HYDRO MECHANICAL COUPLING ON SLOPES

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 1. Introduction:
Slope stability is the potential of soil or rock to withstand and undergo movements. Stability is
determined by balancing of shear stress and shear strength. Due to various climatic factors or
human induced factors slope becomes unstable. Soil have pores and rocks are fractured filled
with air and water. To analyze fluid flow through fractured rock medium we should consider
mechanics of solid material along with fluid flow. Fluid flow and mechanics of solids cannot be
analyzed separately. To model fully saturated fractured rock slope , Hydromechanical coupling
of equations governing solid deformation and fluid pressure is necessary.

Hydromechanical coupling is a physical interaction between hydraulic and mechanical process.

The simplest theoretical example of Hydromechanical coupling is the theory of effective stress.
This theory explains the dissipation of pore fluid pressure by flow. The vertical effective stress is
equal to total stress or the difference of applied load and pore pressure in the pores or joints. The
fundamental equation for explaining Hydromechanical coupling is

𝛔′ = 𝛔𝒏 − µ (1)
𝑲 𝑻
𝑪𝒗 = 𝑺 = 𝑺 (2)
𝒔

Consolidation response can be described by two parameters. Specific storage (Ss) and hydraulic
conductivity (k) . Specific storage is the volume of water released per unit drop in head. C v is the
coefficient of consolidation. T is the Transmissivity, which is hydraulic conductivity times
saturated thickness. S is the storage coefficient.

Pit slopes undergo large deformations of which many are unrecoverable, which are complex
functions of three dimensional stress state, time, geotechnical properties of rock mass, structural
geology, groundwater pressures and excavation practices. But poroelasticity is assumption of
very small elastic strains, which becomes the drawback.

Pit slopes display a range of behaviors including elastic, non-linear elastic, elastoplactic and
viscoelastic. This in transition from ntact rock to rock masses, from continuum to discontinnum
mechanics, these behaviorial patterns becomes complicated due to the introduction of structural
and induced facturing due to deformations.

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 Fig: Types of plastic yields shown by stress versus strain curve

Fig: Stress Versus Strain Showing Typical Behaviou Of Rock

The relationship between stresses, pore pressures and slip on geological structures or failure of
rock masses are explained by mohr diagram. Either an increase in major principal stress or a

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decrease in minimum principal stress may lead to shear failure of the rock or slip along
discontinuity. This may equate to deepening of pit or an increase in pore fluid pressure.

Fig: Mohr Circle Showing Failure Envelope For Shear Failure Of Rock Mass And Sliding
On Structure

2. Coupling

Coupling can be categorized to two:

 Direct coupling occurs through deformation and pore fluid interactions.

 Indirect coupling is where changes in the mechanical or hydraulic processes affect each
other through changes in mechanical and hydraulic properties.

Further, The four types of Hydromechanical coupling are :

2.1.Direct coupling :
 (Type 1)-Solid to fluid coupling, when a change in the stress causes a change in the pore
fluid pressure

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  (Type 2)- Fluid to solid coupling, when a change in the pore fluid pressure causes a
change in the rock mass volume

These two cases relate predominantly to changes in the pore volume, which will also result in a
change to the mechanical properties.

2.2.Indirect coupling entails:

 (Type 3) -Solid to fluid coupling, where a change in the stress causes a change in the
hydraulic properties of the rock mass

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  (Type 4) -Fluid to solid coupling, where a change in the pore fluid pressure causes a
change in the mechanical properties of the rock mass

3. Hydrological cycle

The principal elements to be considered in hydrological cycle in an open pit are

 Water sources
o Precipitation
o Runoff
o Ground water inflow
 Catchments, which are often different for ground and surface waters
o Surface water catchment
o Ground water catchment
 Water extraction systems,
o Sumps
o Wells
o Horizontaldrains

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 o Drainage adits
 Storages
o Sumps
o ponds
 Ground water levels and pressures
o Ground water table
o Inter flow
o Transient pore pressures

Fig: Hydrological Cycle For An Open Pit

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 4. Pit slope deformations:
 Viscoelastic response: The movements that occur prior to collapse can lead to elasto
plastic deformations, viscous deformations, softening, failure of rock mass.
 Creep : all the three stages of these movements creep. These can be termed as primary ,
secondary and tertiary. The strain increases with time. When there is a rainfall on slopes,
pore pressure increases and effective stress reduces , this makes the stress path to move
closer to envelope and creep rate increases.

Fig : Diagrammatic Representation Of Creep Stages For Moving Slopes

 Cracking and dislocation

 Collapse and failure

Further classification of failure movements are pre-failure, failure and post failure movements.

Post failure can be seen by three examples

 High velocity failures (fig below)

 Moderate and cyclic failures
 Stop after further small movements

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 Fig: Failure Movements

5. Potential for Hydromechanical coupling:

The slopes that are found to be progressive after elastic stage are said to have increased
sensitivity to environmental factors. This sensitivity may also rise with displacement. Following
factors vary with progression of slopes.

 Hydraulic conductivity increases

 Moisture content raises but depending on environment
 Infiltration capacity also increases

Fig:Slopemovements stages

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 Fig : Five Stages For Pit Slope Failures And Post Collapse Velocities

5.1.Hydromechanical Coupling : Theoretical Aspects

Here is a example of a fluid filled fracture surrounded by rock is considered. here fluid to
coupling is seen. Fluid is transported with pressure p by a induced flux q in the conduit. There is
always a variation in pressure which leads to deformation of conduit boundaries. This
deformations causes stresses on fluid domain, which affects fluid pressure and volume of fluid
domain.

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Now displacement applied on solid material can induce flow. When space available for fluid
decreases, fluid flow decreases q=0 along the conduit. And if space is increased, pressure
decreases. In addition to twoway coupling , indirect coupling effect occurs. This shows
interaction between fluid pressure and solid deformation influence transportation process, may
be by altering material or hydraulic properties.

When pressure varies, the solid material is deformed and counteracts fluid pressure with surface
stress on boundaries between fluid and solid.

Coupling depends on material and geometric properties of the problem and on occurring physical
phenomena, which vary in space and time. Deformation at a point may be caused not only due to
pressure at that point but also pressure along entire boundary surface.

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