• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.363-374
• /
• 2016

All five independent elastic constants of a transversely isotropic rock sometimes need to be determined from a single specimen. Saint-Venant approximation has been widely used for a long time in the analysis of single specimen test. This paper has proven how this empirical equation can be mathematically transformed into a form of the apparent Young's modulus based on theory of elasticity. The transformed equation is a monotonous function on anisotropic angle and can be useful in the analysis of the in-situ stress measurement in an anisotropic rock mass. The estimations of data in literatures have shown that the measured values of $G^2$ are uniform on anisotropic angles and smaller than that of Saint-Venant's case. This decrement may be caused by sliding of the interface of strata and the decrement rate is inferred to relate well with the combination of bonding condition of strata and strength of rock material. Accumulation of these kinds of studies in the future enables to define the decrement and to determine elastic constants of a transversely isotropic rock from a single specimen from modifying Saint-Venant approximation.