Journal Home > Volume 2 , Issue 1

This paper examines the stability of rock slopes along the broad gauge (BG) line near Darekasa (approximately 1.0 km from Darekasa Station towards the western side). Unsafe slopes and rockfalls can hinder train travel, causing commuters difficulties. A field survey and lab experiments determined the rock slope’s stabilizing factors. Kinematic analysis and finite element modeling evaluated slope stability and design. On-site joint orientations were estimated with a Brunton compass (Nautical Mart Inc., Roorkee, India). Stereonet plots show wedge and planar failure patterns. The RS2 software was used to generate a finite element model for critical slope sections utilizing the combined continuum interface method and to determine critical shear strength reduction factors (SSRFs) with a two-dimensional plain strain method. The stabilization of the subject area was evaluated based on these findings. The purpose of rockfall protection is to prevent the fall of any individual blocks caused by the creation of local wedges. During numerical calculations for the global stability of a slope, these types of failures are not detectable. Along the stretch, this scenario demands drapery/rockfall netting. To preserve the slope against instability and rockfall, corrective measures consisting of reinforced double-twisted hexagonal mesh, rhomboidal cable net, and self-drilling anchors were implemented.


menu
Abstract
Full text
Outline
About this article

Stability analysis for rock slope using finite element modeling near Darekasa Railway Station: A case study

Show Author's information Ashish Kumara( )Sarada Prasad PradhanbSiddhant SinghcKartikeya Tripathic
Geo Environmental Solutions, Gurugram 122002, India
Department of Earth Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee 247667, India
OST Slope Protection Engineering India Pvt. Ltd., Gurugram 122001, India

Abstract

This paper examines the stability of rock slopes along the broad gauge (BG) line near Darekasa (approximately 1.0 km from Darekasa Station towards the western side). Unsafe slopes and rockfalls can hinder train travel, causing commuters difficulties. A field survey and lab experiments determined the rock slope’s stabilizing factors. Kinematic analysis and finite element modeling evaluated slope stability and design. On-site joint orientations were estimated with a Brunton compass (Nautical Mart Inc., Roorkee, India). Stereonet plots show wedge and planar failure patterns. The RS2 software was used to generate a finite element model for critical slope sections utilizing the combined continuum interface method and to determine critical shear strength reduction factors (SSRFs) with a two-dimensional plain strain method. The stabilization of the subject area was evaluated based on these findings. The purpose of rockfall protection is to prevent the fall of any individual blocks caused by the creation of local wedges. During numerical calculations for the global stability of a slope, these types of failures are not detectable. Along the stretch, this scenario demands drapery/rockfall netting. To preserve the slope against instability and rockfall, corrective measures consisting of reinforced double-twisted hexagonal mesh, rhomboidal cable net, and self-drilling anchors were implemented.

Keywords: finite element method, strength reduction factor, rock slope stability, kinematic analysis, RS2 software

References(26)

[1]

C. O. Brawner, D. Wyllie. Rock slope stability on railway projects. Area Bull, 1976, 77: 449–474.

[2]
T. N. Singh. Rockfall hazard along road cut slope in India. In: Proceedings of the 7th Indian Rock Conference on Underground Construction for Hydropower, Mining and Infrastructure, New Delhi, India, 2017: pp 38–46.
[3]

M. K. Ansari, M. Ahmad, R. Singh, et al. Rockfall assessment near Saptashrungi Gad temple, Nashik, Maharashtra, India. Int J Disaster Risk Reduct, 2012, 2: 77–83.

[4]
O. Hungr, H. W. Sun, K. K. S. Ho. Mobility of Selected Landslides in Hong Kong—Pilot Back-Analysis Using a Numerical Model. Hong Kong (China): Hong Kong SAR Government, 1999: pp 169–175.
[5]

F. L. Peckover. Treatment of rock falls on railway lines. Area Bull, 1975, 76: 471–503.

[6]
D. M. Cruden, D. J. Varnes. Landslide Types and Processes. Washington (USA): Transportation Research Board 1996.
[7]
E. L. Harp, R. W. Jibson. Inventory of landslides triggered by the 1994 Northridge, California earthquake. Reston (USA): USA Geological Survey, 1995.
DOI
[8]
D. Eberhart-Phillips, P. J. Haeussler, J. T. Freymueller, et al. The 2002 Denali fault earthquake, Alaska: A large magnitude, slip-partitioned event. Science, 2003, 300: 1113–1118.
DOI
[9]
C. K. Aswathi, A. Jana, A. Dey, et al. Stability assessment of reinforced rock slope based on two-dimensional finite element approach: A Himalayan case study. In: Geotechnics for Transportation Infrastructure. R. Sundaram, J. T. Shahu, V. Havanagi, Eds. Singapore (Singapore): Springer Singapore, 2019: pp 639–650.
DOI
[10]

D. V. Griffiths, P. A. Lane. Slope stability analysis by finite elements. Géotechnique, 1999, 49: 387–403.

[11]
Z. T. Bieniawski. Engineering classification of jointed rock masses. Civ Eng Siviele Ingenieurswese, 1973, 12: 335–343.
[12]
IS 13365. Quantitative classification system of rock mass—Guidelines: Part 1 RMR for Predicting of Engineering. The Bureau of Indian Standards, India, 1998.
[13]

A. Palmstrøm. Characterizing rock masses by the RMi for use in practical rock engineering: Part 2: Some practical applications of the rock mass index (RMi). Tunn Undergr Sp Tech, 1996, 11: 287–303.

[14]

Z. Şen, E. A. Eissa. Rock quality charts for log-normally distributed block sizes. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci, 1992, 29: 1–12.

[15]

E. Hoek, E. T. Brown. Practical estimates of rock mass strength. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci, 1997, 34: 1165–1186.

[16]
P. Marinos, E. Hoek. GSI: A geologically friendly tool for rock mass strength estimation. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, Lancaster, USA, 2000: pp 1422–1446.
[17]
IS 13365. Quantitative classification system of rock mass—Guidelines: Part 4 Geological Strength Index (GSI). The Bureau of Indian Standards, India, 1998.
[18]
Rocscience, A. 2D Finite Element Program for Calculating Stresses and Estimating Support Around the Underground Excavations. Geomechanics Software and Research. Toronto (Canada): Rocscience Inc., 2012.
[19]
Online stereonet program [Online]. https://app.visiblegeology.com/stereonetApp.html (accessed 2023-03-25
[20]

A. Pain, D. P. Kanungo, S. Sarkar. Rock slope stability assessment using finite element based modelling—Examples from the Indian Himalayas. Geomech Geoeng, 2014, 9: 215–230.

[21]
E. Hoek, J. W. Bray. Rock Slope Engineering. 3rd edn. London (UK): Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, 1981: p 402.
DOI
[22]
Rocdata 2016. Rocscience geomechanics software and research, Toronto, Canada [Online]. https://www.rocscience.com/support/rocdata/release-notes.
[23]
D. U. Deere, R. P. Miller. Engineering Classification and Index Properties for Intact Rock. New Mexico (USA): Air Force Weapon Laboratory, 1966.
DOI
[24]

N. Barton, V. Choubey. The shear strength of rock joints in theory and practice. Rock Mech, 1977, 10: 1–54.

[25]
IRC Highway Research Board. State of the Art-design and Construction of Rockfall Mitigation Systems. New Delhi (India): India Roads Congress, 2016.
[26]
ISO 17746:2016. Steel wire rope net panels and rolls—Definitions and specifications. International Organization for Standardization, Switzerland, 2016.
Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Rights and permissions

Publication history

Received: 05 October 2023
Revised: 19 November 2023
Accepted: 07 December 2023
Published: 21 February 2024
Issue date: March 2024

Copyright

© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Tsinghua University Press.

Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere appreciation to Geo Environmental Solutions and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee for their unwavering support. Special thanks are extended to colleagues who made significant contributions. The committed support from our families played a crucial role. We extend our gratitude to all who contributed to the success of this study.

Rights and permissions

The articles published in this open access journal are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Return