The Bedretto adit, in the Alps of Switzerland, was excavated in 1972–1982 as an auxiliary adit for the main Furka Base Tunnel. The adit is 5218 m long, being excavated mostly in the Rotondo Granite with drill and blast methods to create a horseshoe cross-section. Much of the tunnel has remained unlined and such long observation periods are seldom available since tunnels typically are lined shortly after construction and mines...

This study aims to experimentally assess repeatability and reproducibility of direct tensile strength (DTS) tests with deformability measurements on two types of rocks: Blanco Mera granite (Spain) and Cotta sandstone (Germany). The tests were conducted in four rock mechanics laboratories located in different countries (Canada, Germany, Spain and Sweden). A total of 51 tests were performed on cylindrical specimens of the two ro...

The UNESCO world heritage site Valley of the Kings or Wadi el-Moluk (وادي الملوك) near Luxor, Egypt, hosts unique burial places of Egyptian kings and royals from the New Kingdom (c. 1539–1075 BCE) and attracts about 0.5 to 2 million tourists per year. Very steep to subvertical cliffs of Thebes Limestone surround the Valley of the Kings. The rock mass is cut by frequent joints and faults making the cliff walls prone to rockfall...