Rock engineering design in tomorrow's geotechnical toolbox: Eurocode 7 – Ground properties (EN 1997-2:2024)

This paper presents an overview of the contents of 2nd Generation Eurocode 7 Part 2, highlighting two of the major changes introduced, being the Ground Model and the Rock Engineering implementation. The document is organized from a ground property perspective so that the role of Part 2 and the links with the geotechnical design are much clearer than in the previous edition. Its new title is a clear indication of this idea: ”Ground properties“ including both soil and rock properties. The need to have representative values for the ground properties is the objective of this new Part 2, which is intended to guide designers on the path to obtain those values by means of the Desk Study, Site Inspection, Field Investigation and Laboratory Testing. Given this framework, the paper explains the concepts behind the Ground Model, the main output of the Ground Investigation, which includes the ground profile, the geometric properties of the ground and its layers, groundwater, and the derived values of the ground properties, paying attention of the role of discontinuities in such ground profile. The tasks that form the Ground Investigation and the minimum number of activities to be performed are described. This new version of EN 1997 will include a Rock Engineering perspective for all above items. And finally, the ground properties of the rock material and the rock mass are listed and discussed.