Fuzzy classification of rock engineering indices using rock texture characteristics

Rock engineering systems result in a practical design for engineering projects. This study considers different aspects of rock engineering classification compared to the literature. The main focus of this study is on reliability in the judgments by experts using the concept of Z-number theory to determine the effects of rock texture-based characteristics in dimension stone quarries. A classification system was developed by integrating fuzzy set theory and Z-number methods to classify dimension stones based on the texture feature. In this system, five classes, "very good," "good," "medium," "weak," and "very weak," were set up for the assessment. The system was applied to three types of crystal dimension stones from different quarries located in Iran. The results of determining the importance weights for the texture-based characteristics revealed that compressibility, roundness, and homogeneity with the values of 0.1995, 0.1754, and 0.1704 are known as top three significant factors, respectively. The results of the classification system were validated by in situ investigations. In addition, the differences between the average and minimum energy consumptions of a cutting machine during the cutting process of the samples approved the results of the developed system.