Dynamic Stability of Rock Slopes and High Frequency Traveling Waves

Abstract

An investigation of high frequency, traveling wave excitation of a two‐dimensional, multiple block, rock slope was conducted with a discrete element model to quantify the effects of variable frequency blasting vibrations. The investigation involved a responding upper rigid block and multiple lower rigid blocks that were excited so as to represent a wave propagating through the rock mass. At constant particle velocity or acceleration, increasing dominant excitation frequency significantly decreases shear displacement. Other propagating wave factors such as propagation velocity, wave type, and joint stiffnesses affect calculated shear displacements to a lesser extent than the frequency.