Study on evaluating rock block stability by using a remotely positioned laser Doppler vibrometer

Abstract

This paper examines a new method of evaluating the stability of a rock slope using a remotely positioned laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). An experiment program was conducted by using physical models and a numerical analysis was performed to evaluate the new method. The LDV measurements agreed with conventional seismometer measurements. The dominant frequency of the blocks varied with the stability, and dominant frequency and the amplitude varied with the block size. The numerical model was used to examine a
concrete block adhered to a concrete base with different contact areas. The dominant frequency of the blocks determined using the numerical model agreed with those obtained from the physical experiments. These results demonstrated the effectiveness of LDV for evaluating the stability of rock slopes.