Discussion on “Design Charts for Jointed Rock Slopes Susceptible to Slide-Head Toppling Failure” by Samson et al. (2023)

A significant mode of instability leading to the secondary toppling of geological formations is the failure mechanism known as slide-head-toppling. This instability mode occurs when a layer of weak zone is situated beneath the rock columns. It is characterized by a combination of toppling failure in the rock at the uppermost layer and semi-circular sliding in the weak zone at the lowermost layer. The resulting failure is a hybrid mechanism of toppling and sliding, which can have important implications for the stability of geological formations. Samson et al. (Geotech Geol Eng, 2023. 10.1007/s10706-023-02581-8) proposed the design charts for rock slopes susceptible to the aforementioned failure. The charts presented by Samson et al. (Geotech Geol Eng, 2023. 10.1007/s10706-023-02581-8) have some drawbacks which are discussed.