Faculty Publications
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Publications by NITK Faculty
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Item A comparison of limit equilibrium method of slope stability analysis with finite element modelling(2009) Mangalpady, M.Stability analysis of slopes susceptible to different types of failures can be performed with different techniques. The selection of an appropriate technique is, therefore, very important in a process of slope stability evaluation. In this paper, slopes of a large surface iron ore mine was analyzed by limit equilibrium method and by finite element modelling. GALENA software was used for analysis by limit equilibrium method and ANSYS for finite element modelling (FEM). Factor of safety (FOS) was calculated by both the methods and they are compared for their applicability. Based on the results obtained by the analysis, conclusions were drawn on the application of these methods. It was found that FEM analysis gives factor of safety value which is found to be lesser than the values determined by limit equilibrium method. This is because it considers more parameters and performs a detailed analysis of stress and strain conditions in the strata under consideration.Item Analysis of Fault’s Effect on the Highwall Stability of Medapalli Open Pit Coal Mine(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Kumar Reddy, S.K.Mining operations can have a significant impact on the stability of the surrounding area. One example is the Medapalli open pit coal mine in southern India. The mine is a large excavation working at a depth of 165 m that can reach up to 200 m. The western side highwall has locked-up coal reserves in the mine, but concerns about the geologically disturbed regions have resulted in complications and significant challenges. Surface tension cracks around the excavation became visible in 2018, prompting intensive monitoring, protective measures, and numerous geotechnical analyses. The area, however, has a rich tectonic history, with faults interacting with soil movements. Proper geotechnical investigations were used in this work to analyse the stability of the highwall due to faults' effects on the area's reaction due to mining operations. The findings in the study highlighted the significance of flaws in the ground movement due to improper design of the highwall fault interaction area. The presence of the fault increases the likelihood of tensile cracks and subsidence at the highwall's surface level, significantly worsening the mining activities in the area. The analysis reveals that complex geological features, such as the presence of faults roughly parallel to the highwall slope profile, can exacerbate the mining operations in the surrounding environment. The recommended slope design with protective measures towards the west side disturbed highwall area helps safely excavate the western side highwall locked-up coal reserves in the Medapalli open pit mine. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.Item Optimizing nailing parameters for hybrid retaining systems using supervised learning regression models(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2024) Menon, V.; Kolathayar, S.The work focuses on creating a hybrid retaining wall using geocell, geogrid, and soil-nailing techniques for a road embankment in Mangalore, India. Soil nailing reinforces the soil, geogrids give extra support, and geocell serves as a protective facia against external weathering impacts, decreasing the requirement for conventional shotcreting and lowering the carbon footprint of concrete. This promotes the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The usage of concrete and steel in soil nailing can be minimized using supervised learning regression models (SLRMs), a branch of machine learning (ML). The soil properties in the site were collected by standard penetration tests (SPT). From the limit equilibrium method (LEM) study, 600 iterations are carried out to estimate the factor of safety (FoS), which serves as input training and testing data for the ML model. The surrogate model produces findings for the entire site to identify ideal nail parameters. The random forest (RF) model was found to be useful with a mean square error (MSE) value of 0.009. The finite element method analysis (FEM) yields a modest overestimation of roughly 4.5% while validating the results of the RF model in a typical slope. This study demonstrates the practical application of sustainable methodologies and machine learning to meet crucial development goals, explicitly improving slope stability and road development in the study area through environmentally conscious engineering practices. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.Item Slope Stability Analyses and Design for a Telecommunication Tower Site in Kodagu—Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element Approach with Spatial Data Integration(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Menon, V.; Anjana, S.; Kolathayar, S.This paper examines slope stability issues at the All-India Radio Telecommunication tower site in Kodagu, Coorg, Karnataka, India, where the hillock on which the tower stands has shown signs of instability after the monsoon of 2022. This study proposes reclamation strategies to mitigate future landslips in the region. A spatial analysis utilizing open-source Digital Elevation Models and Scoop3D software was performed to identify critical locations prone to landslips. The designs were assessed using the Limit Equilibrium method (LEM) and Finite Element method (FEM). Both static and pseudo-static conditions were considered in the analyses, with and without reinforcement, using the Limit Equilibrium Method and Finite Element Method. The proposed design aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9 and 11, demonstrating a significant increase in the Factor of Safety by more than 10%. The study recommends a geocell-based hybrid retaining system as a comprehensive solution to enhance slope stability and protect the site from future landslips. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.Item Analysis and Design of a Hybrid Reinforced Earth Retention System for Sustainable Slope Protection: A Case Study Using Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element Methods(Springer, 2025) Menon, V.; Kolathayar, S.This study proposes an innovative hybrid earth retention system to stabilize slopes for a road-widening project in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, India. The system combines soil nailing, geogrid reinforcement, geocell walls, and biotechnical stabilization—popular geotechnical techniques aligned with sustainable development goals. These methods were engineered synergistically to address the site-specific challenges of restoring a slope that experienced five major collapses during heavy rains, enabling both highway expansion and slope protection without disrupting traffic flow. Soil samples were collected, and laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the engineering properties of the site soil. Boreholes were drilled at strategic locations and Standard Penetration Tests were performed. The analysis and design of the retention system employed both the Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM), utilizing GEO5 and OptumG2 software, respectively. A comparative analysis of these methods is presented, along with a non-linear regression model to establish correlations for soil nail parameters derived from LEM analyses. The study demonstrates the successful integration of geocell walls with soil nailing and geogrid reinforcement to support an unprotected embankment. The findings include the site reconnaissance report, reclamation strategies, and a detailed discussion of LEM and FEM analysis results, establishing the robustness and sustainability of the proposed hybrid retention system. © The Institution of Engineers (India) 2025.