Empirical correlation of uniaxial compressive strength and primary wave velocity of Malaysian schists

The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) is one of the important mechanical parameters widely used for design, analysis and modeling in geotechnical engineering. Determination of UCS is critical to reducing risk in various applications which include assessment of excavation and cut slopes in rock mass. However, determination of UCS requires extensive laboratory works, which is time consuming, destructive and rather expensive to conduct. This paper presents an empirical equation to estimate UCS from Vp for dry schist of Malaysia. Based on a total of 26 ultrasonic and UCS tests that were conducted, an empirical equation to estimate UCS was established. UCS = 3.40 x 10-11 · Vp3.3938 with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.91. This new correlation is non-destructive and an inexpensive method for estimation of UCS of dry Malaysian schist, through measuring the ultrasonic velocity of rock samples in laboratory. © 2015 ejge.