Rock reinforcement - how it works?

For rocks with widespread fractures, individual blocks resulting from these fractures can fall out and as a result slope failure can take place. Rock reinforcement (for example rock dowels, bolts or anchors) is installed to bolt through discontinuities in rock to enhance the rock to act as a single unit. With the bolting across block interfaces, stresses will be altered within the rock mass. For untensioned rock dowels, they can be subjected to tensile forces arising from rock movement. Other than the provision of rock reinforcement, shotcreting is other method to reinforce the rock. It functions by griping the rock together and sustaining the small blocks that hold the large blocks in position.