Abstract
Soil–rock mixture, a non-homogeneous medium with discrete characteristics, is commonly used in high-fill projects. This study analyzes the impact of rock morphology and distribution on the ultimate bearing capacity and sliding failure surface morphology of soil–rock embankments using the discrete element method (DEM). The results indicate that the embankment's ultimate bearing capacity increases with higher rock content. A larger ultimate bearing capacity is observed when rocks aggregate at the top of the sliding zone and the slope's toe. The influence of rock inclination angle on the ultimate bearing capacity follows this order: 30° > 45° > 60° > 0°. The rotation of block stones mainly occurs in the roadbed's shear zone. This study examines the shear zone morphology of the roadbed influenced by the stone content and spatial distribution of block stones. In this paper, we establish a sliding surface equation that considers the stone content and spatial distribution, providing guidance for assessing roadbed stability using the limit equilibrium method.
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Data Availability
The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Chongqing Construction Science and Technology project Grant No. 2022-1-15, the Science and technology research project of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission Grant No. KJQN202000747, the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project Grant No. 2019M663890XB, the Chongqing Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project Grant No. 228512.
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Qiu, Z., Tang, S., Song, S. et al. The Influence of Rock Morphology and Distribution on the Bearing Capacity and the Sliding Surface of Soil–Rock Embankment. Geotech Geol Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-024-02812-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-024-02812-6