Stability Analysis of a Slope Supporting a Water Tank in Proximity to a Quarry: A Case Study Involving Seismic Geophysical Testing and Finite Element Modeling
Seismic geophysical testing and numerical modeling was employed to conduct a slope stability study. The slope of interest faces a rock quarry and supports an existing water storage tank. A second water tank is also planned to be installed on top of the slope. A concern was that the ground vibrations induced by rock blasting in the adjacent quarry may result in the failure of the slope. The geophysical investigation consisted of running seismic refraction and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) acquisition lines at various locations across the site. Using the results of the geophysical testing, a finite element model was developed, and for each tank, a frequency-dependent vibration criterion was established to ensure a minimum factor of safety of two against blast-induced vibrations.
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