Kongming Yan

Layered rock slope failures frequently occur in mountainous regions and cause catastrophic disasters worldwide, yet their recognition and prediction remain challenging, particularly under complex seismic excitations. A generalized physical model of a dip-bedded rock slope, incorporating joints and other discontinuities, was established on a shaking table and subjected to a seismic sequence to investigate the spatiotemporal characteristics of dynamic response and failure processes. Based on the experimental results, temporal variations of seismic amplification along slope height and relative positions to slope surface were presented in time domain, together with the final failure patterns under sinusoidal excitations. The results indicate that aftershocks with lower seismic amplitudes can contribute to damage progression, even if they produce less deformation than main shocks. Moreover, the slope surface-free effect exhibits a clear but nonlinear height-dependent profile. Gently dipping layered slopes display complex failure mechanisms governed by multiple discontinuities rather than solely by dip bedding planes. Notably, variations in time domain preceded visible slope deformation, suggesting their potential use for early-warning stage of impending rock slope failures and mitigation of geological hazards.