Using elastic wave velocity on classification weathering rock materials and prediction of engineering properties in kurtun granodiorite

Abstract

A great number of landslides occurred in weathered granites outcropped the area in which Kurtun Dams with reservoirs and Gumushane-Giresun highways pass trough. For this, weathering effect on the rock materials of the Kurtun granodiorite was investigated. In this study, both physical and mineralogical changes on the granitic materials due to weathering are described separately using P- wave velocity in rocks materials. Mineralogical Change Parameter and Physical Parameter defined based on P- wave velocity in rocks materials are applied on the samples from the selected weathering profiles, for the estimation of the effects of weathering on the physico-mechanical properties of rock materials. The relative variation of mechanical properties and these indices display a statistically significant correlation. Besides, it is shown that P wave velocity in the solid parts of the samples. and Quantitative Weathering index originally defined Ceryan (1999a) as based on slake-durability index, Mineralogical Change Parameter and Physical Parameter can be used together to evaluate the effect of weathering on the mechanical behavior of rocks material from Kurtun granodiorite.