Method for Unloading Zonation Based on Strain per Unit Crack: Case Study of a Large-Scale Rocky Slope on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Zhengxuan Xu, Guoqing Chen (), Xiang Sun, Xin Yang and Zhiheng Lin
Additional contact information
Zhengxuan Xu: Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Guoqing Chen: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Xiang Sun: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Xin Yang: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Zhiheng Lin: China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610031, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Distribution of unloading zones determines stability of slopes, and the unloading of a large-scale rocky slope formed by rapid river erosion and surface uplift on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is particularly severe. Generally, unloading assessment relies on traditional methods, which are mainly related to phenomena. However, unloading is a process of deformation and failure regarding the rock mass. Based on deformation and failure, strain rate and crack rate established through theoretical analysis can measure the relationship between accumulative width of open cracks and unloading deformation and the relationship between accumulative number of cracks and unloading failure, respectively. Thus, a method that combines strain rate and crack rate, namely strain per unit crack (i.e., SPUC), is proposed. The SPUC was applied to assess the unloading zones of a large-scale rocky slope on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The results show that the SPUC curve regularly varied and can be easily divided into three parts. Strong and weak unloading zones can be recognized from the SPUC curve. The reasonability of SPUC in the unloading zones assessment was confirmed by comparing and verifying with traditional methods. We found that SPUC has good universality and can compensate for the defect of using strain rate or crack rate to assess unloading zones.

Keywords: unloading zonation; large-scale rocky slope; Qinghai–Tibet Plateau; strain per unit crack (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/4/3861/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/4/3861/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:4:p:3861-:d:1074821

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().