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Catastrophe instability analysis of rock slopes with locked segments in open-pit mine due to freeze–thaw weathering

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Abstract

Slope rock mass containing locked segments is susceptible to freeze–thaw (F-T) weathering. It can result in slope instability and serious geological hazards. This paper conducts mechanical analysis and F-T tests to investigate the failure mechanism of the rock slope with locked segment subjected to F-T cycles. Using theoretical analysis, the cusp catastrophe prediction model for the failure of locked slope in cold regions is established, and the catastrophe eigenvalues are derived. The results show that the stability of the locked slope is related to the stiffness ratio considering the F-T treatment. As the F-T cycles increase, the damage variable increases in the form of a power function. In addition, a threshold of the number of F-T cycles exists for the degradation of locked slope caused by F-T weathering. By substituting the damage variables of the F-T cycles obtained from the experiment into the developed cusp catastrophe model, it can be deduced that the locked slope with 45° creep-slipping segment is the most sensitive to the effects of F-T degradation, and the most prone to landslides. Finally, the frost resistance is the strongest for the locked slope with 15° creep-slipping segment.

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Abbreviations

α :

Slope angle

β :

Inclination angle of the slide surface

θ :

Fracture angle of sample

φ 1, φ 2 :

Internal friction angle of rock mass in elastic section and weak interlayer, respectively

H :

Slope height

h :

Depth of the tension crack in the trailing edge

L :

Horizontal distance between the tension crack and the slope shoulder

l 1,l 2 :

Length of elastic section and weak interlayer, respectively

d :

Thickness of the weak interlayer

u 1 :

Displacement of elastic section under constitutive relationship

u 2 :

Displacement of weak interlayer at under peak point under constitutive relationship

c 1,c 2 :

Cohesion of elastic section and weak interlayer, respectively

W,W 1,W 2 :

Weight of whole slope, elastic section, and weak interlayer, respectively

γ :

Density of the rock mass

τ 1,τ 2 :

Shear stress of elastic section and weak interlayer, respectively

τ m :

Residual shear strength of elastic section

G 1,G 2 :

Shear modulus of elastic section and weak interlayer, respectively

F r :

Sliding resistance force

F s :

Sliding force

D n :

Damage variables subjected to freeze–thaw cycles

E 0 :

Initial elastic modulus of the unfrozen samples

E n :

Elastic modulus of samples experiencing n freeze–thaw cycles

Δ:

Catastrophe eigenvalue

V,V 1,V 2,V 3 :

Potential energy of the slope system

a,b,λ,δ :

Constant used to simplify the formula; its specific value is given by Eq. (14)

c,d :

Fitting parameters

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFC0808402) and the fellowship of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2021M701540).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Underground Space Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Chen Qiao, Yu Wang, Changhong Li, Heping Yang & Yonggang Xiao

  2. Key Laboratory of High Efficient Mining and Safety of Metal Mines, Ministry of Education, University of Science and Technology, Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Chen Qiao, Yu Wang, Changhong Li, Heping Yang & Yonggang Xiao

  3. Emergency Science Research Institute, China Coal Research Institute, Beijing, 100013, China

    Bingqian Yan

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  1. Chen Qiao
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  2. Yu Wang
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Qiao, C., Wang, Y., Li, C. et al. Catastrophe instability analysis of rock slopes with locked segments in open-pit mine due to freeze–thaw weathering. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 135 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02635-w

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