LINTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

GEO-MECHANICS
(CE2204)
Rock Slope Stability Analysis

Lecture Week No 9

Dr Eric LOH

ROCK SLOPE INSTABILITY

All slopes have a tendency to move in

response to gravity-stimulation

A rock mass is not a continuum and its

behaviour is dominated by geological
discontinuities and the instability of
discontinuities is base upon its
inclination

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In view of the vast range of different ways in which
those movements there are grouped with..

Slides

Falls
Flows

Slope Movements - SLIDES

In a slide, the moving material remains largely in

contact with the parent or underlying rock during
the movement which takes place along a discrete
boundary shear surface

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 Slope Movements - FALLS

Falls normally take place from steep faces in rock,

and involve immediate separation of the falling
material from the parent material, with movement
involving only infrequent or intermittent contact
thereafter, until the debris comes finally rest

Slope Movements - FLOWS

Flows is used when the material becomes

disaggregated and can move without the
concentration of displacement at the shear
boundary

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Rock Slope Instability Failure Modes

Plane Failure Wedge Failure

Toppling Failure Circular Failure

Plane Failure

A plane failure is a comparatively rare sight in rock slopes

because it is required that all of the geometrical conditions
to produce such a failure occur in an actual slope.
In order that sliding on the single plane can occurs, the
following geometrical condition must be fully satisfied:
a) The plane on which sliding occurs must strike within
approximately 20 to the rock face
b) The failure plane must daylight in the slope face.
This means that its dip must be smaller than the dip
of the slope face
c) The dip of the failure plane must be greater than the
angle of friction of the plane

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 Plane Failure

Wedge Failure
Wedge failure is a much more general case in reality. Its
mechanism involves a wedge sliding along the intersection
line of two planar discontinuities
In order that wedge failure can occurs, the following
geometrical condition must be fully satisfied:
a) Two discontinuities strike obliquely across the slope
face and their line of intersection daylights in the
slope face
b) The wedge on which sliding occurs must strike
within approximately 20 to the rock face
c) The dip of the crest must be greater than the angle
of friction of the rock

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 Wedge Failure

Toppling Failure

Toppling occurs in hard rock with columnar structure and

over-steep faces with closely spaced and adversely
inclined steep discontinuities dipping into the face. The
resulting movement is due to forces that cause an over-
turning moment about a pivot point below the centre of
gravity of the block
In order that toppling failure can occurs, the following
geometrical condition must be fully satisfied:
a) The dip direction of the discontinuity beneath the
block must be towards the face within 20
b) The centre of gravity of the block must be in front of
its toe
c) The block cannot slide

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 Toppling Failure

Circular Failure

When the rock mass is very heavily jointed or broken, as in

a waste rock dump, the failure will be defined by a single
discontinuity surface but will tend to follow a circular failure
path

In the circular failure, the rock slope should be treated as a

soil slope where a strongly defined structural pattern no
longer exits and the failure surface is free to find the line
least resistance through the slope

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Circular Failure

Circular Failure

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ROCKFALL can occur in over-steep faces and
involves under-cut

STEREONET

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 Stereographic Projection

Geometrical problems associated with

engineering geology can be solved by the use of
stereographic projection
This system is widely recognized and used by
geographers to represent the spherical shape of
the earth on a flat surface
By adapting this projection technique, the
orientation of any plane or discontinuities within
a rock mass can easily be depicted on the
stereonet by pre-defined dips and dip directions

Equatorial equal-area stereonet marked in 2 intervals

Stereographic projection the spherical

shape of the earth on a flat surface
Polar equal-area stereonet marked in 2 intervals

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 Relationship of the Spherical
Projection to the Actual Spatial

An orientation of a plane Spherical of the plane

Stereographic projection Completed Stereogram

of the plane of the plane

Equatorial Stereonet
Equatorial Stereonet is projection of a series of line
inscribed on the lower hemisphere of a globe
These lines are usually inscribed at 2 intervals and
defined as Great circles and Small circles

Great circle 0

270 90

Small circles

180

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 Equatorial Stereonet

The compass dip direction (0 - 360) is

measured around the edge (circumference) of
the stereonet and 0 dip direction are found at
the NORTH point
The amount of dip on a striking plane is
measured along the east-west line, so zero dips
are found at the edge of the net, increasing
inwards to vertical (90 dip) at the center of the
net.

POLE

The inclination and orientation of the plane can

also be defined by the pole of the plane

Great Circle and Position of Pole (Hoek & Bray 1981)

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 Polar Stereonet

The compass dip direction (0 - 360) is

measured around the edge (circumference) of
the stereonet and 0 dip direction are found at
the SOUTH point
The amount of dip on a striking plane is
measured along the small circle, so zero dips
are found at the center of the net, increasing
inwards to vertical (90 dip) at the edge of the
net.

Polar Stereonet

In typical structural data plotted on a Polar

stereonet, a number of significant pole
concentrations may be present
The preferred orientations, averages, or the
central tendencies of the joints sets can then be
determined
It is essential that these be identified in order
identified any potential failure planes

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 Preparing the Equatorial Stereonet

i. Place a thumb tack through the center of the

stereonet
ii. Next, place a sheet of tracing paper over the
net, pushing through the tack. Put a small
pencil eraser on top of the tack (to avoid
injuries)
iii. Trace over the circumference of the net and
mark "North" with a tick mark and "N" on the
tracing paper
Note: Always mark an orientation mark on your overlay (north is best) so you can return
it to its original orientation. Stereonets are ruled with light lines at 2-degree
intervals and heavy lines at 10-degree intervals

Plot a Plane on Equatorial Stereonet

Please take note on this.

Plot a plane striking 80 and dipping 30 southeast

i. Count 80 (clockwise) from North; Put a tick mark on this
spot
ii. Turn the tracing paper so the 80 tick mark" is aligned
with North
iii. From the East end of the equatorial line, count in 30;
Mark with a dot
iv. With the dot lined up on one of the longitudinal Great
Circles, trace along the Great Circle from top to bottom
v. Rotate the tracing paper back where both "North's" line up
to view the orientation of the plane.

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 Plot a Plane on Equatorial Stereonet
Please take note on this.

Plot a plane with a Dip of 45 towards a 100 Dip Direction

i. Count 10(clockwise) from North; Put a tick mark on this
spot
ii. Turn the tracing paper so the 10 tick mark" is aligned
with North
iii. From the East end of the equatorial line, count in 45;
Mark with a dot
iv. With the dot lined up on one of the longitudinal Great
Circles, trace along the Great Circle from top to bottom
v. Rotate the tracing paper back where both "North's" line up
to view the orientation of the plane.

Can you find the Strike, Dip and Dip

Direction of a Plane Plotted on a
Stereonet?

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 Plot a True Attitude from Two
Apparent Dips
Apparent dip is just the dip as seen in a plane oblique to
the strike. The strike of the section plane will give us the
trend of the line, the apparent dip is just the plunge.

Plot a True Attitude from Two

Apparent Dips
Apparent Dip 26 Apparent Dip Direction 116
Apparent Dip 12 Apparent Dip Direction 340
Please take note on this.
i. Plot the 1st point Count 116(clockwise) from North;
put a tick mark on this spot & turn the tracing paper so
the 116 tick mark" is aligned with the East end of the
equatorial line, count in 26; mark with a dot
ii. Plot the 2nd point Count 340(clockwise) from North;
put a tick mark on this spot & turn the tracing paper so
the 340 tick mark" is aligned with the East end of the
equatorial line, count in 12; mark with a dot
iii. Rotate the overlay so the two dots lie on a common
great circle. Draw the great circle for the true attitude

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 Plot a Pole on Polar Stereonet

To plot a pole, we go through the similar procedures as to

plot a great circle, except that when we count off the dip
direction, we count from South (clockwise) and counting the
dip out from the centre of the net

Plot a pole with a Dip of 45 towards a 100 Dip Direction

Plot a plane striking 80 and dipping 30 southeast

Analysis..

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Daylighting
Portion Pole

Friction
angle

Slope Face

Danger Area

Construction of great circle and pole representing a slope face,

danger area and daylighting portion

Plane Failure
0

Great circle of slope face

Friction angle of rock

Great circle representing a plane

corresponding to centres of pole
concentrations

Plane Failure taking place when the great circle representing

a plane corresponding to center of pole concentration falls
inside the danger area and has a similar dip direction (within
20) to the great circle of the slope face

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 Wedge Failure
Friction
0
angle of rock

Great circle of plane A

Great circle of slope face

Great circle of plane B

When two great circles of planes (A & B) intersected in the

danger area and either one of the aforementioned great circle
has a similar dip direction (within 20) to the slope face,
Wedge Failure is likely to take place

Toppling Failure
Great circle of plane
0

Great circle of slope face

Friction angle of rock

Discontinuities parallel to the slope face and at steep angles

can lead to the production of Toppling Failure in the rock
mass

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 Circular Failure
0

Great circle of slope face

With waste rock or heavily fractured rock, with no identifiable

structural pattern, Circular Failure can be expected

Remediation Works.

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 Rock Slope Stabilisation

Stabilisation Method and indication of

situation is suitable

Rock bolts large blocks where possible to

a stable anchorage

Netting small block in face

Grounting open joint where access is

possible

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In regard to the economical, possibly
utilising steel netting to provide resistance to
small toppling/wedge failures at the location
of small rock area will be the best.

Rockfall Control Measures

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