kth.sePublications KTH
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Optimal rock slope support and geological survey from value of information analysis
LNEC.
Multiconsult Norge AS.
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Civil and Architectural Engineering, Soil and Rock Mechanics.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5372-7519
2025 (English)In: EUROCK 2025, Expanding the Underground Space, 2025Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Slope stability is a crucial concern in rock engineering which often requires balancing the costs of slope support with uncertainties in geological conditions, particularly the orientation of discontinuities. Traditional approaches generally encompass a risk-averse behaviour where, to face the uncertainty on the estimation of the orientation of discontinuities, the rock engineer assumes the worst-case scenario, generally resulting in overdesigned structures. However, geological surveys can help in reducing uncertainty and lessen the range of plausible values of the orientation of discontinuities that one may be expected. To address this issue, this study employs a Value of Information (VoI) analysis to determine the optimal number of joint orientation measurements, offering a framework to balance survey costs against stabilization expenses.The research focuses on a theoretical case study of a plane failure mechanism where rock properties are considered deterministic except for an uncertain joint dip angle. The semi-probabilistic verification criteria adopted in the Eurocodes are used for stability calculations. The analysis accounts for a reduction in uncertainty as additional measurements of the joint dip angle are conducted. Finally, VoI analysis compares two scenarios: one relying on worst-case assumptions without surveys and another incorporating measurement-based designs. The results demonstrate the practicality of VoI in identifying an optimal number of measurements, which varies based on the cost ratio between geological surveys and the slope support solution.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025.
Keywords [en]
Rock slope stability, Geometrical uncertainty, Value of Information analysis, Optimal decision-making
National Category
Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
Research subject
Civil and Architectural Engineering, Soil and Rock Mechanics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-372282OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-372282DiVA, id: diva2:2010824
Conference
EUROCK 2025, Trondheim, Norway, 16-20 Juni
Note

QC 20251125

Available from: 2025-11-03 Created: 2025-11-03 Last updated: 2025-11-25Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Spross, Johan
By organisation
Soil and Rock Mechanics
Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

urn-nbn

Altmetric score

urn-nbn
Total: 54 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf