Mainstreaming Slope Stability Management – Hazard and

Risk Assessment – to Laos Practitioners

Theme 8.2

Remedial Measures: Design

8.2 – Rock Slope Stability Assessment

 Rock Slope Stability – Why Bother?

„ Steeper Slopes = Less Excavation Cost

„ Rock slope failures on a road can result in:

¾ Possible injury or loss of life

¾ Additional cost of removing material
¾ Disruption to traffic / communication
¾ Expensive remedial works
 Types of Rock Slope Failure

Planar Failure
Wedge Failure

Toppling Failure
Planar Failure
Rocslide in Taroko Gorge, Taiwan
Planar Failure

‘Daylighting’
discontinuities
Wedge Failure

Source: Geological Survey of Canada

 The Strength of Discontinuities
- Sliding and Friction

Shear stress
Normal stress β

Weight
 Shear Strength

τ = c + σ tan Ø

τ = Shear strength
C = cohesion

σ = normal stress
Ø = angle of friction
 Factor of Safety

Factor of Safety = Shear Strength (resisting forces)

Shear Stress (driving forces)

F < 1 = Not Stable

F > 1 = Stable
 The Effect of Water

Effective stress = σ – u

σ = normal stress

u = water pressure

Therefore the shear strength becomes:

τ = c + (σ- u) tan Ø
 Strength of discontinuities

„ Direct observation of rock joints

„ pull testing
„ rock shear box - portable field versions
available
„ tilt test
„ schmidt hammer testing

„ Barton’s 1976 shear strength criterion for discontinuities:

 Strength of discontinuities

„ Barton’s model and geology:

„ σn – a function of material density, sorting

and packing – all geological controls.

„ Base coefficient of friction (the frictional

strength of a joint when all the asperities

have been sheared off) is a function of the
geological characteristics of the rock
especially grain size.
„ Joint roughness coefficient (JRC) is a

function of the fracture origin, grain size and

degree of weathering of the discontinuity.
 Joint Compressive strength - a material property

JCS is normally measured using:

Schmidt Hammer Rebound Test

or

Point Load Index Test

Describing the roughness of joints

JRC - Joint Roughness

coefficient:
can be measured in terms of
the scale shown to the left or
by making quantitative
measurements of the
amplitude and wavelength of
undulations (φb) and the
asperities (φi)
Joint roughness is a function
of fracture origin and grain size
and texture of the rock.

Source : Barton and Choubey, 1977

Estimating JCS

Recommended ISRM
method for testing the
strength of the rock wall of
discontinuities is the
Schmidt hammer

The Schmidt hammer

should only be used on
blocks greater than 0.3 m
in diameter.
From Matula, M. 1981. ROCK AND
SOIL DESCRIPTION AND
CLASSIFICATION FOR ENGINEERING
GEOLOGICAL MAPPING
REPORT BY THE IAEG COMMISSION
ON ENGINEERING GEOLOGICAL
MAPPING. Bulletin of Engineering
Geology and Environment.
 Important aspects of discontinuities

Important aspects of discontinuities

 Discontinuity surveys

Scanline surveys:
1. Should be 3m in length and
consist of 3 orthogonal axes.
2. Every discontinuity crossing
the scanline is described.
3. The standard method is
described by the
International Society for
Rock Mechanics in Brown
(1982)
4. The results of scanline data
can be correlated with RQD
using the expression:
RQD=115-3.3Jv. (see
Palstrom, 1982)

k
Fieldwork and Data Collection

Dip Direction

Dip Amount
 Waviness and Unevenness

Source : Geoguide 3
 Discontinuity Features

„ Type

„ Persistence

„ Aperture

„ Infilling (type and consistency)

„ Unevenness

„ Waviness

„ Seepage/Water
Scan Line Survey Form
Data Presentation and Analysis - Stereonets
Discontinuity
Pole 1
+
Pole 2
+

1
e
an
Pl

e2
an
Pl
Joint sets
An illustrative ‘textbook example ’of dominant joints (strong continuity,low JRC,JCS and φ )requiring distinct element modelling,and
the less dominant ‘back-ground ’jointing (higher JRC,JCS and f )which will nevertheless be represented in RQD and JV and in a
reduced deformation modulus and seismic velocity.Kimmeridge Bay,South Coast,England (from Barton 2002).
Joint strength - is it relevant ?

Failure through many

intersecting
discontinuities
Failures along one
or more intersecting
discontinuities
Discontinuity controlled
failure in a complex
manner
From Hoek and Bray. 1987. Rock
Slope Engineering. Institute of
Mining and Metallurgy. 3rd Ed.
• In addition to describing rock
masses in Mohr-Coloumb space,
the Hoek-Brown Failure criterion
can also be used.
• The advantage of the Hoek-
Brown model is that a curvilinear
failure envelope is assumed.
• THIS MODEL ASSUMES
RANDOM JOINT ORIENTATION.
This is not always the case.
 Rock Slope Stabilisation

Prescriptive Designed

„ Rock Fall Ditches „ Change slope angle or orientation

„ Scaling (removing loose blocks) „ Rock anchors (active)

„ Rock Netting „ Rock dowels (passive)

„ Dentition

„ Slope Face Protection (shotcrete)

„ Pattern Bolting (using anchors or

dowels)

„ Drainage Measures
Rock Anchors
Source : Fookes
& Sweeney
1976
Source : Fookes
& Sweeney
1976
Source : Fookes
& Sweeney
1976
Some references to read…..

„ Barton, N.R. 1976. The shear strength of rock and rock joints. International
Journal of Rock Mechanics Mining Science & Geomechanics Abstracts. 13, 10,
1-24.
„ Barton, N. 2002. Some new Q value correlations to assist in site
characterisation and tunnel design. International Journal of Rock Mechanics
&Mining Sciences. 39, 185 –216
„ Barton, N.R. and Bandis, S.C. 1982. Effects of block size on the the shear
behavior of jointed rock. 23rd U.S. symp. on rock mechanics, Berkeley, 739-
760.
„ Bhasin, R., Barton, N., Grimstad, E. & Chryssanthakis, P. 1995. Engineering
Geological Characterization of low strength anisotropic rocks in the Himalayan
Region for Assessment of Tunnel Support. Engineering Geology. 40, 169-193.
„ Bieniawski, Z.T. 1973. Engineering classification of jointed rock masses. Trans
S. African Institution of Civil Engineers 15, 335-344.
„ Bieniawski Z.T. 1989. Engineering Rock Mass Classifications. Wiley, New York.
Pp251
„ Hoek E & Brown E.T., 1997. Practical estimates of rock mass
strength.International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Minning Science. 34, 8
1165 –86.
Some references to read…..

„ Hudson JA, Harrison JP. 1992. A new approach to studying complete rock
engineering problems. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology, 25, 93-105.
„ Ozsan, A. & Akýn, M. 2002. Engineering geological assessment of the
proposed Urus Dam, Turkey, Engineering Geology, 66 271–281
„ Palmström, A. 1982. The volumetric joint count - a useful and simple measure
of the degree of rock jointing. Proceedings of the 4th Congress of the
International Association of Engineering Geologists, Delhi 5, 221-228.
„ Priest S.D. & Hudson J.A. 1981. Estimation of discontinutiy spacing and trace
length using scanline surveys. International Journal of Rock Mechanics,
Mining Science & Geomechanics Abstracts. 18,183 –197.
„ Toranoa, J., Rodriguez Diez, R., Rivas Cid, J. M. & Casal Barciella, M. M. 2002.
FEM modeling of roadways driven in a fractured rock mass under a longwall
influence Computers and Geotechnics, 29, 411 –431
„ Wines, D. R. & Lilly, P. A. 2002. Measurement and analysis of rock mass
discontinuity spacing and frequency in part of the Fimiston Open Pit operation
in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia:a case study International Journal of Rock
Mechanics &Mining Sciences. 39, 589 –602.
 SEACAP 21 PROGRAMME

„ 21/001 Slope Stabilisation Trials on R13N and 7

„ 21/002 Feasibility Study for a National Slope Stability

Management Programme

„ 21/003 Mainstreaming Slope Stability Management into the

NUoL Courses and MPWT

„ 21/004 Mainstreaming Slope Stability Management – Hazard

and Risk Assessment – to Laos Practitioners