmost extreme reaching 1.8 minutes of latitude or about 3.3 kilometers (2.1 mi) south of the equator, and covers 1,285,216 km2 (496,225 sq mi) of western South America. It borders Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the southeast, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Andes Mountains run parallel to the Pacific Ocean; they define the three regions traditionally used to describe the country geographically. The coast, to the west, is a narrow, largely arid plain except for valleys created by seasonal rivers. The highland is the region of the Andes; it includes the Altiplano plateau as well as the highest peak of the country, the 6,768 m (22,205 ft) Huascarán. The third region is the jungle, a wide expanse of flat terrain covered by the Amazon rainforest that extends east. Almost 60 percent of the country's area is located within this region. The country has fifty-four hydrographic basins, fifty-two of which are small coastal basins that discharge their waters into the Pacific Ocean. The final two are the endorheic basin of Lake Titicaca, and the Amazon basin, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Both are delimited by the Andes mountain range. The Amazon basin is particularly noteworthy as it is the source of the Amazon River, which at 6872 km, is the longest river in the world, and covers 75% of Peruvian territory. Peru contains 4% of the planet's freshwater. Due to its geography, Peru can be divided into three main climates. The unbroken and relatively slim coastal region has moderate temperatures, low precipitation, and high humidity, except for its warmer, wetter northern reaches. The average temperature of the coastal region ranges from 66 °F (19 °C) in winter to 72 °F (22 °C) in summer. In the mountain region, which covers almost a third of the country, rain is frequent in summer, and temperature and humidity diminish with altitude up to the frozen peaks of the Andes. The Peruvian Amazon, covering more than half of the total area of Peru, is characterized by heavy rainfall and high temperatures, except for its southernmost part, which has cold winters and seasonal rainfall.
Peru has a population of over 32 million, and its capital and largest city Lima is located in the coastal region. Peru is the 19th largest country in the world and the third largest in South America. Peru comprises top tourist destinations, immaculate beaches, tasty foods, diverse cultures, languages, ethnicities, hiking trails, historical architecture, rain forests, and wildlife. The main spoken language in Peru is Spanish. Peru is known to have one of the best cuisines in the world. The capital, Lima, is home to the World's Best Restaurants and serves various Peruvian dishes from each geographical part of the country, the coast, mountains, and rainforest. Peruvian music has Andean, Spanish, and African roots. One of the top tourist destinations in Peru is Machu Picchu. It was declared a Peruvian Historic Sanctuary in 1982 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide internet poll. Built with incredible engineering precision at a great height of 2430 m (7972 ft) above sea level of the Andes mountains, around the mid-15th century, Machu Picchu is one of the most famous archeological sites on the planet. The structure is made with exceptional cut stones which stood earthquakes for more than 500 years. Machu Picchu holds high cultural significance and includes temples, private quarters, and ceremonial platforms that continue to radiate sacred energy. Machu Picchu can be reached by a two-hour train ride from the Sacred Valley town of Ollantaytambo.
Peru’s main economic activities include mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and fishing, along with other growing sectors such as telecommunications, and biotechnology. The country is heavily dependent on mining for the export of raw materials, which represents 60% of exports in 2019. The country was the second-largest world producer of copper, silver, and zinc, the eighth-largest world producer of gold, the third-largest world producer of lead, the world's fourth-largest producer of tin, the world's fifth-largest producer of boron, and the world's fourth-largest producer of molybdenum. – not to mention gas and oil. The Yanacocha mine in Cajamarca is the main source of gold extraction in Peru. It is considered the largest gold mine in South America and the second largest in the world. Anyone interested in sightseeing in Peru is advised to contact the following sightseeing agency directly:
https://kinsatravelcollection.com/en/
teresanunez@kinsatravelcollection.com
whatsapp a: Teresa +51 965 263 538
whatsapp b : Marita +51 932 586 634
Information on the conference is available on the website: www.slrmes.org. Further details on the technical part of the conference and the Exhibitor and Sponsorship Programs can be obtained by contacting Prof. Pinnaduwa H.S.W. Kulatilake (kulatila@arizona.edu), Conference Chair. Information on the management of the non-technical part of the conference can be obtained by contacting Ms. Patricia De Los Santos.
We look forward to seeing you in breathtaking Peru in December 2024.