Stability and sustainability assessment for the surface failure of various rock slopes excavated along the Konya-Alanya Road segment, Turkey

Abstract

Most of the road networks in Turkey pass through the Hilly region. These roads are constructed through inadequate blasting accompanied by road deterioration or collapse. To date, several researchers in Turkey have not paid adequate attention to the stability analysis of road failures based on the surface orientation of the dominant discontinuity sets. This study, based on the field survey, laboratory measurements, and the use of Dips analyst software, aims to investigate the stability and sustainability of seven different sites that exhibit imminent slope failure along the Konya-Alanya Road (KAR) segment. The sites selected are geologically investigated and geotechnically evaluated using a scan-line survey. We carried out several fields and laboratory measurements. Both Slope Mass Rating (SMR) and Rock Mass Rating (RMR) are quantified and included with rock mass assessment of each slope site. Both the field and laboratory results are integrated by kinematic analysis methods to assess the potential failure of these slopes. The kinematic analysis results demonstrate that the dominant failure forms are planar, wedge, and toppling. RMRb results show that some slopes with good rock quality remain unstable and vulnerable to failure despite their fair RMRb values. While SMR results show that five of the seven sites are risky, thus, described as partly stable, and the other two are unstable. The results have also implications for the understanding of the causal factors for slope instability, include the discontinuities present in the rock mass, physical, environmental, and meteorological factors influencing them. This study concludes that urgent remedial measures for their long-term stability are recommended.