Abstract
Accurate input of geological elements is essential for evaluating or predicting natural hazards such as subsidence, landslides, and earthquakes. This paper proposes an approach to carry out an open pit’s overall and whole-process mechanical analysis with complex geological conditions, using precise modeling and large-scale parallel calculation techniques. Taking the Fushun West Open-pit Mine (the largest open-pit coal mine in Asia) as an example, through the elaborate multi-method geological investigation, the interfaces of interbedded shales and mudstones, the unloading zones, and the small structures were identified, a detailed 3D geological model was built and finely meshed in full-size with 100 million degrees of freedom, large-scale parallel numerical simulation was then performed, the results agree well with the InSAR monitoring data and in situ observations. Besides, the simulation can replicate the landslides in recent years. Through the simulation, it is possible to locate the potential landslide area, and targeted backfilling schemes for stability treatment were put forward and further simulated. The results indicate that the proposed approach can more effectively and reliably evaluate the Fushun West Open-pit Mine’s overall slope stability and closure plan.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors, upon reasonable request.