Typical type of rock slope failure Graphical presentation of rock slope failure Numerical modeling in rock slope Example(s) Rock Slope Engineering
Basic mechanics of rock slope failure
Typical type of rock slope failure Graphical presentation of rock slope failure Numerical modeling in rock slope Example(s) Structurally controlled instability Role of rock discontinuities in Rock slope failure
Discontinuities: Joints, Faults, Bedding
Planes, Fractures, etc. Discontinuities reduce the rock mass strength. Discontinuities control Planes of Weakness.
Orientation (Strike and Dip) influence the
failure modes and potency of sliding. Cohesion and friction angle of rock joint
W.Cos W LimitingEquilibrium: W.Sin+V=R=c.A+(W.Cos - U).tan Effect of water in tension crack
(a) Tension crack at head; (b) tension crack on slope face
Forces acting on slope
Forces acting on a planar slide surface
Forces exerted by a resistant external element (anchor) applied to the slope Types of failure in rock slope
Strength curve for the rock mass and relationship between slope height and angle (modified from Hoek and Bray, 1981) Rock Slope Engineering
Basic mechanics of rock slope failure
Typical type of rock slope failure Graphical presentation of rock slope failure Numerical modeling in rock slope Example(s) Typical rock slope failure (a) Planar Rock slope failure
(b) Rock slope wedge failure
(c) Toppling failure
Planar Rock slope failure
Plane Sliding
Occurs when a geological discontinuity such as bedding
plane, strikes parallel to the slope face and dips into the excavation at an angle greater than the angle of friction. Kinematic analysis - Planar failure Planar Rock slope failure
Occurs when a geological discontinuity such as bedding
plane, strikes parallel to the slope face and dips into the excavation at an angle greater than the angle of friction. Rock slope wedge failure
Wedge Sliding
When two discontinuity strike obliquely across the slope face
and their line of intersections daylights in the slope face, the wedge of rock resting on these discontinuities will slide down the line of intersection. Kinematic analysis - wedge failure Kinematic analysis - wedge failure Daylight Toppling failure
Toppling Failure
When a block of rock resting on an inclined planes moving
downward from the face of the slope. Toppling failure
Strata toppling, block toppling and flexural toppling
Buckling of vertical strata with bending and fracturing of strata Rotational type failure
When a block of rock resting on an inclined planes moving
downward from the face of the slope. Complex mechanism
Combine discontinuity movements with failure
of intact rock Step-path Toppling, flexural bending or buckling Rotational (circular, non-circular) Complex mechanism
Open pit mine slopes
Controlled by geological structures at top and possibly shearing through intact rock at bottom Rock Slope Engineering
Basic mechanics of rock slope failure
Typical type of rock slope failure Graphical presentation of rock slope failure Numerical modeling in rock slope Example(s) Discontinuity mapping – remote sensing Stereonet – pole plots Pole plots and modes of rock slope failure Planar Rock slope failure Rock slope wedge failure
Wedge A and B will not slide
Wedge C and D will slide Planar Rock slope failure Rock Slope Engineering
Basic mechanics of rock slope failure
Typical type of rock slope failure Graphical presentation of rock slope failure Numerical modeling in rock slope Example(s) Rock slope wedge failure Continuum model
Diagram of a curved failure surface
in heavily jointed rock Rock fall program (Rocscience) Swedge program (Rocscience) Rock plane program (Rocscience) Numerical modeling in rock slope
Planar wedge sliding
Sliding along discontinuities Numerical modeling in rock slope
Rotational type of failure
Numerical modeling in rock slope
Step-path
Combined step-path and rotational Numerical modeling in rock slope Factors of safety – ranged from 0.95 to 2.1 Numerical modeling in rock slope
Mine open pit in jointed rock mass
Numerical modeling in rock slope
Close up of rock mass jointing
Numerical modeling in rock slope 3-D discrete fracture network Rock Slope Engineering
Basic mechanics of rock slope failure
Typical type of rock slope failure Graphical presentation of rock slope failure Numerical modeling in rock slope Example(s) Example (1)
A wedge is formed by two planes with the following characteristics:
Dip Dip direction Friction angle, ϕ
Plane A 450 1150 34.50 Plane B 750 2250 370
Factor of Safety for wedge failure:
F = a tan A + B tan B Example (1) The procedure for finding the FoS is as follows:
The value of the difference in dip between two planes is calculated: 75 0-
450=300 From the different charts available, the two chart that correspond to the value of 300 are selected. The value of the difference in dip direction between the two planes is calculated: 2250-1150=1100 On the abscissa axis of Chart a) a line is projected from this value of 1100 to intersect the line corresponding to the dip of plane A, giving a reading of the value of parameter A on the ordinate axis of 1.10 The same procedure is applied to plane B on chart b) to obtain 0.45, the value of parameter B. Once the values of A and B have been found, the FoS can be calculated with the friction angle values of the two planes.
F = a tan A + B tan B = ( 1.1* 0.687 + ( 0.45 * 0.753 = 1.09
Example (1)
Charts for dip difference between planes forming the wedge of 30 0
Example (2)
Determine the factor of safety against sliding of the block DBC. Assume block ABD is table Thank you for your attention
