Investigation of the Failure Mechanisms for Inducing Rock Slope Hazard in New Jersey, United States

ABSTRACT: Rock slope stability analysis is of great interest to researchers and engineers due to its potential geo-hazards. This is primarily governed by the shear strength and the acting shear stress which is often expressed in terms of Factor of Safety (FoS) over a potential slip surface. This study investigated the susceptibility of road-cut slopes to rockfall hazard and its associated risks in Northeastern New Jersey, United States, as well as predicted the failure transition to rapid sliding. Four (4) vulnerable rock slopes were identified and demarcated for detailed slope stability analysis. The field data were subjected to three kinematic analyses (planar, toppling, and wedge analyses) using the Dips program in Rocscience software which showed a high potential for both planar and toppling failure and a low potential for wedge failure. The highest risk of failure will be due to toppling failure, with a 26% likelihood of critical failure, which exceeds the acceptable threshold. This indicates that the rock-cut slopes are in unstable conditions and need to be reinforced in the identified locations. It is further recommended that coupled expansive grouted anchor bolts and steel-mesh reinforcement support mechanisms be implemented to strengthen the stability of the cut slopes to prevent rockfalls. This study provides valuable insights for mitigating potential geohazard and the findings here are relevant to other locations across the world.. 1. INTRODUCTION Rockfalls are a major concern in mountainous areas as they can impact both the evolution of steep rocky landscapes and pose significant hazards (Stock and Uhrhammer, 2010; Barlow et al., 2012; Matasci et al., 2017). However, rockfall hazard is not limited to mountainous areas alone. Urban areas are also susceptible to rockfall hazards, particularly where excavations can destabilize slopes and create risks for people and infrastructure (Hungr et al., 2014; Corominas et al., 2017; Gili et al., 2022). Therefore, accurately predicting the areas where rockfalls are likely to occur is crucial for reliable hazard assessment. This requires an understanding of which areas are most likely to be affected by rockfall events (Guzzetti et al., 2003; Corominas et al., 2017; Gili et al., 2022).