Failure process of rock slopes with cracks based on the fracture mechanics method

Abstract

Generally, the failure process of rock slopes is significantly affected by the propagation of initial cracks. Therefore, based on the fracture mechanics method, the failure process of rock slopes with initial cracks is comprehensively analyzed. Firstly, based on energy principles, a new fracture criterion for rock with cracks is proposed. Secondly, based on this fracture criterion and the basic principles of fracture mechanics, the propagation process of initial cracks is analyzed. Finally, using a rock slope engineering example, the effect of crack propagation on the failure process of a rock slope is comprehensively studied, including the effects of a single crack, two cracks and multiple cracks. To verify the theoretical investigation, numerical studies are conducted. The results indicate that the theoretical results agree well with the numerical ones and that the new theoretical method can be used to analyze the failure process of rock slopes with initial cracks.