Seismic wave propagation characteristic and its effects on the failure of steep jointed anti-dip rock slope

Discontinuities, such as joints and beddings, usually play a significant role in the seismic response and corresponding failure process of slopes, especially for anti-dip rock slide according to field observations. Shaking table tests associated with numerical analyses are carried out in this paper to explore the effect of seismic wave on response of jointed anti-dip rock slopes. Shaking table tests involve anti-dip rock slope models with different rock types and different excitation intensities. Ten accelerometers are installed inside each slope model to monitor the dynamic response and spectrum shifting characteristics. It is found that the area of failure zone in the soft rock anti-dip slope is approximate 1.5 times the size of that in the hard rock anti-dip slope. Meanwhile, the width and ridge number of the fast Fourier-transformation spectrum along the slope surface can reveal the internal damage features within the anti-dip rock slopes, and the multiple failure planes can also be recognized according to the variation of distance between the innermost and outermost ridges in the fast Fourier-transformation spectrum. Moreover, the distinct element method incorporating a damage model is used to interpret the test results and to identify the main influencing factors for seismic instability. It is found that the failure pattern of a jointed anti-dip rock slope is more sensitive to bedding inclination than to joint inclination.