Distinct Element Modelling of Mahabaleshwar Road Cut Hill Slope

Reliable estimates of slope stability are essential for safe design and planning of road cut hill slopes which accommo-date a number of tourist destinations around the world. The failure of cut slopes along these hills puts human life in grave danger and it is also disastrous for the economy. In the present study, a section of 100 m high jointed basalt hill slope has been analyzed numerically in a distinct element code, which is apt for simulating the behavior for jointed rock. The analysis was carried out for both the dry and saturated conditions. The distinct element analysis of the hill slope demonstrates it to be marginally stable under dry condition, while for the saturated condition, the hill slope fails along well defined joint planes.