Stress concentration in slope rockmass at an open pit

During the excavation process of an open pit slope, due to the resilience of open space after unloading, an obvious stress concentration zone is formed from the primary stress in the undisturbed rockmass near the slope foot. Therefore, slope foot becomes the major contributor to slope stability. Finite elementary analysis shows that stress concentration in slope rockmass is affected by primary lateral horizontal stress, slope height, slope angle and width of slope bottom, among which lateral horizontal stress is the most important factor.