Effect of opening on the shear behavior of a rock joint

Irregularity of rock joints is an important parameter which can enhance the stability of potentially removable rock blocks or wedges around an underground opening. When irregular-sided blocks or wedges are bounded by joints, additional shear strength develops as a consequence of the confinement. With open joints, the interlock effect is reduced or lost and the shear strength drops, possibly to its residual value. A joint opening model has been developed that considers the effect of strength loss along the joint as a result of opening. The model relates the geometric parameters and stress–displacement and can easily be incorporated into existing joint models. Several numerical simulations of direct shear tests are presented to demonstrate the performance of the joint opening model.