Slope Stability Analysis of an Open-Pit Mine Using 3D LEM and 3D FEM

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-900-1_24How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Open-Pit Mine Stability; Block Model; 3D Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM); 3D Finite Element Method (FEM); Factor of Safety (FoS); Shear Strength Reduction (SSR); Intelligent Search; Slope Stability Analysis; Numerical Modeling

Abstract

This study investigates the stability of an open-pit mine using both the 3D Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) and the 3D Finite Element Method (FEM) for comparative analysis. The open-pit geometry is derived from a block model and analyzed using RS3 and Slide3 software. The LEM analysis employs an advanced intelligent search method to evaluate the factor of safety (FoS), while the FEM analysis integrates sophisticated numerical modeling to account for material non-linearities and stress redistributions. For consistency, the assumption of elastic perfectly plastic material behavior is applied in both methods. The comparison focuses on differences in the calculated FoS and failure mechanisms, providing insights into the strengths and limitations of each approach. This study emphasizes the value of combining LEM and FEM to achieve a comprehensive understanding of open-pit stability, ultimately contributing to safer and more efficient mine design practices.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Stefhany Melendez
AU  - Sina Javankhoshdel
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/07
TI  - Slope Stability Analysis of an Open-Pit Mine Using 3D LEM and 3D FEM
BT  - Proceedings of the Rocscience International Conference 2025 (RIC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 253
EP  - 260
SN  - 2589-4943
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-900-1_24
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-900-1_24
ID  - Melendez2025
ER  -