Every year the Himalayan regions of India experience several devastating landslides, which not only claim the lives of people, but also disrupt transportation facilities and the environment in general. The present study deals with assessing the instability conditions of a road-cut slope, under saturated conditions, using kinematic analysis with the help of Dips software, and two numerical simulation techniques, viz., the finite and the distinct element methods using the software packages RS2 and UDEC respectively. Probable mode of failure represented by the distinct element modeling agrees well with that predicted by the kinematic analysis of the slope. The results of the analyses suggest that the distinct element approach is a better suited technique for stability analysis of heavily jointed rock slopes compared to the finite element approach. The studied slope has been found to be unstable, hence few remedial measures have been suggested to improve its strength.
Himachal Pradesh, situated in the western Himalayas, is a beautiful mountainous state with constantly changing climate and a rugged topography (Kundu et al. 2017). Almost every year, the hilly areas of this state suffer from the problem of landslides. Over the past few years, the relentless occurrence of landslides has been a matter of great concern. The constant increase in their frequency has been attributed to the alteration of the geo-environmental scenario of the area. There is an urgent need to analyze the stability of the vulnerable slopes in this region (Sarkar et al. 2016 and Singh et al. 2007).
In the present study, the stability of a jointed rock slope along the National Highway 05 between Jeori and Tranda in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh has been examined. Finite Element method (FEM) and Distinct Element Method (DEM) are the numerical simulation techniques employed for the stability analysis, after the application of kinematic analysis to determine the mode of failure.
