An integrated study on the stability assessment and partial collapse of the Kaklik karstic cave (Denizli, Turkey)

Abstract

The Kaklik Cave (Denizli, Turkey) was found following a partial collapse while a tractor was plowing a field. Since then, it is arranged for tourist visits and its stability assessment is of great importance for visitors. The authors have been carrying out geological, rock mechanics, and environmental investigations in the cave since 2003. The authors present the outcomes of these investigations in this study. On the basis of these investigations, the rock mass classifications of the cave were first done, and then its stability including the partial collapse section was evaluated using empirical and analytical methods and compared with in situ observations and other case history data. Finally, the stability and the triggering effect of the tractor on its partial collapse as a concentrated load on the ground surface were analyzed by a numerical method utilizing the discrete finite element method (DFEM), which allows the slip and separation along discontinuities and is based on an updated Lagrangian concept. The empirical, analytical, and numerical stability analyses have been investigated in detail, and it was found that the dead weight of the tractor plowing the field on the ground surface had a triggering effect on the partial collapse of the cave.