Analytical model of the deformation response of bedding slopes to excavation on the basis of Mindlin’s strain solution

Abstract To reveal the deformation law and mechanism of bedding slopes under excavation unloading, an unloading rebound model of slope deformation is established on the basis of Mindlin’s strain solution, and a bedding-slip model of slope deformation is deduced on the basis of the Kalhaway constitutive model. Combining the two models, this study presents a computational model for the deformation response of bedding slope excavation. This model can reflect the mechanism of excavation unloading and the characteristics of rock mass structure. The reliability of the model is verified by comparing the calculated results of the analytical model with the experimental results in the laboratory. On this basis, the influences of excavation angle, excavation depth, and stratum thickness are analyzed by using several calculation examples. The calculation results show that the deformation induced by excavation increases with the increase in excavation angle or depth and decreases with the increase in stratum thickness. The excavation response of bedding slopes is mainly affected by the effect of unloading and the slip of the structural plane. Moreover, the unloading effect is controlled by the amount of excavation, and the rebound deformation of slopes is approximately linearly correlated with excavation volume. Bedding slip is affected by many factors because the increase in excavation angle or the amount of rock stratum leads to the increase in slip deformation. The proposed model can provide a basis for the deformation mechanism of bedding slopes under excavation.