Assigning resistivity values to rock quality designation indices using integrated unmanned aerial vehicle and 2D electrical resistivity tomography in granitic rock

Rock quality designation (RQD) is a standard technique in mining and geotechnical investigation for quantifying the quality and degree of jointing of the rock mass. However, the need for expeditious and inexpensive geotechnical site characterization is the prime motivation for modifying RQD. This re...

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Main Authors: Muhammad Junaid, Rini Asnida Abdullah, Kamal Abdelrahman, Arshad Ullah, Sajid Mahmood, Radzuan Sa'ari, Amber Islam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-01-01
Series:Geocarto International
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10106049.2024.2343019
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author Muhammad Junaid
Rini Asnida Abdullah
Kamal Abdelrahman
Arshad Ullah
Sajid Mahmood
Radzuan Sa'ari
Amber Islam
author_facet Muhammad Junaid
Rini Asnida Abdullah
Kamal Abdelrahman
Arshad Ullah
Sajid Mahmood
Radzuan Sa'ari
Amber Islam
author_sort Muhammad Junaid
collection DOAJ
description Rock quality designation (RQD) is a standard technique in mining and geotechnical investigation for quantifying the quality and degree of jointing of the rock mass. However, the need for expeditious and inexpensive geotechnical site characterization is the prime motivation for modifying RQD. This research work integrates 2D Electrical Resistivity Tomography (2D ERT) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) conducted at Site 1 and Site 2. The UAV survey was performed to calculate RQD on the rock surface using volumetric Joint Counts (Jv) at Sites 1 and 2. A 2D ERT survey was conducted to obtain the corresponding subsurface resistivity values. Using k-nearest neighbours (k-NN), resistivity values were assigned to various RQD indices such as very poor rocks (<350 Ωm), poor rock (350–1150 Ωm), fair rock (1150–1850 Ωm), good rock (1850–2500 Ωm) and >2500 Ωm excellent rock. Based on the established correlation of RQD and resistivity, the subsurface rock mass quality at Site 1 was predominantly good and excellent rock, while at Site 2, poor rock was significantly reported. This research concluded that rock mass characterization using RQD is more rapid and inexpensive than the direct or indirect calculation of RQD. The combined 2D ERT and UAV deployed in this research study provide an environmentally non-destructive approach for slope stability assessment.
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spelling doaj-art-8b91df22156e49ca97bc0392ac6499d42025-08-20T02:38:26ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGeocarto International1010-60491752-07622024-01-0139110.1080/10106049.2024.2343019Assigning resistivity values to rock quality designation indices using integrated unmanned aerial vehicle and 2D electrical resistivity tomography in granitic rockMuhammad Junaid0Rini Asnida Abdullah1Kamal Abdelrahman2Arshad Ullah3Sajid Mahmood4Radzuan Sa'ari5Amber Islam6Department of Sustainable Advanced Geomechanical Engineering (SAGE), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Risalpur, PakistanFaculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, MalaysiaDepartment of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Geotechnics and Transportation, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, PakistanDepartment of Construction Engineering Management, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, PakistanFaculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, MalaysiaFaculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, MalaysiaRock quality designation (RQD) is a standard technique in mining and geotechnical investigation for quantifying the quality and degree of jointing of the rock mass. However, the need for expeditious and inexpensive geotechnical site characterization is the prime motivation for modifying RQD. This research work integrates 2D Electrical Resistivity Tomography (2D ERT) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) conducted at Site 1 and Site 2. The UAV survey was performed to calculate RQD on the rock surface using volumetric Joint Counts (Jv) at Sites 1 and 2. A 2D ERT survey was conducted to obtain the corresponding subsurface resistivity values. Using k-nearest neighbours (k-NN), resistivity values were assigned to various RQD indices such as very poor rocks (<350 Ωm), poor rock (350–1150 Ωm), fair rock (1150–1850 Ωm), good rock (1850–2500 Ωm) and >2500 Ωm excellent rock. Based on the established correlation of RQD and resistivity, the subsurface rock mass quality at Site 1 was predominantly good and excellent rock, while at Site 2, poor rock was significantly reported. This research concluded that rock mass characterization using RQD is more rapid and inexpensive than the direct or indirect calculation of RQD. The combined 2D ERT and UAV deployed in this research study provide an environmentally non-destructive approach for slope stability assessment.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10106049.2024.2343019Rock quality designationelectrical resistivity tomographyaerial surveyk-nearest neighbourgraniteslope stability
spellingShingle Muhammad Junaid
Rini Asnida Abdullah
Kamal Abdelrahman
Arshad Ullah
Sajid Mahmood
Radzuan Sa'ari
Amber Islam
Assigning resistivity values to rock quality designation indices using integrated unmanned aerial vehicle and 2D electrical resistivity tomography in granitic rock
Geocarto International
Rock quality designation
electrical resistivity tomography
aerial survey
k-nearest neighbour
granite
slope stability
title Assigning resistivity values to rock quality designation indices using integrated unmanned aerial vehicle and 2D electrical resistivity tomography in granitic rock
title_full Assigning resistivity values to rock quality designation indices using integrated unmanned aerial vehicle and 2D electrical resistivity tomography in granitic rock
title_fullStr Assigning resistivity values to rock quality designation indices using integrated unmanned aerial vehicle and 2D electrical resistivity tomography in granitic rock
title_full_unstemmed Assigning resistivity values to rock quality designation indices using integrated unmanned aerial vehicle and 2D electrical resistivity tomography in granitic rock
title_short Assigning resistivity values to rock quality designation indices using integrated unmanned aerial vehicle and 2D electrical resistivity tomography in granitic rock
title_sort assigning resistivity values to rock quality designation indices using integrated unmanned aerial vehicle and 2d electrical resistivity tomography in granitic rock
topic Rock quality designation
electrical resistivity tomography
aerial survey
k-nearest neighbour
granite
slope stability
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10106049.2024.2343019
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