In open pit mines, bench and berm design plays a critical role in minimising kinematic failures and reducing and controlling rockfalls. Where kinematic failure mechanisms and rockfall risk—rather than rock mass failure—are the dominant controlling factors for slope failure, benches and berms must be designed according to the specific requirements of different rock types and pit sectors, which in turn impacts inter-ramp and overall slope angles. It is therefore critical to design benches and berms as accurately as possible, and determining appropriate berm widths (also known as spill or catch berms) is a key factor. Berms must be wide enough to contain any material falling from the bench faces above, so when designing a berm it is essential to identify potentially unstable wedges and to calculate the likely volume of failed material.
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