Research on the impact of fracture aperture on the stability of mudstone reservoir bank slopes under rainfall conditions

Abstract

The study of slope stability problems under the influence of rainfall is a key link in the prevention and control of slope disasters. To explore the impact of fracture aperture on the stability of mudstone reservoir bank slopes, the finite element numerical simulation technique was used to investigate the changes in internal seepage characteristics of slopes with different fracture apertures under rainfall conditions, and to analyze the rules of the impact of crack aperture on their stability under different slope failure modes. The results show that under rainfall conditions, rainwater permeates into the interior along the fracture of the slope rock mass and forms a saturated area at the base of the slope, with the area of this region increasing as the fracture aperture increases. When the mudstone reservoir bank slope undergoes slip failure, the stability coefficient increases with the increase of the fracture aperture, and when the fracture aperture is greater than 0.75 mm, the safety factor of the slope reaches 1.2; when it undergoes layer slip-bending failure, the stability coefficient decreases with the increase of the fracture aperture, and when the fracture aperture is less than 0.15 mm, the safety factor of the slope reaches 1.4. It can be seen that the impact of fracture aperture on the stability of mudstone reservoir bank slopes is directly related to the failure mode of the slope.

Keywords

reservoir bank slope / fracture aperture / slope disasters / finite element