Seismic Slope Stability Evaluation Considering Rock Mass Disturbance Varying in the Slope

摘要

Seismic effect is one of the most commonly considered factors in rock slope safety design. This study adopts the finite element lower bound limit analysis method to study the seismic stability of disturbed rock slopes considering inhomogeneity caused by rock mass disturbance. Moreover, this research investigates different earthquake magnitudes by considering various seismic coefficients. Results are presented as seismic rock slope stability charts. In addition, the recommended blasting damage zones are also investigated in this study. Results show the chart solutions can provide a reasonable tool for the preliminary evaluations of the seismic safety factors for rock slope stability. The case studies demonstrate that a safe design can be done if the earthquake effects are considered reasonably. Moreover, consideration of varying rock mass disturbance in the slope is helpful to capture the failure mechanism more realistically when compared to the slope case without varying rock mass disturbance. For comparison purposes, the conventional limit equilibrium analysis and the equivalent Mohr-Coulomb parameters are used to perform analyses of the rock slope stability.