Numerical simulation of the deformation and failure characteristics of consequent rock slopes and their stability

The deformation and failure characteristics of total 270 consequent rock slopes under complicated working conditions are investigated by the discrete element method depending on two parameters,structural plane dip angle θ and slope angle α. Different θ and α ranges corresponding to different failure modes are obtained by the statistical method. Moreover,the relationship between the two parameters and the slope stability is attempted based on the shear strength reduction method. The failure mechanism and stability characteristics of consequent rock slopes are revealed. Four deformation and failure modes of consequent rock slopes are proposed according to different deformation and failure characteristics:toe-slip-failure along the structural plane,top-sliding-failure along the structural plane,lower edge uplift bending-shear failure,and upper edge fracturing-fold-bending-failure. Further general rules of the four modes are analyzed and summarized such as occurrences,deformation characteristics and possible failure modes. The safety factor f_s of the slopes decreases and subsequently increases with the increase of θ,it reaches a minimum and then rises quickly to a high value and finally slowing down. During the changing process of θ,the safety factor f_s will obtain a minimum when θ is approximately equal to α-7. 3°,which corresponds to the worst slope stability.