ABSTRACT
Tunnel constructions and mining works are performed by means of the action of pressure waves generated by controlled explosions and by impact loading of the tool of specialised excavation machines. The studies on the mechanical response of rock under high loading rates are of fundamental importance for reliable material models. The accuracy of the assessment and design of underground structures subjected to impact and blast loading strongly depends on the precision of the constitutive law in reproducing the real behaviour of the structural materials and rocks.
