Peridynamic modeling of step-path failure in rock slopes

This work is devoted to investigating the step-path failure of rock slopes using peridynamic theory. To this end, an extended bond-based peridynamic model that can explicitly distinguish between tensile and shear cracks from mixed-mode fracture phenomena, previously proposed by the authors, is first introduced. Then, the fracture processes of gypsum specimens with various triple-flaw distributions under uniaxial compression are simulated at a laboratory scale. Tensile, shear, and mixed tensile-shear failure modes are reproduced, and the feasibility of the numerical tool is verified via comparison with experimental observations. Finally, the progressive failure of rock slopes at the field scale is analyzed, in which crack initiation, propagation, coalescence, and eventual structural damage are well captured. The types of crack propagation and coalescence predicted in this study contribute to understanding step-path failure mechanisms in experimental research and nature.