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Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology pp 1–3Cite as

Mohr-Coulomb Failure Envelope

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonym

Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion

Definitions

A constitutive model that describes the shear strength of ground.

Exceeding the shear strength results in failure of the ground which can be described by the Mohr-Coulomb Failure Envelope. This is also used, sometimes, as a constitutive model for the shear strength along surfaces of, for example, discontinuities.

Ground materials are diverse and may be gasses, fluids, solids (i.e., minerals, grains, and aggregates of grains or minerals), and any mix. Also, man-made ground, such as fills and waste dump materials, may often be modeled with the Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope. Ground is commonly differentiated in soil and rock, soil being an aggregate of loose or weakly bonded particles, and rock consisting of particles cemented or locked together, giving rock a tensile strength. Soil and rock are by some differentiated based on a compressive strength difference mostly soil being weaker than 1 MPa and rock being stronger. A differentiation...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering Geology, ESA, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Robert (H. R. G. K.) Hack

Authors
  1. Robert (H. R. G. K.) Hack
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada Natural Resources Canada, Sidney, Ontario, Canada

    Peter Bobrowsky

  2. London, United Kingdom

    Brian Marker

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Hack, R.(.R.G.K. (2018). Mohr-Coulomb Failure Envelope. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_207-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_207-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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