Rock engineering property of the high-steep open-pit slope and its stability

According to the rock engineering property and stability of high-steep open-pitslopes, various factors were collected on the basis of rock engineering system (RSE) theory,and the interaction matrix of stability evaluation was established.Then, the stabilityevaluation index (S_p) of the slope was put forward.Ranges of the S_p value and the correspondingstable state were given on the basis of thirty-six samples.It is found that the followingrelationships exist: unstable (easy landslide): S_p<-0.20; mid-stable (may be landslide):-0.20<S_p<0.63; stable (no landslide): S_p>0.63.Finally, the stability evaluation indexwas applied on the high-steep open-pit slope of one mine.Analysis results and monitoringdata indicate that the index meets the necessity of the property of slope engineering, and ithas an important engineering purpose for landslide forecasting of high-steep slopes.

Mechanism of high-preload support based on the NPR anchor cable in layered soft rock tunnels

The control of large deformation problems in layered soft rock tunnels needs to solve urgently.The roof problem is particularly severe among the deformation issues in tunnels.This study first analyzes the asymmetric deformation modes in layered soft rock tunnels with large deformations.Subsequently,we construct a mechanical model under ideal conditions for controlling the roof of layered soft rock tunnels through high preload with the support of NPR anchor cables.The prominent roles of long and short NPR anchor cables in the support system are also analyzed.The results indicate the significance of high preload in controlling the roof of layered soft rock tunnels.The short NPR anchor cables effectively improve the integrity of the stratified soft rock layers,while the long NPR anchor cables effectively mobilize the self-bearing capacity of deep-stable rock layers.Finally,the high-preload support method with NPR anchor cables is validated to have a good effect on controlling large deformations in layered soft rock tunnels through field monitoring data.

The slope creep law for a soft rock in an open-pit mine in the Gobi region of Xinjiang, China

The lithology of the strata in the Gobi region of the Xinjiang autonomous region of China is mainly composed of mudstone,silty mudstone,and other soft rocks.Because of the low strength of the rock mass and the serious effects of physical weathering in this area,the slope stability in open-pit mines is poor,and creep deformation and instability can readily occur.Taking the Dananhu No.2 open-pit mine as a typical example,the creep test of a mudstone sample under different stress levels was studied.Then,based on a bottom friction experiment and a FLAC3D numerical simulation,the deformation and failure processes of the slope were analyzed.The stress–displacement curve and the displacement–time curve for the monitoring points were plotted to obtain the relationship between the stress and displacement for the slope of the soft rock.The results showed that the long-term strength of the mudstone was between 8.0 and 8.8 MPa,and that stable creep occurred when the slope was under low stress.The potential failure mode for this type of slope is that the front edge creeps along the weak layer and then a crack is formed at the trailing edge of the slope.When the crack penetrates the weak layer,cutting bedding and bedding sliding occur.The deformation process of the stable creep slope includes an initial deformation stage,an initial creep stage,a constant velocity creep stage and a deceleration creep stage.

Integrated simulation and monitoring to analyze failure mechanism of the anti-dip layered slope with soft and hard rock interbedding

The significant difference between the mechanical properties of soft rock and hard rock results in the complexity of the failure mode of the anti-dip layered slope with soft and hard rock interbedding.In order to reveal the landslide mechanism,taking the north slope of Fushun West Open-pit Mine as an example,this paper analyzed the failure mechanism of different landslides with monitoring and field surveys,and simulated the evolution of landslides.The study indicated that when the green mudstone(hard rock)of the anti-dip slope contains siltized intercalations(soft rock),the existence of weak layers not only aggravates the toppling deformation of anti-dip layered slope with high dip,but also causes the shear failure of anti-dip layered slope with stable low dip.The shear failure including subsidence induced sliding and wedge failure mainly exists in the unloading zone of the slope.Its failure depth and failure time were far less than that of toppling failure.In terms of the development characteristics of deformation,toppling deformation has the long-term and progressive characteristics,but shear failure deformation has the abrupt and transient characteristics.This study has deepened the understanding of such slope landslide mechanism,and can provide reference for similar engineering.

Deformation Mechanism and Stability of a Rocky Slope

A high slope is located on the side of the spillway at a hydropower station in Southwest China, which has some weak inter-layers inclining outwards. Parts of the slope show heavy weathering and unloading. There appeared deformation and tensile crack either on the surface or on the afteredge of the slope during excavation, and under a platform （elev. 488 m）, two levels of slopes collapsed on the downriver side. Based on the investigation in situ and the analysis of the geological structure, the conceptual model of deformation and failure mechanism was erected for this slope. Furthermore, the deformation characteristics were studied with FLAC^3D numerical simulation. Comprehensive analysis shows that the whole deformation of the slope is unloading rebound in certain depth scope and the whole body does not slide along any weak interlayer. In addition, two parts with prominent local deformation in the shallow layer of the slope show the models of ＂creep sfiding-tensile cracking＂ and ＂slidlng-tensile cracking＂, respectively. Based on the above analysis, the corresponding project of support and reinforcement is proposed to make the slope more stable.

Time-variant reliability analysis of three-dimensional slopes based on Support Vector Machine method

In the reliability analysis of slope, the performance functions derived from the most available stability analysis procedures of slopes are usually implicit and cannot be solved by first-order second-moment approach. A new reliability analysis approach was presented based on three-dimensional Morgenstem-Price method to investigate three-dimensional effect of landslide in stability analyses. To obtain the reliability index, Support Vector Machine （SVM） was applied to approximate the performance function. The time-consuming of this approach is only 0.028% of that using Monte-Carlo method at the same computation accuracy. Also, the influence of time effect of shearing strength parameters of slope soils on the long-term reliability of three-dimensional slopes was investigated by this new approach. It is found that the reliability index of the slope would decrease by 52.54% and the failure probability would increase from 0.000 705% to 1.966%. In the end, the impact of variation coefficients of c andfon reliability index of slopes was taken into discussion and the changing trend was observed.

Failure evaluation and control factor analysis of slope block instability along traffic corridor in Southeastern Tibet

The instability of slope blocks occurred frequently along traffic corridor in Southeastern Tibet(TCST),which was primarily controlled by the rock mass structures.A rapid method evaluating the control effects of rock mass structures was proposed through field statistics of the slopes and rock mass structures along TCST,which combined the stereographic projection method,modified M-JCS model,and limit equilibrium theory.The instabilities of slope blocks along TCST were then evaluated rapidly,and the different control factors of instability were analyzed.Results showed that the probabilities of toppling(5.31%),planar(16.15%),and wedge(35.37%)failure of slope blocks along TCST increased sequentially.These instability modes were respectively controlled by the anti-dip joint,the joint parallel to slope surface with a dip angle smaller than the slope angle(singlejoint),and two groups of joints inclined out of the slope(double-joints).Regarding the control effects on slope block instability,the stabilization ability of doublejoints(72.7%),anti-dip joint(67.4%),and single-joint(57.6%)decreased sequentially,resulting in different probabilities of slope block instability.Additionally,nearby regional faults significantly influenced the joints,leading to spatial heterogeneity and segmental clustering in the stabilization ability provided by joints to the slope blocks.Consequently,the stability of slope blocks gradually weakened as they approached the fault zones.This paper can provide guidance and assistance for investigating the development characteristics of rock mass structures and the stability of slope blocks.

Theoretical study on stability evolution of soft and hard interbedded bedding reservoir slopes

Soft and hard interbedded bedding rock slopes,which is prone to failure,are widely distributed in the Three Gorges Reservoir,China.Limit equilibrium method(LEM)is commonly used to analyze the stability of bedding rock slopes that have a single failure plane.However,this method cannot accurately estimate the stability of soft and hard interbedded bedding reservoir slopes because the strength parameters of a soft and hard interbedded rock mass vary spatially along the bedding plane and deteriorate with time due to periodic fluctuations of reservoir level.A modified LEM is proposed to evaluate the stability evolution of soft and hard interbedded bedding reservoir slopes considering the spatial variation and temporal deterioration of shear strength parameters of rock masses and bedding planes.In the modified LEM,the S-curve model is used to define the spatial variation of shear strength parameters,and general deterioration equations of shear strength parameters with the increasing number of wettingdrying cycles(WDC)are proposed to describe the temporal deterioration.Also,this method is applied to evaluate the stability evolution of a soft and hard interbedded bedding reservoir slope,located at the Three Gorges Reservoir.The results show that neglecting the spatial variation and temporal deterioration of shear strength parameters may overestimate slope stability.Finally,the modified LEM provides useful guidance to reasonably evaluate the long-term stability of soft and hard interbedded bedding reservoir slopes in reservoir area.

Kinematic Analysis and Rock Mass Classifications for Rock Slope Failure at USAID Highways

Rock slope kinematic analysis and rock mass classifications has been conducted at the 17^(th) km to 26^(th) km of USAID(United States Agency for International Development)highway in Indonesia.This research aimed to examine the type of rock slope failures and the quality of rock mass as well.The scan-line method was performed in six slopes by using a geological compass to determine rock mass structure on the rock slope,and the condition of joints such as persistence,aperture,roughness,infilling material,weathering and groundwater conditions.Slope kinematic analysis was performed employing a stereographic projection.The rock slope quality and stability were investigated based on RMR(rock mass rating)and SMR(slope mass rating)parameters.The rock slope kinematic analysis revealed that planar failure was likely to occur in Slope 1,3,and 4,the wedge failure in Slope 1 and 6,and toppling failure in Slope 2,5,and 6.The RMR rating is ranging from 57 to 64 and can be categorized as Fair to Good rock.The SMR rating revealed that the failure probability of Slope 3 was 90%,while it was from 40%to 60%for others.Despite the uniform RMR for all slopes,the SMR was significantly different.The detailed quantitative consideration of orientation of joint sets and geometry of the slope contributed to such differences in outcomes.

Study on high rock slop anchoring technique of large rock engineering

Monitoring data from the Three Gorges Project show that the resulted tensile stresses are mainly distributed within the front section of the internal anchoring section which is often measuring 2.5 m in length. The composition of two early strength cement grout mixes marked as R_3350 and R_7350 was successfully developed to accelerate anchoring facilities installation and to reduce its intervention with the shiplock construction. It was measured that the ground water pH value in the sidewall slopes of the permanent navigation shiplock during the construction period was close to 8. Based on those characteristics it is concluded that the groundwater is weakly corrosive to steel material and will appear as non-corrosive to the steel wire strands embedded in the cement grout set. The advanced model of 3 MN unbonded anchor cables with double anti-corrosion protection(including the corrugated pipe) is developed to meet the needs of stabilizing the high sidewall rock slopes of the permanent navigation shiplock on the Three Gorges Project.

Numerical Simulation Study on the Detection of Weak Structural Plane of Rock Slope by Using 3D Electrical Resistivity Tomography

The weak structure plane is an important factor affecting the stability of rock slope, and detecting the spatial structure of the weak structural plane is beneficial to analyze the stability of the slope and estimate the quantity of the landslide. Based on 3D electrical resistivity tomography, a model of rock slope with weak structure plane is established, and the characteristics of three-dimensional resistivity imaging of weak structure plane under different ground water conditions are simulated. The results show that the weak structural plane has a better reflection in 3D electrical resistivity tomography;the distribution of weak structural plane of 3D resistivity imaging can be roughly determined under different ground water conditions;the three-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography is feasible in the detection of weak structural plane of rock slope.

RIGID FINITE ELEMENT AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING

Rigid Finite Element Method (RFEM) was proposed to simulate the mechanical behavior of discontinuous structures such as rock and soil structures. The authors' work on the theory and applications of RFEM is summarized in this paper. Based on the theory of RFEM, the Elastic Body-Seams Model (EBSM) is proposed to take the deformation and damage of rock masses into account.

Numerical simulation of creep characteristics of soft roadway with bolt-grouting support

Based on the engineering background of a soft rock roadway in Qinan Coal Mine 82 Area,Huaibei Mining Group,three creep models with different support patterns in soft rock roadway were established by using geotechnical software of FLAC2D.According to the calculation results of different models,the change law of mechanical properties with the time of bolt-grouting support structure was obtained.Furthermore,for the test bolt-grouting support roadway,the deformation law of surrounding rock got by underground industrial experiment and field observation accords with the creep law got by numerical calculation.The results of numerical calculation and field observation show that,compared with other supports,the creep of bolt-grouting support roadway enters the steady-state creep stage from tertiary creep stage ahead,the deformations of roof,floor and two sides are decreased greatly,the plastically deforming area in surrounding rock is reduced obviously,and the distribution ranges of maximum and minimum principal stress are shrank obviously.All those fully show that the bolt-grouting support has its remarkable advantages in controlling surrounding rock creep and improving the whole strength of surrounding rock and self-bearing capacity.

Cut slope reinforcement technique in open-pit mines

The design and practice in supporting the cut slope of an open-pit mine wereintroduced, in which the high pressure grouting method was used in reinforcing the weak formation inthe slopes. Based on a detailed geological survey of the slope, a theoretical analysis was carriedout, and the design parameters were proposed, where the Tresca or Mohr-Coulomb yield criteria wasemployed. A patent technology, named 'Technology of high pressure and multiple grouting in differentlevels within a single hole', was employed in the construction. Anchor bars were also installed asgrouting proceeds. This method combines anchoring and grouting comprehensively and was foundsuccessful in practice.

Numerical modeling of failure mechanisms in phyllite mine slopes in Brazil

This paper presents three case studies comprising failure mechanisms in phyllite mine slopes at Quadrila- tero Ferrifero, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Numerical modeling techniques were used in this study. Fail- ure mechanisms involving discontinuities sub parallel to the main foliation are very common in these mines. Besides, failure through the rock material has also been observed due to the low strength of phyl- lites in this site. Results of this work permitted to establish unknown geotechnical parameters which have significant influence in failure processes, like the in situ stress field and the discontinuity stiffness.

The principle of stability control of surrounding rock-bearing structures in high stress soft rock roadways

Through the description of the deformational features of the surrounding rockaround high stress engineering soft rock roadways,the coupling stabilization principle ofinner and outer structures in surrounding rock was put forward.The supporting principlesof high stress engineering soft rock roadway (high resistance and yielding support,timelysupport,high strength and high stiffness supports) were proposed,which were applied inengineering practices,and obtained better achievements.

Assessing model of highway slope stability based on optimized SVM

Considering the geological hazards attributed to the highway slope,using a common simple model cannot accurately assess the stability of the slope.First,principal component analysis(PCA)was conducted to extract the principal components of six factors(namely,bulk density,cohesion,internal friction angle,slope angle,slope height,and pore water pressure ratio)affecting the slope stability.Second,four principal components were adopted as input variables of the support vector machine(SVM)model optimized by genetic algorithm(GA).The output variable was slope stability.Lastly,the assessing model of highway slope stability based on PCA-GA-SVM is established.The maximal absolute error of the model is 0.0921 and the maximal relative error is 9.21%by comparing the assessment value and the practical value of the test sample.The above studies are conducive to enrich the assessing model of highway slope stability and provide some reference for highway slope engineering treatment.

Pre-stressed anchoring beam technique applicable in the reinforcement of high-steep slopes

During the construction of some large-scale rock engineering,high-steep slopes and insufficient slope stability induced by unloading fissures are often encountered.For the reinforcement of these slopes,some techniques(including conventional pre-stressed anchoring cable and unconventional anchoring hole)are usually utilized,however,having several obvious defects.Thus,it is very difficult for a designer to design an efficient reinforcement scheme for the high-steep slopes.For this reason,the authors develop the pre-stressed anchoring beam technique,in which tensile capacity of pre-stressed structures are fully utilized.It is analyzed that the new technique is characterized by multi-functions,including engineering investigation,efficient reinforcement,drainage,monitoring and urgent strength supplement,and hoped to be extensively applicable in the reinforcement of high-steep slopes.

Weight Analysis of Impact Factors of Interbedded Anti-Inclined Slopes Block-Flexure Toppling Based on Support Vector Regression

Block-flexure toppling failure is frequently encountered in interbedded anti-inclined rock(IAR)slopes,and seriously threatens the construction of hydropower infrastructure.In this study,we first investigated the Lean Reservoir area’s geological setting and the Linda landslide’s characteristics.Then,uniform design and random design were used to design 110 training datasets and 31 testing datasets,respectively.Afterwards,the toppling response was obtained by using the discrete element code.Finally,support vector regression was used to obtain the influence weights of 21 impact factors.The results show that the influence weight of the slope angle and rock formation dip angle on the toppling deformation among tertiary impact factors is 25.96%and 17.28%,respectively,which are much greater than the other 19 impact factors within the research range.For the primary impact factors,the influence weight is sorted from large to small as slope geometry parameters,joints parameters,and rock mechanics parameters.Joints parameters,especially the geometric parameters,cannot be ignored when evaluating the stability of IAR slopes.Through numerical simulation,it was qualitatively determined that failure surfaces of slopes were controlled by cross joints and that the rocks in the slope toe play a role in preventing slope deformation.

Analysis of Epimetamorphic Rock Slopes Using Soft Computing

This article adopts three soft computing techniques including support vector machine(SVM), least square support vector machine(LSSVM) and relevance vector machine(RVM) for prediction of status of epimetemorphic rock slope. The input variables of SVM, LSSVM and RVM are bulk density, height, inclination, cohesion and internal friction angle. There are 53 datasets which have been used to develop the SVM, LSSVM and RVM models. The developed SVM, LSSVM and RVM give equations for prediction of status of epimetemorphic rock slope. The performance of SVM, LSSVM and RVM is 100%. A comparative study has been presented between the developed SVM, LSSVM and RVM. The results confirm that the developed SVM, LSSVM and RVM are effective tools for prediction of status of epimetemorphic rock slope.