The creep deformation behavior of the northern slope of an open-pit mine is introduced. Direct shear creep tests are then conducted for the samples taken from the northern slope to study the rheological characteristics of the rock mass. The experimental results are analyzed afterwards using an empirical method to develop a rheological model for the rock mass. The proposed rheological model is finally applied to understand the creep behavior of the northern slope, predict the long-term stability, and guide appropriate measures to be taken at suitable times to increase the factor of safety to ensure stability. Through this study, a failure criterion is proposed to predict the long-term stability of the slope based on the rheological characteristics of the rock mass and a critical deformation rate is adopted to determine when appropriate measures should be taken to ensure slope stability. The method has been successfully applied for stability analysis and engineering management of the toppling and slippage of the northern slope of the open-pit mine. This success in application indicates that it is theoretically accurate, practically feasible, and highly cost-effective.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	creep behaviour, rheological characteristics, rock mass, long-term strength, slope stability, failure
Research Division:	Engineering
Research Group:	Resources engineering and extractive metallurgy
Research Field:	Geomechanics and resources geotechnical engineering
Objective Division:	Construction
Objective Group:	Construction processes
Objective Field:	Civil construction processes
UTAS Author:	Liu, H (Dr Hong Liu)
ID Code:	89144
Year Published:	2014 (online first 2013)
Web of Science® Times Cited:	20
Deposited By:	Engineering
Deposited On:	2014-02-25
Last Modified:	2017-10-06
Downloads:	0