Engineering Rock Mechanics

Rock reinforcement 271

Figure 16.3 Illustrations of (a) rock reinforcement and (b) rock support.

basic principle of rock support is fundamentally different from rock
reinforcement, as illustrated in Fig. 16.4.
In Fig. 16.2, the concept of rock stabilization was defined in the top box,
the two primary methods of achieving this objective in the middle boxes,
and the way in which the two separate concepts of rock reinforcement and
rock support apply to continuous and discontinuous rock masses in the
bottom boxes. Each of the four elements shown in the bottom row of Fig.
16.2 will now be described in detail.

16.3 Rock reinforcement

Rock reinforcement as applied to essentially continuous rock masses differs

from that used in discontinuous rock masses because of the mode of action

of the reinforcing elements. Sections 16.3.1 and 16.3.2 describe this

difference.