Influence of joint spacing and rock characteristics on the toppling stability of cut rock slope through a simplified limit equilibrium method

Toppling failure of rock mass/soil slope is an important geological and environmental problem.Clarifying its failure mechanism under different conditions has great significance in engineering.The toppling failure of a cutting slope occurred in a hydropower station in Kyushu,Japan illustrates that the joint characteristic played a significant role in the occurrence of rock slope tipping failure.Thus,in order to consider the mechanical properties of jointed rock mass and the influence of geometric conditions,a simplified analytical approach based on the limit equilibrium method for modeling the flexural toppling of cut rock slopes is proposed to consider the influence of the mechanical properties and geometry condition of jointed rock mass.The theoretical solution is compared with the numerical solution taking Kyushu Hydropower Station in Japan as one case,and it is found that the theoretical solution obtained by the simplified analysis method is consistent with the numerical analytical solution,thus verifying the accuracy of the simplified method.Meanwhile,the Goodman-Bray approach conventionally used in engineering practice is improved according to the analytical results.The results show that the allowable slope angle may be obtained by the improved Goodman-Bray approach considering the joint spacing,the joint frictional angle and the tensile strength of rock mass together.

A Calculation Method of Double Strength Reduction for Layered Slope Based on the Reduction of Water Content Intensity

The calculation of the factor of safety(FOS)is an important means of slope evaluation.This paper proposed an improved double strength reductionmethod(DRM)to analyze the safety of layered slopes.The physical properties of different soil layers of the slopes are different,so the single coefficient strength reduction method(SRM)is not enough to reflect the actual critical state of the slopes.Considering that the water content of the soil in the natural state is the main factor for the strength of the soil,the attenuation law of shear strength of clayey soil changing with water content is fitted.This paper also establishes the functional relationship between different reduction coefficients.Then,a USDFLD subroutine is programmed using the secondary development function of finite element software.Controlling the relationship between field variables and calculation time realizes double strength reduction applicable to the layered slope.Finally,by comparing the calculation results of different examples,it is proved that the stress and displacement distribution of the critical slope state obtained by the improved method is more realistic,and the calculated safety factor is more reliable.The newly proposedmethod considers the difference of intensity attenuation between different soil layers under natural conditions and avoids the disadvantage of the strength reduction method with uniform parameters,which provides a new idea and method for stability analysis of layered and complex slopes.

A vector sum analysis method for stability evolution of expansive soil slope considering shear zone damage softening

Slope stability analysis is a classical mechanical problem in geotechnical engineering and engineering geology.It is of great significance to study the stability evolution of expansive soil slopes for engineering construction in expansive soil areas.Most of the existing studies evaluate the slope stability by analyzing the limit equilibrium state of the slope,and the analysis method for the stability evolution considering the damage softening of the shear zone is lacking.In this study,the large deformation shear mechanical behavior of expansive soil was investigated by ring shear test.The damage softening characteristic of expansive soil in the shear zone was analyzed,and a shear damage model reflecting the damage softening behavior of expansive soil was derived based on the damage theory.Finally,by skillfully combining the vector sum method and the shear damage model,an analysis method for the stability evolution of the expansive soil slope considering the shear zone damage softening was proposed.The results show that the shear zone subjected to large displacement shear deformation exhibits an obvious damage softening phenomenon.The damage variable equation based on the logistic function can be well used to describe the shear damage characteristics of expansive soil,and the proposed shear damage model is in good agreement with the ring shear test results.The vector sum method considering the damage softening behavior of the shear zone can be well applied to analyze the stability evolution characteristics of the expansive soil slope.The stability factor of the expansive soil slope decreases with the increase of shear displacement,showing an obvious progressive failure behavior.

Slope stability analysis under seismic load by vector sum analysis method

The vibration characteristics and dynamic responses of rock and soil under seismic load can be estimated with dynamic finite element method （DFEM）. Combining with the DFEM, the vector sum analysis method （VSAM） is employed in seismic stability analysis of a slope in this paper. Different from other conventional methods, the VSAM is proposed based on the vector characteristic of force and current stress state of the slope. The dynamic stress state of the slope at any moment under seismic load can he obtained by the DFEM, thus the factor of safety of the slope at any moment during earthquake can be easily obtained with the VSAM in consideration of the DFEM. Then, the global stability of the slope can be estimated on the basis of time-history curve of factor of safety and reliability theory. The VSAM is applied to a homogeneous slope under seismic load. The factor of safety of the slope is 1.30 under gravity only and the dynamic factor of safety under seismic load is 1.21. The calculating results show that the dynamic characteristics and stability state of the slope with input ground motion can be actually analyzed. It is believed that the VSAM is a feasible and practical approach to estimate the dynamic stability of slopes under seismic load.

A new double reduction method for slope stability analysis

The core of strength reduction method(SRM) involves finding a critical strength curve that happens to make the slope globally fail and a definition of factor of safety(FOS). A new double reduction method, including a detailed calculation procedure and a definition of FOS for slope stability was developed based on the understanding of SRM. When constructing the new definition of FOS, efforts were made to make sure that it has concise physical meanings and fully reflects the shear strength of the slope. Two examples, slopes A and B with the slope angles of 63° and 34° respectively, were given to verify the method presented. It is found that, for these two slopes, the FOSs from original strength reduction method are respectively 1.5% and 38% higher than those from double reduction method. It is also found that the double reduction method predicts a deeper potential slide line and a larger slide mass. These results show that on one hand, the double reduction method is comparative to the traditional methods and is reasonable, and on the other hand, the original strength reduction method may overestimate the safety of a slope. The method presented is advised to be considered as an additional option in the practical slope stability evaluations although more useful experience is required.

Overhanging rock slope by design:An integrated approach using rock mass strength characterisation,large-scale numerical modelling and limit equilibrium methods

Overhanging rock slopes(steeper than 90°) are typically avoided in rock engineering design, particularly where the scale of the slope exceeds the scale of fracturing present in the rock mass. This paper highlights an integrated approach of designing overhanging rock slopes where the relative dimensions of the slope exceed the scale of fracturing and the rock mass failure needs to be considered rather than kinematic release of individual blocks. The key to the method is a simplified limit equilibrium(LE) tool that was used for the support design and analysis of a multi-faceted overhanging rock slope. The overhanging slopes required complex geometries with constantly changing orientations. The overhanging rock varied in height from 30 m to 66 m. Geomechanical modelling combined with discrete fracture network(DFN)representation of the rock mass was used to validate the rock mass strength assumptions and the failure mechanism assumed in the LE model. The advantage of the simplified LE method is that buttress and support design iterations(along with sensitivity analysis of design parameters) can be completed for various cross-sections along the proposed overhanging rock sections in an efficient manner, compared to the more time-intensive, sophisticated methods that were used for the initial validation. The method described presents the development of this design tool and assumptions made for a specific overhanging rock slope design. Other locations will have different geological conditions that can control the potential behaviour of rock slopes, however, the approach presented can be applied as a general guiding design principle for overhanging rock cut slope.

Q-factor estimation in CMP gather and the continuous spectral ratio slope method

The attenuation factor or quality factor(Q-factor or Q) has been used to measure the energy attenuation of seismic waves propagating in underground media. Many methods are used to estimate the Q-factor. We propose a method to calculate the Q-factor based on the prestack Q-factor inversion and the generalized S-transform. The proposed method specifies a standard primary wavelet and calculates the cumulative Q-factors; then, it finds the interlaminar Q-factors using the relation between Q and offset(QVO) and the Dix formula. The proposed method is alternative to methods that calculate interlaminar Q-factors after horizon picking. Because the frequency spectrum of each horizon can be extracted continuously on a 2D time–frequency spectrum, the method is called the continuous spectral ratio slope(CSRS) method. Compared with the other Q-inversion methods, the method offers nearly effortless computations and stability, and has mathematical and physical significance. We use numerical modeling to verify the feasibility of the method and apply it to real data from an oilfield in Ahdeb, Iraq. The results suggest that the resolution and spatial stability of the Q-profile are optimal and contain abundant interlaminar information that is extremely helpful in making lithology and fluid predictions.

Stability assessment of landslide-prone road cut rock slopes in Himalayan terrain:A finite element method based approach

Large-scale slope destabilization could be aggravated due to swift urbanization and ever-rising demands of geoengineering projects such as dams,tunnels,bridges and widening roads.National Highway-58 connects Delhi to Badrinath in India,which passes through complex geomorphological and geological terrain and often encounters cut slopes susceptible to slope failures.In the present investigation,a detailed geotechnical appraisal is conducted along the road cut slopes from Rishikesh to Devprayag in the Himalayas.Twenty vulnerable road cut slopes were demarcated for detailed slope stability analysis using Phase2D finite element modeling simulator.Nonlinear generalized Hoek-Brown(GHB)criterion was adopted for stability analyses.Out of 20 slopes,five slopes(S6,S7,S18,S19 and S20)are unstable with factor of safety(FoS)less than or equal to 1,and thus needs immediate attention.The FoS values of four slopes(S2,S9,S13 and S17)lie between 1 and 1.3,i.e.marginally stable,and slopes S1,S3,S4,S5,S8,S10,Sll,S12,S14,S15 and S16 are stable.Mohr-Coulomb(MC)criterion was also adopted to compare the slope stability analysis with GHB criterion.The FoS calculated from GHB criterion is close to that using MC criterion for lower values of FoS whereas for higher values,the difference is marked.For the jointed rock in the Himalayan region,the nonlinear GHB criterion gives better results as compared to MC criterion and matches with the prevailing field conditions.Accordingly,some suggestions are proposed to strengthen the stability of cut slopes.

Efficient Elliptic Solver for the Mild Slope Equation Using BI-CGSTAB Method

The elliptic mild slope equation is used to simulate linear wave propagation over variable sea bed topography with mild slopes. The governing equation is discretized by the finite difference method. Based on the BI-CGSTAB technique, an attractive variant bf BI-Conjugate Gradients (BI-CG) method, the obtained linear algebraic system of equations is solved. Numerical experiments show that the BI-CGSTAB method is efficient for solving the elliptic mild slope equation. The results obtained by the BI-CGSTAB-Based method are much the same as those obtained by other authors with different solution methods, but the convergence rate is much faster than that of other methods.

Comprehensive analysis of slope stability and determination of stable slopes in the Chador-Malu iron ore mine using numerical and limit equilibrium methods

One of the critical aspects in mine design is slope stability analysis and the determination of stable slopes. In the Chador- Malu iron ore mine, one of the most important iron ore mines in central Iran, it was considered vital to perform a comprehensive slope stability analysis. At first, we divided the existing rock hosting pit into six zones and a geotechnical map was prepared. Then, the value of MRMR （Mining Rock Mass Rating） was determined for each zone. Owing to the fact that the Chador-Malu iron ore mine is located in a highly tectonic area and the rock mass completely crushed, the Hoek-Brown failure criterion was found suitable to estimate geo-mechanical parameters. After that, the value of cohesion （c） and friction angle （tp） were calculated for different geotechnical zones and relative graphs and equations were derived as a function of slope height. The stability analyses using numerical and limit equilibrium methods showed that some instability problems might occur by increasing the slope height. Therefore, stable slopes for each geotechnical zone and prepared sections were calculated and presented as a function of slope height.

A Method Combining Numerical Analysis and Limit Equilibrium Theory to Determine Potential Slip Surfaces in Soil Slopes

This paper describes a precise method combining numerical analysis and limit equilibrium theory to determine potential slip surfaces in soil slopes. In this method, the direction of the critical slip surface at any point in a slope is determined using the Coulomb’s strength principle and the extremum principle based on the ratio of the shear strength to the shear stress at that point. The ratio, which is considered as an analysis index, can be computed once the stress field of the soil slope is obtained. The critical slip direction at any point in the slope must be the tangential direction of a potential slip surface passing through the point. Therefore, starting from a point on the top of the slope surface or on the horizontal segment outside the slope toe, the increment with a small distance into the slope is used to choose another point and the corresponding slip direction at the point is computed. Connecting all the points used in the computation forms a potential slip surface exiting at the starting point. Then the factor of safety for any potential slip surface can be computed using limit equilibrium method like Spencer method. After factors of safety for all the potential slip surfaces are obtained, the minimum one is the factor of safety for the slope and the corresponding potential slip surface is the critical slip surface of the slope. The proposed method does not need to pre-assume the shape of potential slip surfaces. Thus it is suitable for any shape of slip surfaces. Moreover the method is very simple to be applied. Examples are presented in this paper to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method programmed in ANSYS software by macro commands.

Strength reduction method for slope based on a ubiquitous-joint criterion and its application

In order to expand the application of strength reduction methods with the ubiquitous-joint criterion, the corresponding program is compiled using FLAC3D software. A procedure for strength reduction in the ubiquitous-joint criterion is proposed to study the safety factor of slopes as well as the relationships of the bedding plane inclination angle β and the safety factor F. The results show that： 1） for the bedding rock slope, the various failure modes cause different variations of the safety factor F; 2） a bed- ding rock slope can be divided into two types by the angle between the bedding plane inclination and slope surface inclination a; when a_〈45~, the bedding slope can be strictly defined as the subsequent bedding rock slope; when 45°〈α〈90°, the bedding slope is defined as an oblique bedding slope; 3） for bedding rock slopes, the safety factor increases with an increase in a; for inverse bed- ding slopes, when the bedding plane inclination angle fl is small, the safety factor F of the slope increases at first, then decreases with an increase in a; when β is large, the safety factor F increases with an increase in α.

Microstructure and Property of Hypereutectic High Chromium Cast Iron Prepared by Slope Cooling Body-Centrifugal Casting Method

In this paper, the ring-type ingot of hypereutectic high Cr cast iron was obtained by slope cooling bodycentrifugal casting method （SC-CCM）, and its microstructure and impact toughness were investigated, respectively. The results indicated that, first, the primary carbides in the microstructure are prominently finer than those in the hypereutectic high Cr cast iron prepared by conventional casting method. Second, in the ring-type ingot, the primary carbides near radial outer field are finer than those near radial inner field; furthermore, there is dividing field in the microstructure. Finally, the impact toughness values of the specimens impacted on the radial outer face and on the radial inner face are improved respectively about 36% and 138% more than that of the hypereutectic high Cr one prepared by conventional casting method.

Probabilistic analysis of embankment slope stability in frozen ground regions based on random finite element method

Prediction on the coupled thermal-hydraulic fields of embankment and cutting slopes is essential to the assessment on evolution of melting zone and natural permafrost table, which is usually a key factor for permafrost embankment design in frozen ground regions. The prediction may be further complicated due to the inherent uncertainties of material properties. Hence, stochastic analyses should be conducted. Firstly, Karhunen-Loeve expansion is applied to attain the random fields for hydraulic and thermal conductions. Next, the mixed-form modified Richards equation for mass transfer （i.e., mass equation） and the heat transport equation for heat transient flow in a variably saturated frozen soil are combined into one equation with temperature unknown. Furthermore, the finite element formulation for the coupled thermal-hydraulic fields is derived. Based on the random fields, the stochastic finite element analyses on stability of embankment are carried out. Numerical results show that stochastic analyses of embankment stability may provide a more rational picture for the distribution of factors of safety （FOS）, which is definitely useful for embankment design in frozen ground regions.

A new slope optimization design based on limit curve method

A new method is proposed for slope optimization design based on the limit curve method, where the slope is in the limit equilibrium state when the limit slope curve determined by the slip-line field theory and the slope intersect at the toe of the slope. Compared with the strength reduction (SR) method, finite element limit analysis method, and the SR method based on Davis algorithm, the new method is suitable for determining the slope stability and limit slope angle (LSA). The optimal slope shape is determined based on a series of slope heights and LSA values, which increases the LSA by 2.45°-11.14° and reduces an invalid overburden amount of rocks by 9.15%, compared with the space mechanics theory. The proposed method gives the objective quantification index of instability criterion, and results in a significant engineering economy.

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.

Slope analysis based on local strength reduction method and variable-modulus elasto-plastic model

Employing an ideal elasto-plastic model,the typically used strength reduction method reduced the strength of all soil elements of a slope.Therefore,this method was called the global strength reduction method(GSRM).However,the deformation field obtained by GSRM could not reflect the real deformation of a slope when the slope became unstable.For most slopes,failure occurs once the strength of some regional soil is sufficiently weakened; thus,the local strength reduction method(LSRM)was proposed to analyze slope stability.In contrast with GSRM,LSRM only reduces the strength of local soil,while the strength of other soil remains unchanged.Therefore,deformation by LSRM is more reasonable than that by GSRM.In addition,the accuracy of the slope's deformation depends on the constitutive model to a large degree,and the variable-modulus elasto-plastic model was thus adopted.This constitutive model was an improvement of the Duncan–Chang model,which modified soil's deformation modulus according to stress level,and it thus better reflected the plastic feature of soil.Most importantly,the parameters of the variable-modulus elasto-plastic model could be determined through in-situ tests,and parameters determination by plate loading test and pressuremeter test were introduced.Therefore,it is easy to put this model into practice.Finally,LSRM and the variable-modulus elasto-plastic model were used to analyze Egongdai ancient landslide.Safety factor,deformation field,and optimal reinforcement measures for Egongdai ancient landslide were obtained based on the proposed method.

Searching for critical slip surfaces of slopes using stress fields by numerical manifold method

This study first reviews the numerical manifold method(NMM)which possesses some advantages over the traditional limit equilibrium methods(LEMs)in calculating the factors of safety(Fs)of the slopes.Then,with regard to a trial slip surface(TSS),associated stress fields reproduced by NMM as well as the enhanced limit equilibrium method are combined to compute Fs.In order to search for the potential critical slip surface(CSS),the MAX-MIN ant colony optimization algorithm(MMACOA),one of the best performing algorithms for some optimization problems,is adopted.Procedures to obtain Fs in conjunction with the potential CSS are described.Finally,the proposed numerical model and traditional methods are compared with stability analysis of three typical slopes.The numerical results show that Fs and CSSs of the slopes can be accurately calculated with the proposed model.

Bayesian machine learning-based method for prediction of slope failure time

The data-driven phenomenological models based on deformation measurements have been widely utilized to predict the slope failure time(SFT).The observational and model uncertainties could lead the predicted SFT calculated from the phenomenological models to deviate from the actual SFT.Currently,very limited study has been conducted on how to evaluate the effect of such uncertainties on SFT prediction.In this paper,a comprehensive slope failure database was compiled.A Bayesian machine learning(BML)-based method was developed to learn the model and observational uncertainties involved in SFT prediction,through which the probabilistic distribution of the SFT can be obtained.This method was illustrated in detail with an example.Verification studies show that the BML-based method is superior to the traditional inverse velocity method(INVM)and the maximum likelihood method for predicting SFT.The proposed method in this study provides an effective tool for SFT prediction.

Application of matrix-based system reliability method in complex slopes

Complex slopes are characterized by large numbers of failure modes,cut sets or link sets,or by statistical dependence between the failure modes.For such slopes,a systematic quantitative method,or matrix-based system reliability method,was described and improved for their reliability analysis.A construction formula of event vector c E was suggested to solve the difficulty of identifying any component E in sample space,and event vector c of system events can be calculated based on it,then the bounds of system failure probability can be obtained with the given probability information.The improved method was illustrated for four copper mine slopes with multiple failure modes,and the bounds of system failure probabilities were calculated by self-compiling program on the platform of the software MATLAB.Comparison in results from matrix-based system reliability method and two generic system methods suggests that identical accuracy could be obtained by all methods if there are only a few failure modes in slope system.Otherwise,the bounds by the Ditlevsen method or Cornell method are expanded obviously with the increase of failure modes and their precision can hardly satisfy the requirement of practical engineering while the results from the proposed method are still accurate enough.