Monitoring prediction of a rockslide in an open-pit mine and numerical analysis using a material instability criterion

Although there have been rapid developments in the field of geomechanics and geotechnics in recent decades, understanding the instability mechanisms of geomaterials and the prediction of landslides remain worldwide problems. The objective of this study was to present a real rockslide prediction by a novel monitoring system and discuss a numerical approach as an assistant tool. On one hand, a real rockslide that occurred in an open-pit mine was monitored using a novel constant-resistance-large-deformation (CRLD) cable, and the successful prediction of a rockslide and evacuation of personnel and equipment were presented. On the other hand, the stability of the studied rock slope was controlled by a major fault. A material instability criterion was selected to analyze the failure of the major fault and the rockslide mechanism. Finally, the material instability criterion was implanted into the FLAC3D software, and the real rockslide was simulated and analyzed in the framework of the finite difference method. The failure of the major discontinuity was discussed, the numerical results were compared with the real case, and reasonable explanations were proposed.