Rock Slope Geohazard Assessment and Mitigation to Protect People and Infrastructure

未来十年，由于人口增长和新的天然气、石油和采矿开发，加拿大将在陡峭的地形上建造数十亿美元的新基础设施。居住或工作在陡峭岩石斜坡附近的人们以及相关的基础设施都暴露在地质灾害中。该研究计划的长期目标是改善地质灾害评估技术，并建立地质灾害评估和适当的风险缓解措施的设计之间的缺失环节，以减少与岩石从陡峭的岩石斜坡下降的损失。短期目标解决了目前岩石陡坡风险管理中的三个不足之处。现有的地质灾害评估方法可能需要太长的时间，并可能使进行评估的岩土工程师暴露于不安全的现场工作。过度简单化的几何公式（在当前的建筑规范中）用于定义安全建筑的区域;这些公式没有考虑岩体质量和基础设施脆弱性等重要因素。加拿大已经采用了新技术，如斜坡网格，但需要设计方法来具体说明如何使用这些技术。 研究目标是：*1）通过使用无人机和测试无人机上各种传感器包的有效性，改进陡岩面的评估技术。一系列数字彩色相机将与激光雷达传感器和红外相机进行比较。*2）制定确定后退距离的基本原理，通过纳入岩体和边坡几何形状考虑以及建筑物易损性，确定地块上结构物的安全位置。采用多标准方法计算挫折将是对现行做法的重大改进。*3）通过全尺寸试验的数值模拟，提高对基本支护-岩体相互作用的认识，创建使用螺栓网的边坡稳定设计方法，超越目前使用的简单破坏机制/荷载假设。此外，设计将明确纳入目前在岩石边坡危险等级系统中获得的数据，但令人遗憾的是，这些数据不用于支护设计目的。对后退距离的研究将导致划定哪里是安全的建设，从而防止房屋建设过于接近希尔赛德住宅发展的岩石切割。对于沿着公路、铁路和露天矿山的岩质边坡，开展锚网支护设计研究，可以挽救生命，减少经济和环境损失。使用无人机对房屋、高速公路和铁路上方的悬崖进行快速、安全的表征的研究，将使人们在发生边坡不稳定时能够更快速地做出反应，并及时做出疏散或重新开放运输路线的决定。**

Billions of dollars of new infrastructure will be built in steep terrain in Canada over the coming decade due to population growth and new natural gas, oil, and mining developments. People living or working near steep rock slopes and the associated infrastructure are exposed to geohazards. The long-term objectives of the research program are to improve geohazard assessment techniques and to build the missing links between geohazard assessment and the design of appropriate risk mitigation measures to reduce losses associated with rock falling from steep rock slopes. The short-term objectives address three deficiencies in the current risk management for steep rock slopes. Existing geohazard assessment methods can take too long and can expose geotechnical engineers doing the assessment to unsafe fieldwork. Overly simplistic geometric formulae (in current building codes) are used to define areas where it is safe to build; these formulae do not consider important factors such as the rock mass quality and the infrastructure vulnerability. New technologies such as slope meshing have been introduced in Canada but design methods are needed for specifying how these should be used.  The research objectives are to:****1) Improve assessment techniques for steep rock faces by using drones and by testing the effectiveness of various sensor packages on drones. A range of digital colour cameras will be compared with lidar sensors and an infrared camera. ***2) Develop a rationale to determine setback distances that define safe locations for a structure on a lot by incorporating rock mass and slope geometry considerations as well as building vulnerability. A multi-criteria approach to calculation of setbacks will be a significant improvement over current practices. ***3) Create design methodologies for slope stabilization with bolted mesh that advance beyond the currently used simple failure mechanism/loading assumptions by improving knowledge of fundamental support - rock mass interactions through numerical simulation of full-scale tests. Furthermore, the design will explicitly incorporate data that are now acquired in rock slope hazard rating systems, yet astonishingly, not used for support design purposes.****The research on setback distances will lead to delineation of where it is safe to build, thus preventing construction of homes located too close to rock cuts for hillside residential development. For rock slopes along highways, railways, and in open pit mines, the research on design of rock stabilization with bolted mesh will save lives and reduce economic and environmental losses. The research using drones for rapid and safe characterization of cliffs above homes, highways, and railways will enable more rapid response and timely decisions about evacuations or reopening of transportation routes when slope instability occurs. **