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ESE 60016 © Imperial College London

IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON

BSc and MSci EXAMINATION 2022

For internal students of Imperial College London

Taken by students of Geoscience

This paper is also taken for the relevant examination for the Associateship of the

Royal School of Mines

ESE 60016 GEOLOGICAL & COASTAL ENGINEERING

Monday 16 May 2022 from 11:00 BST

Duration: 90 Minutes

Total Marks: 100

— 2 —

Page 2 of 5 ESE 60016 © Imperial College London

SECTION A (40%)

Answer ALL questions

1. (i) Explain how the point load strength test is performed. How might it be used

in combination with other site data to guide the selection of excavation

method for in-situ rock masses? (5 marks)

(ii) In a quarry rock blast, explain the mechanisms responsible from the moment

of detonation through fragmenting the rock and producing a blast pile on the

quarry floor. Hint: your answer should include strength of rock in relation to

the type of stress waves generated. (5 marks)

2. A horizontal cylindrical tunnel is to be bored with its axis at 300 m depth in rock

with an average overburden density of 2,600 kg/m

3

. Assume the tunnel is

contained within a very thick horizontal bed of massive limestone and that the

rock mass strength can be assumed to be the same as the intact strength of the

limestone.

The region falls within a strike-slip tectonic regime with Maximum Horizontal

stress, 

H

and Minimum horizontal stress, 

h

striking E-W and N-S respectively.

The in-situ stress ratios are given as 

H/



v

= 1.5 and

h/



v

=0.6. The Unconfined

Compressive Strength of the limestone is 25 MPa.

(i) If the tunnel is running North-South, calculate the compressive (hoop) stress

in the mid roof and in the mid sidewall positions and explain why or why not

there is likely to be shear failure when considering each of these positions if

there is no support. (8 marks)

3. A rock revetment has been designed in accordance with the Van der Meer

equations to permit only an acceptable amount of damage for a given 100-year

design condition. This design is based on a local source of limestone with a rock

density of 2.50 t/m

3

. The design mass for the individual pieces of armourstone,

M50 is 8 t and a specified grading is 6-10 t armour.

The contractor has discovered a source of gabbro with similar shape

characteristics and with a density of 3.2 t/m

3

but the block sizes available in the

quarry are such that they can only supply armourstone in the range 3 to 6

tonnes.

(i) Assume for this calculation that the seawater has the same density as fresh

water. Using the alternative density rock source, i.e. the gabbro, calculate

the M50 required to give an identical stability to the original design and

thereby discuss if the smaller available grading of denser armour will give

greater, less or about the same stability. (7 marks)

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Page 3 of 5 ESE 60016 © Imperial College London

4. The accompanying figure (Fig. Q4) is a diagram used to explain quantitatively

the results from rock blasting using two different blast designs, one for

armourstone production and one for aggregates production. Three size

distributions from a particular quarry (Quarry A) have been idealised in the form

of the Rosin Rammler equation, as given in Fig. Q4.

(i) Explain the terms BBSD and IBSD. Describe how the BBSD can be rapidly

assessed for real blast piles. (3 marks)

(ii) Assume 20,000 tonnes of rock are to be blasted in Quarry A. To be clear

with the definition of armourstone in this question, blocks of 1 tonne or

heavier are designated to be of sufficient size to be called armourstone.

Using the coefficients given in the accompanying Fig.Q4 for each BBSD

curve, or otherwise, determine the total armourstone yield (in tonnes) in the

“armourstone blast”. Compare this with the armourstone yield (in tonnes) in

the “aggregates blast”. (4 marks)

(iii) Aggregates between 10 and 60 mm are especially useful and are produced

in the blast from Quarry A without the need for crushing. Determine how

much greater the yield of 10-60 mm aggregates (in tonnes) will be in the

aggregates blast than in the armourstone blast using the blast curves shown

in the accompanying Fig.Q4. (4 marks)

(iv) An investigation of joint spacing in a potential quarry site (Quarry B) has

determined that the IBSD can be estimated using the Rosin Rammler

coefficients, D

50

= 0.5 m, nRRD = 2.00. Discuss the suitability of this quarry

site for the supply to a breakwater project that requires delivery in the

proportion 20% armourstone (pieces heavier than 1 tonne) and 80% for

rockfill. (4 marks)

Fig. Q4

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Page 4 of 5 ESE 60016 © Imperial College London

SECTION B (60%)

Answer TWO questions (from the four to choose from)

5. Tunnel construction projects for highway, rail and water supply are a major

recipient of government revenues for infrastructure projects in developed and

developing countries that have mountainous terrains to traverse.

Describe the role that a geologist’s skills will play in helping to complete such

tunnelling projects, and how these skills combine with the civil engineer’s

systematic methods, tools and skills to design a safely excavated and supported

structure for the tunnelling contractor. (30 marks)

6. Steep and gentle slopes in outcrops of rock masses are ubiquitous in nature’s

landscapes. For man-made highways, open pits and quarries, geological

engineers assess the cut slope faces that will provide an acceptable level of

protection from risk of slope failure.

(i) In rock slope stability design, explain what is meant by

(a) kinematic stability analysis

(b) limit equilibrium analysis, and

(c) describe a scenario for which a two-dimensional limit equilibrium

analysis can guide the main design decisions regarding drainage and

bolting requirements.

(5 marks)

(ii) A highway is to traverse a ridge of sedimentary rocks but is not going fully

over the top and will have substantial cuttings as it reaches the highest

section. You are given the highway orientation azimuth and the discontinuity

data for dip and dip direction from the geological structural mapping of ample

surface outcrops along the route of the highway. You are presented with the

task of finding the maximum safe slopes for cut slope faces on either side of

this highway. The task addresses the general case, taking account of plane,

wedge and flexural toppling failure, given the prior knowledge that the

bedding and two dominant joint sets are well-represented throughout the

region and without much angular variation.

(a) Present a detailed step-by-step description of the stereo-net methods

you would use to complete your task. Your presentation should include

sketches and any assumptions you will need to make. (20 marks)

(b) Explain which type of failure mechanism is likely to be most problematic

if there are steep bedding planes striking with a direction almost parallel

to the road’s azimuth. (5 marks)

PAPER CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE

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Page 5 of 5 ESE 60016 © Imperial College London

7. The design of rubble mound coastal structures built out of quarried rock was for

many decades based on an empirical formula by Hudson which is still widely

used and sometimes extended to concrete unit rubble mound structures,

especially breakwaters. The formula was improved upon by the Van der Meer

equations in the 1980’s.

(i) Write down the Hudson formula, listing and defining all its variables.

Describe the experiments and data analysis Hudson would have needed to

perform to create his formula. (7 marks)

(ii) Show how Hudson’s formula can be rearranged to define the Stability

Number, N

s

in terms of two dimensionless numbers, and how this in turn

sets the armour characteristics needed for the wave height of the design

storm for a given coastal site. (7 marks)

(iii) For rock armour structures, outline the key improvements that were

introduced in the Van der Meer equations that led to greater confidence in

the reliability of a breakwater design compared with the Hudson formula.

Explain why two equations were needed. (8 marks)

(iv) In the 1970’s and 1980’s a great many breakwaters suffered failures, most

notably, the Sines Breakwater in Portugal. Discuss the difference between

structural stability and hydraulic stability of rubble mound coastal structures.

Explain the likely cause for the several deep-water breakwater failures

during these two decades and how modern 21

st

century design practices

have lessened the likelihood of such failures taking place. (8 marks)

8. Phase II of the Environmental Improvements at Lyme Regis completed in 2007,

together with Phase IV, completed in 2014, have been heralded in the local

press as tremendous successes for the economy of the town, despite the

disruption during construction.

(i) Describe the processes and mechanisms that were responsible for the

coastal and landslide problems addressed by Phase II and explain how the

type of design solution for the foreshore protection was arrived at and tested.

(10 marks)

(ii) For the Phase IV works to the East of Lyme Regis, outline the motivation

and objectives of this works phase, the solutions adopted, and why you think

possible alternative solutions using rock armour were not chosen.

(15 marks)

(iii) Briefly discuss the evidence that the 2008 landslide closely follows a hybrid

failure mechanism, one that combines translational sliding on a plane of low

shear strength with rotational slip due to lack of cohesive strength in the

overlying mudstone. (5 marks)

END OF EXAMINATION