Geological characterization of cataclastic rock samples using medical X-ray computerized tomography : towards a better geotechnical description

Technical difficulties associated with tunnelling operations in tectonized geological settings are frequently encountered. They may include instantaneous and delayed cavity convergence, sudden collapse of walls or roof of a gallery, outpouring of fault-filling materials and water inflows. These phenomena may negatively affect economical and safety aspects of construction sites. The present study refers to two previous research projects conducted at the EPFL addressing the problem of an improved geological and geomechanical characterization of weak cataclastic rocks in underground excavation works (Cataclastic fault rocks in underground excavations, a geological perspective, Bürgi, 1999; Caractérisation géomécanique de roches cataclastiques rencontrées dans des ouvrages souterrains alpins, Habimana, 1999). Cataclasis is an evolutionary rock degradation process in time and magnitude related to fault zone activity in the Earth's crust. A conceptual model describing the occurrence and variability of cataclastic rocks at shallow crustal conditions is proposed in this research. It describes environment of fault zones based on both theoretical considerations and field experiences collected during self-realized short-drilling operations performed in contrasted petrological settings. The model considers cataclasis from a regional perspective (macroscopic scale) down to its microscopic manifestations on rock materials. Cataclastic rock characteristics are strongly influenced by the degree of tectonic solicitation and the initial rock composition. Guidelines about specific damage microstructures diagnostic of the cataclastic intensity and function of the initial rock protolith can meaningfully assist the interpretation of rock specimens recovered from reconnaissance drilling operations. Despite the poor mechanical quality often observed for such samples and their readiness to collapse, this study demonstrates that the in situ extraction of cataclastic specimens can be largely improved with the use of a high-quality drilling equipment. Accordingly, with the availability of representative materials for subsequent studies, the uncertainties affecting the geological prognosis can be strongly limited at a preliminary stage of geotechnical studies. It is shown that the geotechnical characterisation of cataclastic rock cores by means of laboratory investigations requires combining information about rock microstructure and mineralogy with strain-stress relationship derived from triaxial compression tests. Such a framework makes it possible to interpret and explain the specific mechanical behavior of heterogeneous-anisotropic rock materials in a much more coherent manner. With this regard, the approach followed by Bürgi (1999) with a mineralo-structural index (MSI) determined on 2D thin sections and proposed to predict cataclastic rock strength based on geological evidences, is found to have potential for geotechnical studies. However, Bürgi's approach still faces h