Designing Constructing and Monitoring of Slopes in
Designing Constructing and Monitoring of Slopes in
Designing Constructing and Monitoring of Slopes in
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Dalibor Udovic
Monterra d.o.o., Rijeka , Croatia
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ABSTRACT: This paper gives the review of investigation works, designing and monitoring during the con-
struction, as well as the types of slope protection on the cuts in limestone rock mass in Croatia. For demands
of the higher cuts design, detailed geotechnical investigation works are maintained, and they consist of re-
search drilling, geophysical investigations by the method of shallow refraction, engineering geological map-
ping, laboratory testing etc. At cut design, stability analysis for the failure through the rock mass, plane and
wedge failure and stress–strain analysis for the particular cuts as the first design stage are implemented. At the
second design stage during construction, by observational method, detailed monitoring of rock mass behavior
is maintained, including geotechnical supervision and monitoring of installed inclinometers and deformeters.
Based on given data out of measurement devices and engineering geological mapping of the cuts, it is possible
to change factor of safety adopt adequate support systems. During the construction of geotechnical structures
in rock mass, design process starts with investigation works, and is carried out over the analyses and imple-
mentation of the main design, monitoring during the construction and changes of the support systems that are
included in the final design.
gained. 180
Profile km 1+850,00
Designing of cuts in rock mass concerns finding 175
Level (m)
heights, cuts are performed in levels of 0.8 to 10.0 m 160
Rock bolt L=9 .0m, N=15 0 k N, on raster 2 m
Rock bolt L=9 .0m, N=15 0 k N, on raster 2 m So il: 1
Distance (m)
First three types of protection are mostly used to 4.2 Galvanized meshes reinforced with rockbolts
ensure local slope stability (erosion stability, detach- and steel wire ropes
ing and falling of small stone blocks, smaller wedge In cases requiring higher tensile strength in meshes
failure etc.) while systematic slope support is used to double twisted meshes reinforced with anchors and
secure the global stability of slopes (failure through steep ropes are used. Double twisted knitted mesh is
rock mass, planar failure or bigger wedge failure). installed on earlier drilled rockbolts and on the an-
chors heads especially steel spike plates are installed
4.1 Double twisted galvanized wire mesh to anchoring the steel ropes – Figure 6. Plates are
tightened to rockbolts heads with nuts and after-
Double twisted galvanized wire meshes are pro- wards the whole area of the slope is interlaced with
duced in hexagonal shape that provides better and steel ropes placed in adequate orientation. Steel rope
proper tension distribution in the mesh wire. The diameter varies from 12.0 to 16.0 mm thickness.
mesh consists of wire (commonly 3.0 mm thick) that
is double twisted and bended to form openings ac-
cording to production methods (80 x 100 mm or 60
x 80 mm). The mesh is straightened laterally on the
connecting point with wire that has higher tensile
strength and profile (commonly 3.9 mm thick). Dou-
ble twisting system localizes any kind of mesh dam-
age and it prevents expansion and distribution of
eventual mesh damage resulted from fracture inside
the mesh.
Double twisted mesh is used for local slope stabi-
lization (smaller rockfall protection, protection from
smaller stone blocks), for building retaining struc-
tures (gabions, sack gabions, prefilled gabions and
others), for building of reinforced structures
(teramesh and green terramesh system) and for rein-
forcing asphalt (steelgrid) – Figure 5.
This type of mesh is produced under highly con- Figure 6. Slope protection with galvanized meshes reinforced
trolled conditions; it has to have an exceptionally with rockbolts and steel wire ropes
high strength, high resistance to negative weather in-
fluences and chemically aggressive substances, tem-
perature changes, corrosion etc. If necessary the
mesh can be protected with PVC covering (polyac-
4.3 High load-bearing meshes reinforced with ers. Most commonly two or three layers of shotcrete
rockbolts are installed and they are additionally reinforced
with reinforcement meshes.
When the rock mass is extremely fractured and high
tensile capacity of the mash is needed because of the
stone blocks sizes and masses a load bearing mesh is
applied to the rock mass reinforced with rockbolts
(geotechnical self-drilling anchor) is used. The wire
of the mesh is consisted of high quality steel with
great tensile strength (minimal 1770 N/m2) therefore
the technology of double twisting is not possible –
Figure 7. Spike plates that are rhombus shaped are
installed on rockbolt instead of the normal plates in
order to obtain better force transfer from rockbolt
over mesh to rock mass.
5 CONCLUSION
Geotechnical design of cuts in rock mass slopes
could be divided into two phases. First phase is con-
sisting of geotechnical investigations work (research
drilling, geophysical investigations, engineering geo-
logical mapping, laboratory testing etc) and stability
analysis is part of main design. At this stage behav-
ior of the cut during excavation and slope protection
measures are predicted.
Figure 7. High load-bearing mesh.
At the second stage during construction, by ob-
servational method, detailed monitoring of rock
4.4 Systematic slope supporting with anchors and mass behavior is maintained, including geotechnical
shotcrete supervision and monitoring by measuring through
Rock reinforcement has an important role in installed inclinometers and deformeters. Based on
maintain and supporting the stability of cuts. Geo- given data out of measurement devices and engineer-
technical self-drilling rockbolt or normal geotechni- ing geological mapping of the cuts, it is possible to
cal steel rod anchors in combination with shotcrete change factor of safety adopt adequate support sys-
are using for ensuring global slope stability where tems. During the construction of geotechnical struc-
higher reactions on the support are expected. An- tures in rock mass, design process starts with inves-
chors are installed on a grid from 2.0 x 2.0 m up to tigation works and is carried out over the analyses
4.0 x 4.0 m, and types of rockbolts are chosen ac- and implementation of the main design, monitoring
during the construction and changes of the support
cording to requested bearing capacity (rockbolt di-
ameter, type of self-drilling rockbolts etc.). In all in- systems that are included in the final design.
Because of non homogeneity of rock mass and its
stalled rockbolts a pre stressing force in amount of
30% of the calculated force of rockbolt is installed. engineering-geological characteristics, which change
In that way the rockbolt is activated in the moment often and locally at the same slope, it is necessary to
when force is installed into the rockbolt and it start ensure geotechnical supervision. Local instabilities
to act as an active system of slope supporting. in karst terrains are frequently presence, unpredict-
Stone block from the rock mass supported with sys- able and it is impossible to discover through geo-
tem reinforcing elements can be exposed to different technical investigation works. These instabilities ap-
mechanical behaviors shown on Figure 7. pear during the construction stage and are protected
Load transfer from reinforcing system of the rock by authority of geotechnical supervising engineer.
mass on to the supporting structure made of shot-
crete causes changes in tension status that the shot-
crete is not able to take over so it is necessary to re-
inforce the shotcrete with reinforcement. Shotcrete is
installed with wet or dry method in 5.0 cm thick lay-
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