scholarly journals STABILITY OF RUBBLE MOUND BREAKWATERS WITH A BERM

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (33) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Marcel Van Gent ◽  
Gregory M. Smith ◽  
Ivo Van der Werf

The stability of rock slopes with a horizontal berm has been studied by means of physical model tests. This paper is focussed on the rock slope stability of the slopes above and below the berm. By applying a berm the rock size can be reduced compared to the required rock size for a straight slope without a berm. This reduction can be significant for the slope above the berm. The influence of the slope angle (1:2 and 1:4), the width of the berm, the level of the berm, and the wave steepness have been investigated. Based on the test results prediction formulae have been derived to quantify the required rock size for rubble mound breakwaters with a berm.

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (2F) ◽  
pp. 65-82
Author(s):  
Rebaz Qader

The study of slope stability along the proposed Lerabire road in the Mergasur town, in Erbil city, Kurdistan region of NE-Iraq is carried out. To evaluate the stability of slopes, twenty stations were selected along the mentioned road, two stations in the rock slopes of the Shiranish Formation, eleven stations in the Bekhme Formation, six stations in the Qamchuqa Formation, and one station in the Sarmord Formation. In this study, the stability of rock slopes has been evaluated by the Landslide Possibility Index system. The results of the Landslide Possibility Index category in the rock slopes along the proposed Lerabire road ranges from a very low to low for rock slopes in stations 1 and 2 (marl and marly limestone of the Shiranish Formation, Moderate for rock slopes in stations 3, 4 and 19 (limestone of the Bekhme Formation), High for rock slopes in the stations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 (limestone of the Bekhme Formation), stations 12, 17 (limestone and marly limestone of the Qamchuqa Formation), station 20 (limestone of the Sarmord Formation and very high for rock slopes in the stations 13, 14, 15, 16 (limestone and marly limestone of the Qamchuqa Formation), station 18 (limestone of the Bekhme Formation). According to Landslide Possibility Index category, the hazard category is Low in station 1 in the Shiranish Formation, but in station 2, 3, 4 and 19 are Moderate, moreover, in the station 5, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 20 are high. The rock slope assessment indicated that the height of the slope face, slope angle, a high degree of weathering, and discontinuities spacing are the factors that increase the failure possibility. To prevent landslide the ditch method is used in the Shiranish Formation rock slopes, the reinforcement techniques are used in the Behkme Formation rock slopes and rock removal methods are used in Qamchuqa and Sarmord Formation rock slopes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hossein Taherynia ◽  
Mojtaba Mohammadi ◽  
Rasoul Ajalloeian

Assessment of the stability of natural and artificial rock slopes is an important topic in the rock mechanics sciences. One of the most widely used methods for this purpose is the classification of the slope rock mass. In the recent decades, several rock slope classification systems are presented by many researchers. Each one of these rock mass classification systems uses different parameters and rating systems. These differences are due to the diversity of affecting parameters and the degree of influence on the rock slope stability. Another important point in rock slope stability is appraisal hazard and risk analysis. In the risk analysis, the degree of danger of rock slope instability is determined. The Lashotor pass is located in the Shiraz-Isfahan highway in Iran. Field surveys indicate that there are high potentialities of instability in the road cut slopes of the Lashotor pass. In the current paper, the stability of the rock slopes in the Lashotor pass is studied comprehensively with different classification methods. For risk analyses, we estimated dangerous area by use of the RocFall software. Furthermore, the dangers of falling rocks for the vehicles passing the Lashotor pass are estimated according to rockfall hazard rating system.


Author(s):  
Yalcin Yuksel ◽  
Marcel van Gent ◽  
Esin Cevik ◽  
H. Alper Kaya ◽  
Irem Gumuscu ◽  
...  

The stability number for rubble mound breakwaters is a function of several parameters and depends on unit shape, placing method, slope angle, relative density, etc. In this study two different densities for cubes in breakwater armour layers were tested to determine the influence of the density on the stability. The experimental results show that the stability of high density blocks were found to be more stable and the damage initiation for high density blocks started at higher stability numbers compared to normal density cubes.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads Røge Eldrup ◽  
Thomas Lykke Andersen ◽  
Hans Falk Burcharth

The Van der Meer formulae for quarry rock armor stability are commonly used in breakwater design. The formulae describe the stability as a function of the wave characteristics, number of waves, front slope angle and rock material properties. The latter includes a so-called notional permeability factor characterizing the permeability of the structure. Based on armor stability model tests with three armor layer compositions, Van der Meer determined three values of the notional permeability. Based on numerical model results he added for a typical layer composition one more value. Based on physical model tests, the present paper provides notional permeability factors for seven layer compositions of which two correspond to the compositions tested by Van der Meer. The results of these two layer compositions are within the scatter of the results by Van der Meer. To help determination of the notional permeability for non-tested layer compositions, a simple empirical formula is presented.


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faridha Aprilia ◽  
I Gde Budi Indrawan

The stability of rock slopes is controlled by several factors, such as the intact rock strength, discontinuity characteristics, groundwater condition, and slope geometry. Limit equilibrium (LE) analyses have been commonly used in geotechnical practice to evaluate the stability of rock slopes. A number of methods of LE analyses, ranging from simple to sophisticated methods, have been developed. This paper presents stability analyses of rock slopes at the Batu Hijau open mine in Sumbawa Barat using various methods of LE analyses. The LE analyses were conducted at three cross sections of the northern wall of the open mine using the Bishop Simplified, Janbu Simplified, Janbu Generalised, and General Limit Equilibrium (GLE) methods in Slide slope stability package. In addition, a Plane Failure (PF) analysis was performed manually. Shear strength data of the discontinuity planes used in the LE analyses were obtained from back analyses of previous rock slope failures. The LE analysis results showed that the rock slopes were likely to have shallow non-circular critical failure surfaces. The factor of safety (Fs) values obtained from the Bishop Simplified, Janbu Simplified, Janbu Generalised, and GLE methods were found to be similar, while the Fs values obtained from the PF method were higher than those obtained from the more rigorous methods. Keywords: Batu Hijau mine, Bishop Simplified, Janbu Simplified, Janbu Generalised, limit equilibrium analyses, general limit equilibrium, rock slope stability, plane failure.


2012 ◽  
pp. 1499-1506
Author(s):  
Gregorio Iglesias Rodriguez ◽  
Alberte Castro Ponte ◽  
Rodrigo Carballo Sanchez ◽  
Miguel Ángel Losada Rodriguez

Breakwaters are coastal structures constructed to shelter a harbour basin from waves. There are two main types: rubble-mound breakwaters, consisting of various layers of stones or concrete pieces of different sizes (weights), making up a porous mound; and vertical breakwaters, impermeable and monolythic, habitually composed of concrete caissons. This article deals with rubble-mound breakwaters. A typical rubble-mound breakwater consists of an armour layer, a filter layer and a core. For the breakwater to be stable, the armour layer units (stones or concrete pieces) must not be removed by wave action. Stability is basically achieved by weight. Certain types of concrete pieces are capable of achieving a high degree of interlocking, which contributes to stability by impeding the removal of a single unit. The forces that an armour unit must withstand under wave action depend on the hydrodynamics on the breakwater slope, which are extremely complex due to wave breaking and the porous nature of the structure. A detailed description of the flow has not been achieved until now, and it is unclear whether it will be in the future in view of the turbulent phenomena involved. Therefore the instantaneous force exerted on an armour unit is not, at least for the time being, amenable to determination by means of a numerical model of the flow. For this reason, empirical formulations are used in rubble-mound design, calibrated on the basis of laboratory tests of model structures. However, these formulations cannot take into account all the aspects affecting the stability, mainly because the inherent complexity of the problem does not lend itself to a simple treatment. Consequently the empirical formulations are used as a predesign tool, and physical model tests in a wave flume of the particular design in question under the pertinent sea climate conditions are de rigueur, except for minor structures. The physical model tests naturally integrate all the complexity of the problem. Their drawback lies in that they are expensive and time consuming. In this article, Artificial Neural Networks are trained and tested with the results of stability tests carried out on a model breakwater. They are shown to reproduce very closely the behaviour of the physical model in the wave flume. Thus an ANN model, if trained and tested with sufficient data, may be used in lieu of the physical model tests. A virtual laboratory of this kind will save time and money with respect to the conventional procedure.


1992 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce J. Carter ◽  
Emery Z. Lajtai

A deterministic (GEOSLIDE) and a probabilistic (PROSLIDE) microcomputer code are introduced to aid in performing rock wedge analyses based on the limit equilibrium method. The deterministic code evaluates the stability of a single rock wedge formed by discontinuities in rock through three-dimensional vector algebra, GEOSLIDE undertakes a full kinematic analysis (daylighting and obstruction), analyzes both wedge and plane sliding, and provides for anchor designs and sensitivity analyses (cohesion, friction, and water forces). Through multiple stability analyses, PROSLIDE evaluates the probability of failure for a rock slope by examining the distribution of the factors of safety from all the potential sliding wedges formed by the discontinuities of the rock mass. The probability of failure is expressed as the ratio of kinematically free wedges that have a factor of safety less than unity to the total number of wedges, PROSLIDE can form and analyze as many as 2000 different pairs of discontinuities in less than 30 min using a 25 MHz 486 IBM-compatible computer. In a worked example, the probability of failure for a fixed slope strike and loading condition is shown to vary with the slope angle, following the characteristic 'S' shape of a cumulative distribution function. The effect of an anchor force is to spread the distribution over a wider range of the factor of safety (SF), pushing many wedges into a potential upslide situation and splitting the distribution about the failure zone of the stability diagram (−1 < SF < 1). Key words : rock slope, rock wedge, stability analysis, factor of safety, probability of failure, Monte Carlo simulation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Hongliang Tao ◽  
Guangli Xu ◽  
Jingwen Meng ◽  
Ronghe Ma ◽  
Jiaxing Dong

The stability of high rock slopes has become a key engineering geological problem in the construction of important projects in mountainous areas. The original slope stability probability classification (SSPC) system, presented by Hack, has made obvious progress and been widely used in rock slope stability analysis. However, the selection and determination of some evaluation indexes in the original SSPC method are usually subjective, such as intact rock strength and weathering degree. In this study, the SSPC method based on geological data obtained in the prospecting tunnels was presented and applied. According to the field survey and exploration of the prospecting tunnels, the weathering degree of the slope rock mass was evaluated. The empirical equation for the maximum stable height of the slope was applied to the slope stability evaluation in the presented SSPC method. Then, the slope stability probability of numerous cutting slopes in the sandstone unit was evaluated using the presented system. Results of the Geostudio software based on the limited equilibrium analysis of the investigated slopes were compared with the results obtained by the SSPC method. The results indicate that the SSPC method is a useful tool for the stability prediction of high and steep rock slopes.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Hsuan Chang ◽  
Cheng-Han Lin ◽  
Ming-Lang Lin

&lt;p&gt;Joint persistence and groundwater are critical factors that influence the stability of rock slope. Persistence dominates the extent of pre-existing potential failure surfaces. Under certain conditions, slope instability may vary with time, as the propagation of existing joints leads to the development of fully persistence failure surfaces. At the same time, groundwater may travel through the fracture network and provides an external force to unstable rock masses, resulting in the damage of rock slope failure hard to predict. In general, when a rock slope consists of two or more sets of joints, the wedge failure often becomes the initial structurally controlled failure of a progressive large landslide. A classic case, which was occurred at a steep cut rock slope on 32.5k, Provincial Highway 7, Taiwan, had been completely recorded with UAV-surveys, field investigations and witness. The landslide first occurred on 13th May 2019 as a wedge failure with the magnitude of the volume of 892 m&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt; and resulted in a large landslide on 29th July 2019 with the magnitude of the volume of 37234 m&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;, destroyed the protection measures and roads. According to the field investigation, groundwater was discovered flowing out from the line of intersection of persistence joints, which could be the main reason leads to the wedge failure and the progressive large rockslide. Hence, the couple mechanics-hydraulic behavior in a rock slope should be studied in more detail to mitigate such hazards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this study, sandbox model was applied to clarify the effects of the groundwater and joint friction on failures of single rock wedge. In addition, the software 3DEC, which is based on Distinct Element method, was carried out to extent the analysis conditions. The results of sandbox simulations were used to calibrate the performance of the numerical model, especially the coupled hydro-mechanical analysis. The stability of jointed rock slopes under different persistence and various water pressure conditions has been studied. It is believed that the study can enhance the way for stability analysis and monitoring of the potential failure of jointed rock slopes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Keywords: Wedge failure; Joint persistence; Groundwater; Rock slope stability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (32) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Guido Wolters ◽  
Marcel Van Gent

Stability formulae for armour layers of rubble mound breakwaters are usually being applied assuming perpendicular wave attack. Often it is assumed that for oblique wave attack the reduction in damage compared to perpendicular wave attack is small. This seems however a very conservative assumption. Wave basin tests at Deltares provide information to assess the effects of oblique waves on the stability of rock slopes and cube armoured rubble mound breakwaters. This includes cubes in a single layer and cubes in a double layer. The results show that the few available formulae that include wave obliquity underestimate the effects of oblique wave attack; the observed damage to breakwaters with armour layers of rock and cubes is lower and therefore new stability increase factors and mass reduction factors have been developed. The tests were performed for wave directions between perpendicular (0) and 70. The results show that large potential savings in diameter and mass can be obtained for large angles of wave obliquity.


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