Methods for the Qualitative and Quantitative Description of the Rock Mass; Part 2: Quantitative Description of the Rock Mass

The knowledge of the geotechnical rock mass properties is the base of any safe and economical mining activity. The present paper gives an overview on the commonly used systems and approaches for the geotechnical description of the rock mass in the mining industry. In addition, the experiences gained by using the different methods will be pointed out. The second part of the paper deals with the quantification of the geotechnical properties of the rock mass. © 2009, Springer-Verlag.