Pitwall Stability Laboratory, Empress Catherine II Saint-Petersburg Mining University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

A. A. Pavlovich, Head of Laboratory, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, pavlovich_aa@pers.spmi.ru
N. Ya. Melnikov, Senior Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences
A. S. Sviridenko, Leading Engineer
A. M. Shepel, Leading Engineer

Currently, geomechanical justification of maximum allowable pitwall limit is based on the load-bearing capacity estimation. The estimation result is the stability factor and its comparison with the standard value. According to the normative approach, stability factor is the only criterion of slope stability. Also, it is assumed that at the stability factors higher than 1.3, pitwall rock mass experiences mostly elastic deformation. Actual mining experience shows that deformations may be of different scales, especially in large open pits. Sometimes displacements confine mining operations, for instance, in case of reversal dip of strata. Accordingly, the normative approach to the displacement estimations is highly generalized and lacks attention to the variety of geological conditions and to the change of the stress–strain behavior of pitwall rock mass during mining. Rock mass is a jointed and blocky medium characterized by nonlinear deformation. This is particularly valid for deep open pits. For this reason, the issues concerned with prediction of displacements of pitwall rock mass become increasingly more topical. Thus, the slope stability estimation should include both stability factors and deformations. With this object in mind, the influence of the stress state of slopes on the deformation behavior of pitwall rock mass was studied using physical simulation and equivalent materials. The modeling displayed peculiarities of slope deformation in the course of the decrease of the stability factor down to complete failure.

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