slope_rockbolt_optimisation

Integration of Rhino/Grasshopper and Rocscience RocSlope3 for evaluation of rock block stabilities and bolting optimisation

Citation/publication

This repository is associated with a manuscript of a journal article (published in the Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering)

• Title: Slope rockbolting using key block theory: Force transfer and artificial intelligence-assisted multi-objective optimisation
• Authors: Jessica Ka Yi Chiu, Charlie Chunlin Li, Ole Jakob Mengshoel, Vidar Kveldsvik

How to cite

Chiu JKY, Li CC, Mengshoel OJ, Kveldsvik V (2025) Slope rockbolting using key block theory: Force transfer and artificial intelligence-assisted multi-objective optimisation. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2025.03.026

Two Grasshopper scripts are included in this repository:

• Progressive failure analysis with force transfer [ProgressiveFailureAnalysis_ForceTransfer.gh]
• Optimisation of rockbolting [RockBoltingOptim.gh]

Software

Rhino

• Rhino Version 7 SR37 (7.37.24107.15001, 2024-04-16)

Grasshopper Plug-in List

• Volvox by CITA (0.3.0.0)
• MetaHopper by Andrew Heumann (1.2.4)
• Pufferfish by Michael Pryor (2.9.0.0)
• Opossum2_0_Proto_A by 'unknown author' (3.0.3.0)
• Tunny by hrntsm (0.12.0)
• LunchBox by 'unknown author' (2016.3.21.0)
• CockroachGH¹ by iboisepfl (0.01 Rhino 7)
• Pancake by Keyu Gan (2.5.0.0)
• Anemone by Mateusz Zwierzycki (0.4)
• MeshEdit Components by [uto] (2.0.0.0)
• eleFront by Front, Inc. (5.1.8)
• TT Toolbox by CORE studio | Thornton Tomasetti (1.9.6353.28734)
• Human by 'unknown author' (1.2.0)

¹ To install CockroachGH, first go to https://github.com/9and3/Cockroach/tree/Cockroach/Build, then download from the folder "RhinoCppPlugin" with the relevant Rhino version that you use, and download "CockroachGH.zip". Finally, unblock and unzipped all the downloaded files to the Components Folder in Grasshopper.

Instructions

[ProgressiveFailureAnalysis_ForceTransfer.gh]

• Inputs to this script are two OBJ files, separately for blocks and joints, exported from RocSlope3
• In RocSlope3, after the computation of blocks and kinematic analysis is completed, in the result tab, under "Results Set" in Properties, choose "All Valid Blocks". Then go to File > Export > Export Blocks, under "Blocks to Include", choose "Current Result Set", then export to OBJ file type. Follow the same procedure for exporting "Blocks" and "Joints".

[RockBoltingOptim.gh]

• for selecting points that snap to PointCloud in Rhino. "Onsnap" should be turned on. See the following settings in Rhino (at the bottom of the Rhino-window):