Influence of Blasting Activities on Slope Stability: A Case Study
Mohamed Fredj, Riadh Boukarm and Abderrazak Saadoun
Published: November 08, 2021.
Abstract
In the phosphate mine, the Kef-Essnoun deposit extended to (N75° E), soft and brittle tectonics resulted in an abrupt change in the dip of the phosphate layer flush or the dip angle is subvertical or steeply inclined towards the Southeast and sometimes the Northwest. The overall edge angle of the pit evaluated at 55° for a depth of 75 m. Several incidents of slope failure occurred in the mine, and a considerable disruption to production and monetary losses occurred. It is expected that slope failures may be triggered due to blasting in a steeply sloped laminate. In order to study the causes of slope failures, on the one hand, a back analysis was applied in order to assess the most probable physical and mechanical characteristics of the layer generating the movement, and on the other hand, the slope was analyzed by the limit equilibrium methods (LEM). The calculation of the safety factor (SF) value was carried out under static loads and dynamic loads were taken into account, which led to the conclusion that the dynamic load affects the safety factor.
Keywords: Slope stability; Blasting; Safety factor; LEM; Open-pit Mine