השוואת שיטות

	מערכת Q	קריטריון כשל Hoek-Brown	דירוג מסת סלע (RMR)
תחום	הנדסת כרייה	הנדסת כרייה	הנדסת כרייה
משפחה	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
שנת המקור	1974	1980	1973
הוגה השיטה	Nick Barton (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute)	Evert Hoek and E. T. Brown	Zbigniew T. Bieniawski
סוג	Empirical index for tunnel support and stability prediction	Empirical criterion for rock mass strength prediction	Empirical classification for geotechnical engineering
מקור מכונן	Barton, N., Lien, R., & Lunde, J. (1974). Engineering classification of rock masses for the design of tunnel support. Rock Mechanics, 6(4), 189-236.	Hoek, E., & Brown, E. T. (2002). The Hoek-Brown failure criterion and GSI: 2018 update. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 10(2), 445-463.	Bieniawski, Z. T. (1989). Engineering rock mass classifications. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 978-0-471-60437-4
כינויים	Q Index, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute Classification, Barton System	Generalized Hoek-Brown Criterion, HB Criterion	RMR, Bieniawski Classification, RMR89
קשורות	3	3	3
תקציר	The Q-System (NGI Index), introduced by Nick Barton and colleagues at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute in 1974, is an alternative rock mass classification to RMR. It combines six parameters into a dimensionless index Q ranging from 0.001 to 1000, where higher Q values indicate better rock quality. The Q-System is particularly valued for tunnel and underground excavation design due to its explicit consideration of joint roughness and groundwater effects.	The Hoek-Brown Criterion, developed by Evert Hoek and E. T. Brown starting in 1980, is an empirical failure criterion that predicts the shear strength of rock masses as a function of confining pressure. It accounts for rock quality (via the Geological Strength Index, GSI) and thus bridges laboratory rock mechanics and field behavior. The criterion is widely used in mining for slope stability, pillar design, and stress analysis.	The Rock Mass Rating (RMR) system, developed by Zbigniew Bieniawski starting in 1973, is an empirical classification that characterizes rock mass quality and estimates mining and civil engineering behavior. RMR combines five measurable geotechnical parameters into a single index ranging from 0 to 100, where higher values indicate stronger, more stable rock masses. It is the most widely used rock classification system worldwide for underground mining design.