Análisis de estabilidad del macizo rocoso en la carretera San Francisco-Santa Isabel combinando métodos de análisis cinemático, empíricos y métodos de equilibrio límite

Abstract

The road section between the Minas de San Francisco Tunnel and the San José Service Station includes rock slopes showing clear signs of instability related to rock-mass fracturing, structural discontinuity patterns, and the geomechanical quality of the geological units present in the area. This research evaluated the stability of a 12.9-km segment of the Cuenca–Girón–Pasaje road by integrating kinematic analysis, empirical methods, and limit equilibrium approaches. The results indicate that, although some stations are composed of relatively competent intact rock, the presence of several discontinuity sets, their orientation relative to the slope face, and the degree of rock-mass alteration mainly favor planar and wedge failure mechanisms. The SMR and Q/Q-slope indices show unfavorable geomechanical conditions in most of the analyzed slopes, while the factors of safety obtained from limit equilibrium analysis confirm that several sectors are close to or below acceptable stability conditions. Based on these findings, the most critical sectors require priority stabilization measures and a periodic geotechnical monitoring scheme to detect changes in rock-mass behavior and reduce the risk associated with landslides and rockfall. Keywords: slope stability, discontinuities, kinematic analysis, Q-slope, limit equilibrium