Webinar: Stability analysis of open pit slopes during heavy rainfall

Join the Geomechanics Society for their Webinar: Stability analysis of open pit slopes during heavy rainfall.

About this event

Water is one of the most significant, yet often under-recognised, triggers of slope instability in open pits. A recent study of nearly 300 pit slope failures found that more than half were triggered by water-related factors, with heavy rainfall alone responsible for almost 40% of all failures. Despite this, surface recharge from rainfall is still rarely considered explicitly in pit slope design.

This webinar will explore how rainfall infiltration can affect pit slope stability through reduced rock mass strength, elevated pore pressures, and fluid pressure acting within open discontinuities such as tension cracks.

Using an idealised numerical model, the presentation will examine slope performance under a range of rainfall and slope conditions, and introduce a set of dimensionless parameters, including the recharge factor, to assess transient pore pressure response during heavy rainfall events.

The webinar will also discuss how recharge factor concepts can be used to guide the selection of equivalent Ru values as a practical alternative to more rigorous infiltration and flow analyses.

Case experience with the use of Ru will be shared, along with practical suggestions for identifying pit slope areas that may be more susceptible to surface water recharge.

Speaker/s

Loren Lorig

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Loren Lorig has more than 45 years of experience in engineering projects requiring specialized geomechanics consulting. His area of expertise is in the application of numerical models to provide solutions to stability, support, and dynamics problems in civil and mining engineering. He has worked extensively in many of the largest open pits in the world and has served as a member of consulting and peer review boards for numerous large projects. He has conducted over 50 short courses and has authored more than 100 technical articles.