The Hoek–Brown failure criterion and GSI – 2018 edition

The Hoek–Brown criterion was introduced in 1980 to provide input for the design of underground excavations in rock. The criterion now incorporates both intact rock and discontinuities, such as joints, characterized by the geological strength index (GSI), into a system designed to estimate the mechanical behaviour of typical rock masses encountered in tunnels, slopes and foundations. The strength and deformation properties of intact rock, derived...