Rock Mechanics deals with the behaviour of rocks under the influence of loading or unloading. The engineering principles are applied to the design of rock structures, such as tunnels, underground caverns and rock slopes. After an introduction to the engineering properties of rock, as a substance and in mass, the initial part of the course will concentrate on the use of analytical and mathematical tools in describing rock mass properties and stress fields. You will learn rock strength testing, rock mass classification and the application of the principles to rock engineering designs. Specific applications in rock excavation, tunnelling and slope stability assessment will be introduced as projects, class exercises and assignments. The aims of this course are to learn about the mechanical behaviour of rock and rock masses, the engineering properties of rock and techniques for the classification of rock masses and analysis of rock structures.