ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Stability Analysis of Dangerous Rockmass
Considering Rainfall and Seismic Activity with
a Case Study in China’s Three Gorges Area
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Geotechnical and Structural Engineering Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong,China
Submission date: 2017-08-27
Final revision date: 2017-10-20
Acceptance date: 2017-10-22
Online publication date: 2018-09-12
Publication date: 2018-12-20
Corresponding author
Jie Hu
Shandong University, Shandong, 250061 Jinan, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2019;28(2):631-645
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ABSTRACT
Rainfall and seismic activity have significant influence on the stability of dangerous rockmass. In this
paper, the dangerous rockmasses are classified into three instability types according to the failure modes:
sliding, falling, and toppling. The discrete element method (COMSOL) was carried out to investigate
the stability of three different rockmass types. In the numerical simulation, three load combinations
were applied to the numerical model: 1) rockmass weight, 2) rockmass weight + fissure water pressure,
and 3) rockmass weight + fissure water pressure + earthquake force. The results show that rainfall and
seismic activity play important roles in rockmass stability and the displacement and principal stress of
the rockmass are influenced obviously. Wangxia dangerous rockmass in the Great Three Gorges area was
selected as a case study, and its stability was analyzed by geological investigation, numerical simulation,
and static calculation methods. The results show that there is a high risk that Wangxia dangerous rockmass
would lose stability when rainfall season comes and seismic activity happens. A blast was conducted to
remove this dangerous rockmass and an SNS net design was proposed to intercept distributed blocks
based on rockfall trajectory simulation. The parameters needed in the rockfall simulation program were
obtained by laboratory and field tests. Final application proved that the designed treatment is efficient and
no damage was caused by the distributed blocks. The whole research may provide a useful reference to
similar engineering projects in the future.