Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Qualitative stability assessment of cut slopes along the National Highway-05 around Jhakri area, Himachal Pradesh, India

  • Published:
Journal of Earth System Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Several deformation phases in tectonically active Himalayas have rendered the rock masses very complex in terms of structure, lithology and degree of metamorphism. Again, anthropogenic activities such as roads, tunnels and other civil engineering constructions have led to a state of disequilibrium which in many cases, results in failure of rock masses. National Highway-05 around Jhakri area in India is a major connecting route to the China border in the hilly terrains of the state Himachal Pradesh. It cuts through the Himalayan rocks and has a hazardous history of landslides destroying human lives and interrupting communication very frequently. As a contribution towards the mitigation process, a study has been carried out along the highway to analyse kinematic stability and qualitative estimation of rock mass condition through rock mass classification systems. The kinematic analysis shows that the rock slopes are prone to planar and wedge failure. Rock mass rating for most of the locations lies between 7 and 34, representing a poor rock mass quality (Class IV), whereas slope mass rating is more disperse and ranges from 11 to 52 for most of the slopes (Class III, IV and V).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anbalagan R, Sharma S and Raghuvanshi T K 1992 Rock mass stability evaluation using modified SMR approach; In: Proceedings 6th Natural Symposium on Rock Mechanics, Bangalore, India, pp. 258–268.

  • Barton N, Lien R and Lunde J 1974 Engineering classification of rock masses for the design of tunnel support; Rock Mechanics  6(4) 189–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bieniawski Z T 1973 Engineering classification of jointed rock masses; Trans. S. Afr. Inst. Civ. Eng.  15 335–344.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bieniawski Z T 1976 Rock mass classification in rock engineering; In: Proceedings of the symposium on explore for rock engineering, Johannesburg, pp. 97–106.

  • Bieniawski Z T 1979 The geomechanical classification in rock engineering applications; In: Proceedings of 4th International Congress on Rock Mechanics, International Society for Rock Mechanics, Salzburg, 2 41–48.

  • Bieniawski Z T 1989 Engineering rock mass classification; Chichester, Wiley, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deere D U 1963 Technical description of rock cores for engineering purposes; Rock Mech. Eng. Geol.  1 16–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman R E 1976 Methods of geological engineering in discontinuous rocks; West Publishing, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoek E and Bray J W 1981 Rock slope engineering; Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoek E, Marinos P and Benissi M 1998 Applicability of the Geological Strength Index (GSI) classification for very weak and sheared rock masses: The case of the Athens Schist Formation; Bull. Eng. Geol. Env. 57(2) 151–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • International Society of Rock Mechanics (ISRM) 1981 Rock characterization testing and monitoring: ISRM suggested methods; Pergamon Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kundu J, Sarkar K and Singh A K 2016 Integrating structural and numerical solutions for road cut slope stability analysis – A case study, India; In: Rock Dynamics: From Research to Engineering, Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Rock Dynamics and Applications, pp. 457–462.

  • Kundu J, Mahanta B, Tripathy A, Sarkar K and Singh T N 2016 Stability evaluation of jointed rock slope with curved face; In: INDOROCK 2016, pp. 971–978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laubscher D H 1977 Geomechanics classification of jointed rock masses-mining applications; Trans. Inst. Min. Metall. Sect. A – Mining Industry 86 A1–A8.

  • Laubscher D H 1984 Design aspects and effectiveness of support in different mining conditions; Trans. Inst. Min. Metall. Sect. A – Mining Industry  93 A70–A81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laubscher D H 1990 A geomechanics classification system for the rating of rock mass in mine design; J. S. Atr. Inst. Min. Metall. 90 257–273.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahanta B, Singh H O, Singh P K, Kainthola A and Singh T N 2016 Stability analysis of potential failure zones along NH-305, India; Natural Hazards, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2396-8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marinos P and Hoek E 2000 GSI – A geologically friendly tool for rock mass strength estimation; In: Proceedings of GeoEng2000 Conference, Melbourne, pp. 1422–1442.

  • Matherson G D 1988 The collection and use of field discontinuity data in rock slope design; Quart. J. Eng. Geol.  22 19–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Narula P L, Shanker R and Chopra C 2000 Rupture mechanism of Chamoli earthquake of 29th March 1999 and its implications for seismotectonics of Garwal Himalaya; J. Geol. Soc. India 55(5) 493–503.

  • Newman D A and Bieniawski Z T 1986 Modified version of the geomechanics classification for entry design in underground coal mines; Trans. Soc. Min. Eng. AIME  280 2134–2138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmstrom A 1985 Application of the volumetric joint count as a measure of rock mass jointing; In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Fundamentals of Rock Joints, Bjorkliden, Sweden, pp. 103–110.

  • Romana M 1985 New adjustment ratings for application of Bieniawski classification to slopes; In: Proceedings of International Symposium on Role of Rock Mech, ISRM, Zacatecas, Mexico, pp. 49–53.

  • Sarkar K, Singh A K, Niyogi A, Behera P K, Verma A K and Singh T N 2016 The assessment of slope stability along NH-05 in Rampur–Jhakri Area, Himachal Pradesh; J. Geol. Soc. India  88 387–393, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-016-0500-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Selby M J 1980 A rock mass strength classification for geomorphic purposes: With tests from Antarctica and New Zealand; Z. Geomorpho.  24 31–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh B and Goel R K 1999 Rock mass classification. A practical approach in civil engineering; Elsevier.

  • Singh K P 1979 Deformation history of the rocks around Sarahan Bushair, Himachal Pradesh; In: Structural geology of the Himalaya (ed.) Saklani P S, pp. 163–182.

  • Singh P K, Kainthola A and Singh T N 2015 Rock mass assessment along the right bank of river Sutlej, Luhri, Himachal Pradesh, India; Geomatics. Nat. Hazards Risk  6 212–223, https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2013.834486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonmez H and Ulusay R 1999 Modifications to the geological strength index (GSI) and their applicability to stability of slopes; Int. J. Rock Mech. Mining Sci. 36 743–760.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sonmez H and Ulusay R 2002 A discussion on the Hoek-Brown failure criterion and suggested modifications to the criterion verified by slope stability case studies; Yerbilimleri (Earth Sci.) 26 77–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Srikantia S V and Bhargava O N 1998 Geology of Himachal Pradesh; Geol. Soc. India.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomas R, Delgado J and Seron J B 2007 Modification of slope mass rating (SMR) by continuous functions; Int. J. Rock Mech. Mining Sci.  44 1062–1069.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umrao R K, Singh R and Singh T N 2015 Stability evaluation of hill cut slopes along National Highway-13 near Hospet, Karnataka, India; Georisk Assess. Manag. Risk Eng. Syst. Geohazards 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1080/17499518.2015.1053494.

  • Venkateswarlu V 1986 Geomechanics classification of coal measure rocks vis-a-vis roof supports; Ph.D. thesis, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad.

  • Weaver J 1975 Geological factors significant in the assessment of rippability; Civ. Eng. S. Afr. 17 313–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang L 2016 Determination and applications of rock quality designation (RQD); J. Rock Mech. Geotech. Eng., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2015.11.008.

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere acknowledgement to the Department of Earth Sciences, IIT Bombay, for providing facilities to conduct experimental works. The authors are also thankful to IIT (ISM) Dhanbad for providing financial support for Dips 6.0 from Faculty Research Scheme (Project No: FRS (46)/2013-2014/AGL).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Geology, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, 826 004, India

    Jagadish Kundu & Kripamoy Sarkar

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400 076, India

    Ashutosh Tripathy & T N Singh

Authors
  1. Jagadish Kundu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kripamoy Sarkar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ashutosh Tripathy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. T N Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ashutosh Tripathy.

Additional information

Corresponding editor: N Purnachandra Rao

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kundu, J., Sarkar, K., Tripathy, A. et al. Qualitative stability assessment of cut slopes along the National Highway-05 around Jhakri area, Himachal Pradesh, India. J Earth Syst Sci 126, 112 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-017-0893-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-017-0893-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation