Rock slope stability assessment incorporating fissure effects

A fan-shoot searching method has been developed as a method of rock slope stability assessment. This method was applied to two quarrying rock slopes containing pervasive fissures. The fissures were generated on the modeled slope profiles for stability analysis with the frequency and dip obtained from survey results. Some fissures on the slope profile were incorporated as part of the presumed sliding surface. This method enables stability assessment of slopes containing fissures, even if the distribution pattern of the fissures in the rock mass is not well known. This technique was effectively used for understanding the unstable behavior of quarrying slopes.