Stability analysis of complex rock slopes reinforced with prestressed anchor cables and anti-shear cavities

To evaluate the stability of reinforced complex rock slopes, an evaluation method for slope stability is proposed in this paper. In the proposed method, the force equilibrium of the potential slide mass is analyzed by treating the traction on the potential failure surface as an external force. The potential sliding direction is assumed to be the opposite direction of the resultant shear force on the potential failure surface, and the factor of safety is defined as the ratio of the available resisting force to the actual mobilized force. Through classic cases, the proposed method successfully predicts the stability of a slope critical to failure, and is compared with the traditional methods. Finally, the proposed method is used for a stability analysis of the left bank slope of the Jinping first stage hydropower station, considering two main reinforcing measures, prestressed anchor cables, and anti-shear cavities. Results indicate that the effects of the anti-shear cavities are more positively significant than the effects of the prestressed anchor cables. The safety factor is remarkably increased by the anti-shear cavities, which validates the importance of anti-shear cavities on slope stability.