ABSTRACT
The article demonstrates how numerical modeling results can be used in analyzing potential failures in a rock mass which can occur as a rupture or a shear along weakness planes. The evaluation of exposed outcrops stability is an important task in deposits development. One of the methods for analyzing a potential shear on the boundaries of stoping spaces is estimation of values and spatial orientation of the shear stress areas. For areas in which shear stresses exceed critical values, it is important to compare the direction of the areas with the direction of the dynamically active structures of the near-contour rock mass. The article describes a process of calculation and 3D visualization of shear stress vectors and shear areas. The space orientation of shear areas and the direction of a fault structure impact on a probable failure of a part of the bench or open pit wall. The algorithm was used to study the slope stability of the Kovdor open pit in order to determine its optimal parameters. The task was solved using SigmaGT software, developed at the Mining Institute KSC RAS, Apatity, Russia.
