CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF UNIAXIAL COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (UCS) AND POINT LOAD INDEX (IS50) OF BANKET CONGLOMERATE WITHIN TARKWAIAN DEPOSITS OF GHANA

Compressive strength is an essential engineering parameter employed in civil and mining engineering operations. Often, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and point load index (Is50) are linked for simplicity in assessing rock properties during preparatory design stage. However, a number of researches have been conducted to establish relationship between these two parameters for various rock types but few have been centered on rock strength classifications. This research focuses on using regression analysis to establish correlation factor(s) for different strength groups based on modified Rock Mass Classification Scheme for Banket conglomerates within the Tarkwaian Deposit of Ghana. The rocks were classified into strong, medium and weak group based on their strength threshold. Quantitative analysis of the strength states revealed that, the higher the strength value of the rock the higher the correlation factor. The correlation analysis disclosed a good linear relationship between the two parameters for the grouped rock strengths. The established correlation factors (k) between UCS and Is50 for strong, medium and weak rock group for Banket conglomerates were 20.71, 18.1 and 13.72 respectively