Abstract
Hundreds of fatalities are being reported every year due to rampant slope failures along road-cut engineered slopes in the Himalayan region. Prevailing perilous conditions of cut slopes are mainly due to adverse geological attributes and ever-rising anthropogenic factors. To procure a landslide resilient design along roads in mountainous regions, a systematic geotechnical investigation is required. In this regard, the characterization of vulnerable slopes through empirical classification systems is of paramount importance for geotechnical appraisal. Eleven vulnerable road cut slopes along national highway-5 (NH-5), from Solan to Shimla have been studied herein. The present study incorporates the application of Slope Mass Rating (SMR) and its extensions, including Continuous Slope Mass Rating (CSMR) and Chinese Slope Mass Rating (ChSMR) to study various slopes. The outcomes of SMR and its extensions are used to classify cut slopes into different stability grades. In addition, prevailing structurally controlled failures have also been assessed by kinematic analysis. The majority of slopes are liable to undergo planar and wedge failures. The outcomes obtained by kinematic analysis, SMR and its extensions are used to propose adequate remedial measures.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ansari T, Kainthola A, Singh KH, Singh TN, Sazid M (2021) Geotechnical and micro-structural characteristics of phyllite derived soil; implications for slope stability, Lesser Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. Catena 196:104906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104906
Bieniawski ZT (1989) Engineering rock mass classification. Wiley, New York, p 251p
Chen Z (1995) Recent developments in slope stability analysis. In: Proceedings of the 8th international congress of rock mechanics, Tokyo, Japan.
Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA 2017) Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Plan 2017, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
Hoek E, Bray JW (1981) Rock Slope Engineering. In 3rd edition, The Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London
Hoek E, Brown ET (1980) Underground Excavations in Rock. Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London, London
ISRM (1978) Suggested methods for determining the uniaxial compressive strength and deformability of rock materials. Int J Rock Mech Mining Sci Geomech Abstr 16:135–140
ISRM (1981) ISRM Suggested methods for the quantitative description of discontinuities in rock masses. In: Brown ET editor. Rock characterization, testing and monitoring: ISRM suggested Methods. Pergamon, Oxford
Kumar M, Rana S, Pant PD, Patel RC (2017) Slope stability analysis of Balia Nala landslide, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India. J Rock Mech Geotech Eng 9(2017):150–158
Kundu J, Sarkar K, Singh AK, Singh TN (2020) Continuous functions and a computer application for Rock Mass Rating. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 129:104280
Kundu J, Sarkar K, Tripathy A, Singh TN (2017) Qualitative stability assessment of cut slopes along the National Highway-05 around Jhakri area, Himachal Pradesh, India. J Earth Syst Sci 126:112
Li J, Villaescusa E (2005) Determination of rock mass compressive strength using critical strain theory. In proceedings of Alaska Rocks 2005, The 40th U.S. Symposium on Rock Mechanics, Alaska
Mazumdar P, Mukhopadhyay A, Thorie A, Banerjee T, Rai SK (2021) Geochemistry of Neoproterozoic Chhaosa shales, Simla Group, Lesser Himalaya: Its implications on provenance and tectonics. J Earth Syst Sci 130:175
Neeraj PK, Sarkar S (2018) Stability assessment of cut slopes along Shivpuri – Kaudiyala road (NH-58), Uttarakhand Himalayas. In: Proceedings of Indian geotechnical conference, Bengaluru, India
Palmstrom A (1974) Characterization of jointing density and the quality of rock masses. Internal report, Berdal, Norway
Palmstrom A (1982) The volumetric joint count - a useful and simple measure of the degree of jointing. In: Proceedings of the 4th congress of international association of engineering geology, New Delhi, India: V.221–V.228
Romana M (1985) New adjustment ratings for application of Bieniawski classification to slopes. In: International symposium on the role of rock mechanics ISRM, Zacatecas, pp 49–53
Romana M (1993) A geomechanics classification for slopes: slope mass rating. In: Hudson J (ed) Comprehensive rock engineering, vol 3. Elsevier, Pergamon, pp 575–600
Romana M, Tomás R, Serón JB (2015) Slope Mass Rating (SMR) geomechanics classification: thirty years review. In: Proceedings of the 13th congress of international symposium on rock mechanics, Quebec, Canada, p 10
Sardana S, Verma AK, Singh A, Laldinpuia (2019) Comparative analysis of rockmass characterization techniques for the stability prediction of road cut slopes along NH-44A, Mizoram, India. Bull Eng Geol Environ 78: 5977–5989
Sarkar K, Sazid M, Khandelwal M, Singh TN (2009) Stability analysis of soil slope in Luhri area, Himachal Pradesh. Mining Engineer’s J 10(6):21–27
Sarkar S, Kanungo DP, Kumar S (2012) Rock mass classification and slope stability assessment of road cut slopes in Garhwal Himalaya, India. Geotech Geol Eng 30:827–840
Sazid M (2018) Correlation of ultrasound velocity with physico-mechanical properties of Jodhpur sandstone. Mater Test 60(11):1093–1096. https://doi.org/10.3139/120.111258
Sazid M (2019) Analysis of rockfall hazards along NH-15: a case study of Al-Hada road. Int J Geo-Eng 10:1
Siddique T, Khan EA (2019) Stability appraisal of road cut slopes along a strategic transportation route in the Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India. SN Appl Sci 1:409
Siddique T, Pradhan SP (2018) Stability and sensitivity analysis of Himalayan road cut debris slopes: an investigation along NH-58, India. Nat Haz 93(2):577–600
Siddique T, Alam MM, Mondal MEA, Vishal V (2015) Slope Mass rating and kinematic analysis of slopes along national highway-58, near jonk, Rishikesh, India. J Rock Mech Geotech Eng 7(5):600–606
Siddique T, Mondal MEA, Pradhan SP, Salman M, Sohel M (2020) Geotechnical assessment of cut slopes in the landslide prone Himalayas: rock mass characterization and simulation approach. Nat Hazards 104:413–435
Siddique T, Pradhan SP, Vishal V, Mondal MEA, Singh TN (2017) Stability assessment of Himalayan road cut slopes along National Highway 58, India. Environ Earth Sci 76:759
Singh HO, Ansari TA, Singh TN, Singh KH (2020) Analytical and numerical stability analysis of road cut slopes in Garhwal Himalaya, India. Geotech Geol Eng 38:4811–4829
Singh J, Thakur M (2019) Landslide stability assessment along Panchkula-Morni road, Nahan salient, NW Himalaya, India. J Earth Syst Sci 128:148
Singh PK, Wasnik AB, Kainthola A, Sazid M, Singh TN (2013) The stability of road cut cliff face along SH-121: a case study. Nat Hazards 68(2):497–507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0627-9
Technical Advisory Response Unit (TARU 2015) Preparation of Hazard, Vulnerability & Risk Analysis atlas and report for the state of Himachal Pradesh. In Landslide Hazard Risk Assessment Composite Final Draft Report, New Delhi and Ahmedabad, India.
Tomás R, Delgado J, Serón JB (2007) Modification of slope mass rating (SMR) by continuous functions. J Rock Mech Min Sci 44:1062–1069
Umrao RK, Singh R, Ahmad M, Singh TN (2011) Stability analysis of cut slopes using continuous slope mass rating and kinematic analysis in Rudraprayag District, Uttarakhand. Geomaterials 03:79–87
Yagiz S (2009) Predicting uniaxial compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and index properties of rocks using the Schmidt hammer. Bull Eng Geol Env 68(1):55–63
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this paper
Cite this paper
Siddique, T., Sazid, M., Khandelwal, M., Varshney, H., Irshad, S. (2022). Application of Slope Mass Rating and Kinematic Analysis Along Road Cut Slopes in the Himalayan Terrain. In: Verma, A.K., et al. Proceedings of Geotechnical Challenges in Mining, Tunneling and Underground Infrastructures. ICGMTU 2021. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 228. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9770-8_47
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9770-8_47
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-9769-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-9770-8
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)