A rock fall is significant phenomenon in rock engineering. happens quickly. In 2009, a rock fall occurred in a slope located above a concentration plant in the Sungun copper mine (northwest of Iran) and damaged structures. After the occurrence of the rock fall, both a stability analysis and stabilization system design were executed for the slope. In this study, the Sungun concentration plant slope was rated using the RHRS system and was determined to be a dangerous region. In addition, behavior parameters were determined based on the back analysis method. Laboratory test results and information about the fall were used in this method. Sections in the dangerous region and analysis models were prepared after determining the behavior parameters. The result of the modeling specifies the rock fall profile, energy of the fall and the point at which the rock stopped. Finally, stabilization systems were designed using the results of the modeling.
The text The Sungun copper mine, which is the second largest open pit mine in Iran, is located 100 km northwest of Tabriz City. This area is a mountainous region. The Sungun ore body is a porphyry copper deposit and the mine was designed to produce 7 million tons of ore with future expansions of up to 14 million tons. The ore body is located in a deep valley and the local topography ranges from 1700 to 2450 m.
The Sungun concentration plant is situated south of the Sungun mine. The concentration area is mountainous. A big slope 70m high and 500m wide was constructed in order to build this plant. There are some blocks of trachyte at the top of the slope, which can cause rock fall. This matter was reported during the construction of the slope. In addition, a rock fall occurred in this region in June 2009.
The following are discussed in this paper. Firstly, the geology of the area is described, followed by a description of how the region was rated using the RHRS system and determined to be a high-risk area. Next, the behavior parameters that were determined by laboratory tests and back analysis are presented. Finally, there is a discussion of how the slope was modeled using RocFall software and how suitable support systems were designed for each region.
