STABILITY CRITERIA OF KARST CAVERN VAULTS

5th International Scientific Conference - SGEM2005, www.sgem.org, SGEM2005 Conference Proceedings/ ISBN: 954-918181-2, June 13-17, 2005, 531- 540pp

ABSTRACT
/Full article available only in Bulgarian language/

Development of the engineering infrastructure pays a bigger attention on the utilizing of
new construction fields. Significant risks are concealed in the construction of the buildings,
structures, roads and railroads on the grounds, which had not been an object of the
engineering and geological researches. It is possible to arise disadvantageous effects for the
construction. Karst fields in Bulgaria hide many potential dangers if engineering and
geological researches are insufficient.
The object of the present work is the circumstances for stability loss of the karst
caverns, developed in parallel with the stratification. As a calculation base is accepted
experimental determination of the critical width of the karst cavern critical. In the article are
presented the results of the laboratory researches, as well as critical values for different kind
of limestone by age and by origin.

KeyWords: Karst Caverns, Vaults, Stability, Critical Width