Scale Effect and Correlation between Uniaxial Compressive Strength and Point Load Index for Limestone and Travertine

Abstract

Determining the uniaxial compressive strength of intact rock is the primary objective of a geomechanical project, and a reliable estimate in the early phases saves time and costs for more sophisticated laboratory tests. The problem is knowing which of the correlations between the resistance to uniaxial compression and point load index are reliable, those that cover one or several types of rock (depending on the type of statistical adjustment). In this work, they were evaluated with respect to limestone and travertine from experimental results, and the statistical models of the scale effect of the point load index were determined, and the uniaxial compressive strength being estimated from correlations reported in literature. The limestone model was ascending (strength increases as diameter increases), while the travertine model was descending (strength decreases as diameter increases), obtaining similar exponents for the scale effect equations modeled from the uniaxial compressive strength and point load index in both cases.

Keywords

• scale effect
• point load index
• uniaxial compressive strength
• limestone
• travertine