Abstract Three-dimensional failure analyses of slopes are rather elaborate, and for rock slopes, where the rock strength is defined by nonlinear failure envelopes, they are particularly intricate. This is why many earlier approaches used a linear approximation of the strength envelope prior to carrying out the stability analysis. This approximation is avoided in this paper, thanks to using the parametric form of the Hoek-Brown failure criterion. The kinematic approach of limit analysis is used as the method of study. An argument is brought forward that even though rocks tend to fracture at low confining stresses, the ductility of deformation prior to a brittle drop in stress during failure may be sufficient for limit analysis theorems to be applicable. Two measures of rock slope stability are evaluated: the stability number and the factor of safety. Numerical results are presented in the form of charts and tables. Because the limit analysis used allows one to evaluate the rigorous bounds on true solutions, it was possible to demonstrate that the method employed in the paper yields more accurate results than the approaches used formerly in the subject literature. A new and efficient mechanism of failure was devised for very narrow rock slopes.

中文翻译：

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基于Hoek-Brown破坏准则的完整岩体边坡三维稳定性评价

摘要 边坡三维破坏分析较为复杂，而对于岩石强度由非线性破坏包络定义的岩质边坡，分析尤为复杂。这就是为什么许多早期方法在进行稳定性分析之前使用强度包络线的线性近似。由于使用了 Hoek-Brown 失效准则的参数形式，本文避免了这种近似。极限分析的运动学方法被用作研究方法。提出了一个论点，即即使岩石在低围压下往往会破裂，但在破坏过程中应力发生脆性下降之前的变形延展性可能足以使极限分析定理适用。评估岩石边坡稳定性的两种措施：稳定数和安全系数。数值结果以图表和表格的形式呈现。由于所使用的极限分析允许人们评估真实解的严格界限，因此可以证明本文中使用的方法比以前在主题文献中使用的方法产生更准确的结果。为非常狭窄的岩石边坡设计了一种新的有效的破坏机制。