Bored-pile stabilization of rock slope with bedding shear layers and fault planes for a belt conveyor system in the Mae Moh Mine, Thailand
The Mae Moh mine plays a critical role in Thailand’s electricity production, contributing over 14 % of total energy supply of the country. The mine has planned to relocate the lignite conveyor belt system from its current path to a new route. This relocation necessitates a comprehensive evaluation o...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Results in Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025021012 |
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| Summary: | The Mae Moh mine plays a critical role in Thailand’s electricity production, contributing over 14 % of total energy supply of the country. The mine has planned to relocate the lignite conveyor belt system from its current path to a new route. This relocation necessitates a comprehensive evaluation of the slope stability along the new conveyor alignment. The conveyor structure is to be installed on a bedding shear layer, which is characterized by low shear strength. At the toe of slope, the alignment crosses a fault plane, increasing the risk of long-term sliding failure, such as a ''ski jump'' failure mode. This study analyzed and evaluated the slope stability with groundwater levels assumed to reach the ground surface using numerical methods under two scenarios: unstabilized slope and bored pile stabilized slope. The bored pile stabilized slope comprised of bored piles with a diameter of 0.80 m The analysis results indicate that, in the unstabilized scenario, the factor of safety (FS) was below the design standard threshold. Conversely, stabilization using bored piles significantly improved slope stability, achieving an FS of 1.65, which exceeds the design criteria established by AASHTO (2002). The construction of the bored pile reinforcement based on this design approach was completed by mid-2023. Observations confirm that the slope reinforcement structure has maintained high safety standards, showing no signs of movement or instability. The outcome from this case study report can be adopted for slope stability improvement of slopes elsewhere with similar geological and geotechnical conditions. |
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| ISSN: | 2590-1230 |