Laboratory Study of the Shear Behaviour of Natural Rough Rock Joints Infilled by Different Soils

Natural rock joints infilled with soil materials may show a reduced shear strength, which influences rock mass stability. The aim of this paper is to experimentally investigate the shear behaviour of infilled rock joints, taking into account joint surface characteristics and the properties of the joint and infill materials. A new model for predicting the shear strength of infilled joints is presented, on the basis of a series of tests carried out on natural rock joints with same surface roughness, with clay, sand and sandy-clay used as infill materials. All tests were carried out in a shear box apparatus under constant normal load (CNL) conditions. The empirical model was finally validated based on the experimental data from the literature. The results showed an acceptable confidence level for the model and reported that the new model successfully describes the observed shear behaviour of natural infilled rock joints.