Study on the Reinforcement Mechanism of the Deep Replacement Caverns for the Giant Slope Block Combined by Structural Planes

The left bank of the cushion pond of Baihetan hydropower station is a slant and dip slope. The gently inclined intra-layer fault zones, the steep-dip faults and the unloading fissures cutting the slope to form several potentially unstable blocks. The computational results show that the stabilities of the blocks are controlled by inclined intra-layer fault zones. A method of treatment applying deep replacement caverns and load-reduction excavation was proposed to reinforce the unstable blocks. In order to study the reinforcement mechanism of the deep replacement caverns for the giant slope blocks controlled by inclined intra-layer fault zones, the 3D simulation analysis of the slope treatment construction was carried out by use of FLAC^3D software, and a 3D geo-mechanical model was developed to carry out experimental research. The results of the calculation and experiment show that the deep concrete replacement caverns effectively control the shear and sliding deformation of the bottom slide surface and improve the stability of the blocks combined by structural surfaces. In the process of slope strength reduction and overloading, the slope deformation and cracking are gradually extended from the surface to the inner part, and shear stresses of the front deep replacement cavern are the largest of all the caverns. Therefore, it is more beneficial to control the deformation of the slope and improve the stability of the giant blocks by increasing the size of the front deep replacement cavern. The research results have important guiding significance for the reinforcement treatment of the giant blocks in the left bank of Baihetan cushion pond and similar projects.