HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC

Department of Civil & Structural Engineering

MSc - Tutorial 1 (2009/2010) Rock Engineering

Stereographic projection and its application

1 (a) Plot a line. The plunge of the line is N210°/30°. Plot another line. The plunge
of the line is N100°/70°. Determine the angle between the two lines and the
orientation of a plane determined by these two lines.
(b) Plot a plane. The dip directions and dip angles of the plane is N070°/60°. Plot
another plane. The dip directions and dip angles of the plane is N300°/55°.
Determine the orientation and angle of the intersection of the two planes

2 Plot two planes of N150°/45° and N220°/60° using the polar net and determine the
orientation and angle of the intersection of the two planes.

3 Use the counting net to determine the joint sets of the Fig. 1.

4 The following data were mapped on slope. Use the polar net to plot the joints. Use the
contour net to analysis the overall orientation of joint sets.

Dip Direction Dip Angle No. of joints

N090° 88° 13
N105° 80° 14
N185° 38° 6
N160° 40° 7

5 The slope orientation is N275˚/80. Three joint sets of N300˚/60˚, N175˚/20˚ and
N090˚/85˚ are found on the slope face with the friction angle of the joints of 35˚.
(a) Use the great circle method to analysis the slope. Does plane, wedge or
toppling failure will occur?
(b) To prevent instability problems from arising, what orientation or angle of
slope would recommend.

6 The slope orientation is N160˚/85. The friction angle of the joints sets of Q4 are 30˚.
(a) Use the polar method to analysis the slope. Does plane, wedge or toppling
failure will occur?
(b) To prevent instability problems from arising, what orientation or angle of
slope would recommend.
Fig. 1
Topic 2 Tutorial (CSE510 Rock Engineering)
1. (a)

.5
68
From the stereographic projection on Equal-Angle Stereographic Net, it is found that the angle between two lines,
N210/30 and N100/70, is 68.5. The orientation of common plane is N130.4/72.6.

(b)

From the stereographic projection on Equal-Angle Stereographic Net, it is found that the orientation and angle of the
intersection of the two planes, N070/60 and N300/55, is N2.4/33.5.

2.

From the Polar Net, it is found that the orientation and angle of the intersection of the two planes, N150/45 and
N220/60, is N164.1/44.1.

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Topic 2 Tutorial (CSE510 Rock Engineering)
3. Contours obtained by computer program:

Contours obtained by hand sketch:

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Topic 2 Tutorial (CSE510 Rock Engineering)
4. Contours obtained by computer program:

5. Assume:
Joint set D1: N300/60
Joint set D2: N175/20
Joint set D3: N090/85

(a) By the great circle method as shown in the

Figure, all intersection vectors, I12, I13 and I23,
fall out of the unstable zone, wedge failure is
not possible. All dip vectors, D1, D2 and D3,
fall out of the plane failure zone, plane failure is
not possible. The pole of joint set D3, N3, falls
within the toppling zone, so only toppling is
possible.

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Topic 2 Tutorial (CSE510 Rock Engineering)
(b) As the angle difference between pole N3 and
boundary of toppling zone is 5, the pole N3
must fall out of the toppling zone by
reorientation of the slope by 5 clockwise in
order to stabilize the slope. The new slope
becomes N280/80 and all dip vectors,
intersection vectors and poles of joint sets fall
out of unstable zones as shown in the Figure.

6. Assume:
Joint set D1: N090/88
Joint set D2: N105/80
Joint set D3: N160/40
Joint set D4: N185/38

(a) By the polar method as shown in Figure, the

dip vector of joint set D3 falls within the plane
failure zone and all intersection vectors I12,
I13, I14, I23, I24 and I34 fall within the
unstable zone. Plane failure and wedge
failure are possible.
Since none of poles falls within the toppling
zone, toppling is not possible.

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Topic 2 Tutorial (CSE510 Rock Engineering)
(b) Either rotating the slope about 99 counterclockwise or rotating the slope about 150 clockwise, all poles and
intersections are well out of all unstable zones as shown in below Figures. The new slope becomes either N061/85
or N310/85.

Rotating the slope about 99 counterclockwise Rotating the slope about 150 clockwise

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