Estimation of the possible instability that may be encountered in the excavation slope(s) during the planning and application steps of the rock excavation processes is an important issue in geoengineering. In this paper, a modelling method is presented for assessing the probability of wedge failure involving new permanent or temporary slope(s) along the planned excavation dir...

This paper demonstrates the ability of Shear Strength Reduction (SSR) analysis based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) to model the scale effects of discontinuity networks on the stability and failure mechanisms of slopes in blocky rock masses. Through three examples, it shows how these mechanisms depend on joint network geometry and change with increasing slope height. Introduction Scale Effe...

9 Rock mass characterization requires a deep geometric understanding of the 10 discontinuity sets affecting rock exposures. Recent advances in Light Detection and 11 Ranging (LiDAR) instrumentation currently allow quick and accurate 3D data 12 acquisition, yielding on the development of new methodologies for the automatic 13 characterization of rock mass discontinuities. This paper presents a m...