矿山高陡边坡是指露天矿开采所形成的边坡高度在300m以上、总体边坡角在45°以上的边坡。随着露天采矿开采规模和开采深度不断加大，将在更大范围形成高陡边坡；同时，边坡失稳形式也由地表浅层开采时的局部滑坡向深凹露天开采时的整体性滑塌发展。运输与生产成本急剧上升，经济效益迅速下滑。因此，研究高陡边坡失稳机制对保障露天矿安全高效生产具有显著意义。 论文以首钢公司水厂铁矿北山采区西部9-33号勘探线间边坡岩体为研究对象，矿体倾角为70-80º，最大开采深度为800m。开展矿区地质调研分析及室内岩体力学性质实验，研制模拟变质岩组为主的模拟材料，改进测试系统为模拟材料强度与损伤演化预测提供先进可靠的测试方法，揭示以模拟变质岩组为主的模拟材料力学性能，即材料配比与应力峰值间的非线性“双马鞍”定量化关系。 科学构建三维物理相似模拟模型，模型铺装尺寸(长×宽×高)为3.60×2.00×2.30m。设计模型开采(挖)实验过程及综合监测方案，建立关键区域监测体系，包括岩体动力断裂分析(Acoustic emission, AE)对矿体开挖过程中的断裂指标加以定量化描述；边坡内部围岩破裂光学特性分析(Crack optical acquirement, COA)分析内部围岩的损伤变形特征；岩体损伤特性分析(Ground penetrating radar, GPR)将在开采过程中实时动态监测边坡异常区域；边坡表面位移监测(Close-field photogrammetry, CFP)精确反映边坡表面围岩的位移变化情况。监测结果表明：经过开采后的边坡岩体变形破坏主要形式为坡顶的拉裂破坏、破体中部的倾倒与坡底的沿结构弱面的整体性滑动。

Physical simulation experiment is a powerful method to explore influence of plastic flow, material failure and hybrid monitoring in a high and steep slope of open-pit mines composed with discontinuous rocks. We adopted an experimental setup using a stiff modular applied static loading to fulfill visual excavation to the slope at random depth. Searching of scientific model materials had been done after constructing 3D model (3.60×2.00×2.30m).The simulation experiments were instrumented with acoustic emission (AE) censors, and monitored by crack optical acquirement (COA), ground penetrating radar (GPR), and close-field photogrammetry (CFP) being unequivocal mechanisms of rock destabilization in the high and steep slope. The Shuichang iron mine in Hebei province of China was taken as a prototype for large 3D physical simulation experiments. The high and steep slope mainly concluded a steep slope whose angle ranged from 30 to 47 degrees, an ore body with 70-80 degrees, and maximum width and height of the model were both 800 meters as well as other geological structures under in-situ complicated stress. For the complex situation in the study area, model experiments showed that slope was excavated with multi stage-parameter real monitoring under constant boundary conditions. It also showed inner correlation between model’s destabilization resulted from slope excavation and diverse monitoring information was clearly gotten. Although the model with large scale did not include the whole complexity found in the actual open-pit mines or even in the experimental scaled models, it was also a useful tool to study the mechanism of high and steep slope destabilization both qualitatively and quantitatively. On the condition without any efficient reinforcement measurements, deformation and damage of rock masses in the experiment could be divided into three parts: that was, in the surface plane, loosen deformation zone gradually expanded to the bottom. Also a large scale area would exist local destabilization caused rock twist obviously. Most important of all, landslide happened on bottom of model due to repeated distribution of tensile zones.