Experimental study of dynamic response of jointed rock slopes under cyclic loads

Under the long term cyclic vibration loading, the primary structural plane in rock slopes may expand and produce new fracture surfaces, which directly affect the stability of rock slopes. According to the similarity theory, a physical model of a slope was built to simulate a jointed rock slope. The cyclic shear load was applied on the shaking table with the amplitude of 1.0, 1.25and 1.5mm respectively and the dynamic response of the jointed rock slope under cyclic loads was recorded. The deformation of the jointed rock slope under the horizontal and vertical cyclic loads with the amplitude of 1.5mm was compared. The deformation of the slope increases with the increasing of vibration amplitudes and vibration time. The slope is more sensitive to the vertical cyclic load, while the deformation at the top of the slope is larger than that at the bottom. The long term vibration load leads to the extension, expansion and coalescence of the primary crack, which increases the deformation of the slope. Two possible failure modes of the slope under cyclic loads, the integral landslide and the partial sliding, were presented according to the deformation results of tests. © 2016, Science Press. All right reserved.