Deterministic and Probabilistic Block Theory Analyses Comparison for an Open Pit Mine Rock Slope in USA
Abstract
A new formulation is given to conduct a probabilistic block theory analysis. A new computer code (PBTAC) is developed to perform both deterministic and probabilistic block theory analysis. The variability of the discontinuity orientation and shear strength is incorporated in the probabilistic block theory analysis. Discontinuity orientation is treated as a bivariate random variable including the correlation that exists between the dip angle and dip direction. PBTAC code was applied to perform both deterministic and probabilistic block theory analyses for a part of an open pit mine in USA. Needed geological and geotechnical data for the analyses were obtained from field and laboratory investigations. The variability of the discontinuity orientations resulted in important differences between the probabilistic and deterministic block theory analyses results. The results confirmed that the design value selected for the Maximum Safe Slope Angle (MSSA) for a particular region in the open pit mine based on the deterministic block theory analysis can be on the un-conservative side. In summary, the results showed clearly the superiority of probabilistic block theory analysis over the deterministic block theory analysis in obtaining additional important information with respect to designing rock slopes. The calculated values agree very well with the existing almost stable bench face angles reported by a major mining company which cooperated with this study.
Recommended Citation
P. H. Kulatilake et al., "Deterministic and Probabilistic Block Theory Analyses Comparison for an Open Pit Mine Rock Slope in USA," Proceedings of the 49th US Rock Mechanics / Geomechanics Symposium (2015, San Francisco, CA), vol. 2, pp. 1532 - 1543, American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA), Jul 2015.
Meeting Name
49th US Rock Mechanics / Geomechanics Symposium (2015: Jun. 28-Jul. 1, San Francisco, CA)
Department(s)
Mining Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Rock mechanics; Rocks, Block theory; Calculated values; Computer codes; Design value; Geotechnical data; Laboratory investigations; Mining companies; Slope angles, Open pit mining
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-151081051-8
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2015 American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jul 2015
Comments
The work was partially funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Contract No. 200-2011-39886), National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program; No. 2010CB732005) and the National Natural Science Foundation Project of China (No. 51079093).