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Applied Sciences
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Advances in Slope Stability and Rock Fracture Mechanisms
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Advances in Slope Stability and Rock Fracture Mechanisms

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2026 | Viewed by 1218

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Penghai Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Rock Instability and Seismicity Research, School of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
Interests: rock mechanics; mining engineering; acoustic emission and microseismic monitoring

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rock slope stability is inherently governed by discontinuous fracture networks and damage evolution within rock masses. Traditional continuum-based theories face significant limitations in addressing the multi-scale defects (e.g., joints, pores, microcracks) that dominate rock failure. Recent advances integrate micromechanical fracture modeling, cross-scale monitoring, and nonlinear system analysis to reveal the chained processes from microcrack coalescence to macroscopic rupture. This Special Issue highlights cutting-edge methodologies for rock fracture mechanics in slope engineering, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Multi-physics coupling mechanisms under hydromechanical forcing (e.g., rainfall/freeze–thaw);
  • Three-dimensional damage propagation modeling using GPU-accelerated DEM-PFEM frameworks;
  • Fracture evolution laws from laboratory tests to field-scale UAV mapping;
  • Real-time fracture monitoring via distributed fiber optics/microseism;
  • Machine learning-based early-warning of slope instability.

Original work highlighting the latest research and technical development is encouraged, but review papers and comparative studies are also welcome.

Dr. Penghai Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • rock slopes
  • cross-scale failure
  • hydromechanical fracturing
  • multi-physics coupling
  • landslide early warning systems
  • instability criteria

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 6275 KB  
Article
Influence of Bedding Angle on Mechanical Behavior and Grouting Reinforcement in Argillaceous Slate: Insights from Laboratory Tests and Field Experiments
by Xinfa Zeng, Chao Deng, Quan Yin, Yi Chen, Junying Rao, Yi Zhou and Wenqin Yan
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(19), 10415; https://doi.org/10.3390/app151910415 - 25 Sep 2025
Viewed by 257
Abstract
Argillaceous slate (AS) is a typical metamorphic rock with well-developed bedding, widely distributed globally. Its bedding structure significantly impacts slope stability assessment, and the challenges associated with slope anchoring and support arising from bedding characteristics have become a focal point in the engineering [...] Read more.
Argillaceous slate (AS) is a typical metamorphic rock with well-developed bedding, widely distributed globally. Its bedding structure significantly impacts slope stability assessment, and the challenges associated with slope anchoring and support arising from bedding characteristics have become a focal point in the engineering field. In this study, with bedding dip angle as the key variable, mechanical tests such as uniaxial compression, triaxial compression, direct shear, and Brazilian splitting tests were conducted on AS. Additionally, field anchoring grouting diffusion tests on AS slopes were carried out. The aim is to investigate the basic mechanical properties of AS and the grout diffusion law under different bedding dip angles. The research results indicate that the bedding dip angle has a remarkable influence on the failure mode, stress–strain curve, and mechanical indices such as compressive strength and elastic modulus of AS specimens. The stress–strain curves in uniaxial and triaxial tests, as well as the stress-displacement curve in the Brazilian splitting test, all undergo four stages: crack closure, elastic deformation, crack propagation, and post-peak failure. As the bedding dip angle increases, the uniaxial and triaxial compressive strengths and elastic modulus first decrease and then increase, while the splitting tensile strength continuously decreases. The consistency of the bedding in AS causes the grout to diffuse in a near-circular pattern on the bedding plane centered around the borehole. Among the factors affecting the diffusion range of the grout, the bedding dip angle and grouting angle have a relatively minor impact, while the grouting pressure has a significant impact. A correct understanding and grasp of the anisotropic characteristics of AS and the anchoring grouting diffusion law are of great significance for slope stability assessment and anchoring design in AS areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Slope Stability and Rock Fracture Mechanisms)
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17 pages, 4589 KB  
Article
Evaluation of Slope Stability and Landslide Prevention in a Closed Open-Pit Mine Used for Water Storage
by Pengjiao Zhang, Yuan Gao, Yachao Liu and Tianhong Yang
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(15), 8659; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15158659 - 5 Aug 2025
Viewed by 674
Abstract
To study and quantify the impact of water storage on lake slope stability after the closure of an open-pit mine, we targeted slope control measures by large-scale parallel computing methods and strength reduction theory. This was based on a three-dimensional refined numerical model [...] Read more.
To study and quantify the impact of water storage on lake slope stability after the closure of an open-pit mine, we targeted slope control measures by large-scale parallel computing methods and strength reduction theory. This was based on a three-dimensional refined numerical model to simulate the evolution of slope stability under different water storage levels and backfilling management conditions, and to quantitatively assess the risk of slope instability through the spatial distribution of stability coefficients. This study shows that during the impoundment process, the slope stability has a nonlinear decreasing trend due to the decrease in effective stress caused by the increase in pore water pressure. When the water storage was at 0 m, the instability range is the largest, and the surface range is nearly 200 m from the edge of the pit; when the water level continued to rise to 50 m, the hydrostatic pressure of the pit lake water on the slope support effect began to appear, and the stability was improved, but there is still a wide range of unstable areas at the bottom. In view of the unstable area of the steep slope with soft rock in the north slope during the process of water storage, the management scheme of backfilling the whole bottom to −150 m was proposed, and the slope protection and pressure footing were formed by discharging the soil to −40 m in steps to improve the anti-slip ability of the slope. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Slope Stability and Rock Fracture Mechanisms)
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