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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current first generation of Eurocodes is a suite of ten European standards for the design of buildings and civil engineering works, whose implementation started in 2010. EN 1990 sets the basis of structural design, with the other Eurocodes dealing with different materials and specific aspects of design. Geotechnical aspects of design are covered by EN 1997 "Geotechnical design", usually called Eurocode 7. The evolution of the Eurocodes started in 2012 and the main objectives of their revision were to incorporate improvements that reflect the state‐of‐the‐art in engineering design and the needs of the civil engineering market, to improve the ease‐of‐use and to harmonize practice between countries. While the original version was developed largely based on soil mechanics, the aim was that the revised version treats soil and rock on an equal basis. The second generation of the Eurocodes is now nearly finished, and the revised EN 1997 is expected to be formally approved in 2024. This paper is the first of a set of six informative papers on the revised Eurocodes and rock engineering, prepared by members of the Rock Engineering Platform of CEN/TC250/SC7, a group of rock engineering experts that has been assisting in drafting EN 1997 from a rock‐engineering perspective. The paper presents the main changes to EN 1990 and EN 1997 as far as they affect geotechnical and rock engineering design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The second generation of Eurocode 7 aims at covering ground, including both soil and rock. Current practice of ground engineering forms the basis, and the aim is to include rock engineering, improving ease of use, harmonization of regulations, and covering new developments. This paper deals with EN 1997 part 1 addressing the general rules of geotechnical design, connected to EN 1990, the basis of structural and geotechnical design, and parts 2 and 3 of EN 1997. The design process from ground investigation to the verification of limit states is illustrated with a focus on rock engineering. The following topics are dealt with in more detail: Geotechnical Categories: They are now based on Consequence Classes and newly introduced Geotechnical Complexity Classes. A limit state design to be sufficient has to be combined with other checks depending on these classes.Replacement of the Design Approaches of the current Eurocode 7: Ultimate limit states will be verified by a combination of Verification Cases with partial factors on actions and action effects, and sets of partial factors on ground properties and resistances, respectively.Application of numerical methods, where a ULS‐verification with two sets of partial factors is defined.Use of probabilistic methods in design by calculation, especially appropriate in cases where properties of discontinuities govern the design.Practice of the Observational Method, including design variants and regulations about their choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]