A brief introduction to disaster rock mass mechanics

Abstract

Rock mass mechanics can be classified into engineering rock mass mechanics and disaster rock mass mechanics based on science and application. Their conception, object, scientific essence and application were elaborated. The connotation, studying method and theoretical framework of disaster rock mass mechanics were described. Disaster rock mass mechanics is a strongly nonlinear discipline which is a strong tool to study natural and artificially-induced disasters. The rock mass system where disasters happen exhibits extremely spatial-temporal nonlinearity in the critically unstable state. Hence, the potentially effective prediction and forecasting of disasters depends on statistical analysis of highly probable events. The direction of efforts for predicting and forecasting disasters could be to find the quantitative or semi-quantitative relationship between physical and biological information and instability of rock mass system.