Slope stability in heterogeneous rock masses with a block-in-matrix fabric

Heterogeneous rock masses composed of strong rock blocks embedded in a weaker matrix belong to complex formations and are often referred as BIMRocks (Block-In-Matrix-Rocks). The high variability of such rock bodies (spatial, dimensional and lithological) and the extraordinary problematic determination of their geomechanical properties make both the planning and the modelling of engineering works in and on these geomaterials ex-tremely challenging. The aim of this study is to investigate the stability of theoretical slopes in bimrocks. In or-der to determine how rock inclusions may influence the overall behaviour of these rock units, different block orientations and several Volumetric Block Proportions (VBP) are considered. To take the inherent spatial and dimensional variability of the blocks into ac-count, many heterogeneous slope models are generated for each block orientation and VBP examined. In order to do this, a stochastic approach is used, which provides for an acceptable statistical validity of the results.