Refined modeling and stability analysis of open-pit mine slopes segmented by fault planes

ObjectiveThe fault zone in an open-pit mine slope is a key focus of three-dimensional stability analysis and numerical simulation. Geological fault planes divide the three-dimensional space of ore rock into complex spatial areas, making the generation of refined three-dimensional meshes for open-pit mine slopes a major challenge. To enhance the accuracy of stability analysis for open-pit mine slopes with faults, it is necessary to refine the mesh model of the fault zone based on accurate three-dimensional modeling of such slopes. MethodsFirst, an actual three-dimensional mesh model of an open-pit mine slope with faults was established. Then, using the fault plane mesh as the center, the three-dimensional tetrahedral mesh model of the slope was adaptively refined through a hierarchical approach. This method was implemented by developing the TetGen library on the VC++ platform. ResultsTaking the slope with faults of the Xi’er open-pit coal mine in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as an example, stability analysis was performed using FLAC3D for the models before and after mesh refinement. The stability coefficients of the models before and after graded refinement were 1.35 and 1.20, respectively. ConclusionThrough comparative analysis of the models before and after refinement, it is found that the refined mesh can significantly improve the numerical simulation accuracy of the geological body. Finally, by comparing the numerical results with the actual sliding mass, the reliability and effectiveness of the adaptive graded refinement method are verified.