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Rock mechanics is the theoretical and applied science of the mechanical behaviour of rock; it is that branch of mechanics concerned with the response of rock to the force fields of its physical environment. The fundamentals of rock mechanics include the classical topics of solid mechanics: stress and strain; linear elasticity; plasticity; viscoelasticity; and elastic wave propagation. Other topics are more specific to rocks: friction along rough surfaces; degradation and failure under compressive loads; coupling between mechanical deformation and fluid flow; the effect of cracks and pores on mechanical deformation, and the effect of fractures and joints on large-scale rock behaviour. Every chapter of this new edition has, to some extent, been revised and updated. |