Failure mode of the hazardous Diaozui rock mass of the Qutang Gorge in the Three Gorges Reservoir area based on a three-dimensional numerical analysis

The occurrence of rockfalls is a prevalent geological hazard, especially in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of the Yangtze River. Analyzing the pre-rockfall evolution process of hazardous rock mass is crucial for stability assessment, risk monitoring, and evaluation. Generally, numerical analysis is conducted to study the rock stability and failure; however, it is primarily based on the two-dimensional calculation of typical cross-sections without considering the shape of the three-dimensional space of the hazardous rock mass, thus leading to distorted results. To address this issue, this paper proposes a methodological approach for the analysis of the stability conditions of a hazardous rock mass. The approach starts with field investigations and an Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetric survey to gather data. These data are then used to construct a three-dimensional (3D) geological model of rock mass. Finally, a 3D numerical simulation is performed to analyse the potential failure processes of hazardous rock mass. In this study, we focused on the hazardous Diaozui rock mass of the Qutang Gorge in the Three Gorges Reservoir area (China). We constructed a 3D geological model of the rock mass based on the data from the field survey and UAV photogrammetric survey. Using this 3D geological model, we established a 3D numerical analysis model to assess the rockfall hazard. By utilizing the Strength reduction method (SRM) and simulating the collapse process of the hazardous rock mass, we analyzed the instability mechanism and failure evolution process of the Hazardous Diaozui rock mass. The results illustrated the potential failure mode, the key-oriented wedges of the rock mass, and the potential critical failure point for the hazardous rock mass. These findings provide valuable insights for stability assessment, risk monitoring, and evaluation of the hazardous rock mass in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.