Continuum deformation and stability analyses of a steep hillside slope under rainfall infiltration

Rainfall weakens an earth slope in a number of ways. It increases the degree of saturation of the soil, thereby breaking the bonds created by surface tension between the soil particles. When the volume of infiltrating water is large enough to mobilize fluid flow inside the soil matrix, the fluid exerts a downhill frictional drag on the slope, creating a destabilizing effect. When excess fluid can no longer infiltrate the slope due to increased saturation in the soil, it is discharged as a surface runoff and erodes the slope. In this paper, we present a physics-based framework for continuum modeling of a hydrologically driven slope failure similar to what occurred in a steep experimental catchment CB1 near Coos Bay, Oregon. We quantify the rainfall-induced slope deformation and assess the failure potential of the slope using finite element modeling that couples solid deformation with fluid pressure in an unsaturated soil. Results of the studies suggest that for a steep hillside slope underlain by a shallow bedrock similar to the CB1 site, failure would occur by multiple slide blocks with the failure surfaces emerging on the slope face. These results suggest that an infinite slope mechanism would be insufficient to represent the failure kinematics for a slope similar to CB1.     

水流冲刷过程中的边坡临界滑动场及河岸崩塌问题研究

针对河岸崩塌问题分析和研究,在考虑江河水位升降引起坡外水压力变化及坡内非稳定渗流基础上,同时考虑水流冲刷引起的河床冲深及河岸后退,提出了水流冲刷过程中的边坡临界滑动场和适用于天然江河崩岸的数值模拟,并对水流冲刷过程中的崩岸问题进行了分析。通过对两类不同土质岸坡的崩岸数值模拟,分析了水流冲刷引起的河床冲深及河岸后退过程中坡体的稳定性变化,探讨了不同土质岸坡的崩岸类型及崩塌模式。结果表明,坡度较陡的黏性岸坡崩塌时趋近于平面破坏且通过坡脚;坡度较缓的粉土岸坡崩塌时沿曲面破坏,且在水位骤降过程中易发生局部崩塌。     

Probabilistic parameter estimation and predictive uncertainty based on field measurements for unsaturated soil slope

A key issue in assessment of rainfall-induced slope failure is a reliable evaluation of pore water pressure distribution and its variations during rainstorm, which in turn requires accurate estimation of soil hydraulic parameters. In this study, the uncertainties of soil hydraulic parameters and their effects on slope stability prediction are evaluated, within the Bayesian framework, using the field measured temporal pore-water pressure data. The probabilistic back analysis and parameter uncertainty estimation is conducted using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation. A case study of a natural terrain site is presented to illustrate the proposed method. The 95% total uncertainty bounds for the calibration period are relatively narrow, indicating an overall good performance of the infiltration model for the calibration period. The posterior uncertainty bounds of slope safety factors are much narrower than the prior ones, implying that the reduction of uncertainty in soil hydraulic parameters significantly reduces the uncertainty of slope stability.     

强降雨条件下具有张裂缝边坡临界滑动场

降雨持时较长且雨强较大时,雨水的入渗不仅会增大孔隙水压力,且易使张裂缝充水形成静水压力,对边坡稳定不利。结合降雨条件下饱和-非饱和渗流分析,考虑降雨过程中的瞬态孔隙水压力场与瞬态强度场,并同时考虑张裂缝充水时的静水压力,对边坡临界滑动场法进行改进,提出降雨条件下具有张裂缝边坡临界滑动场数值模拟方法,且对其进行了验证。将该方法用于一个典型均质黏土边坡算例,结果表明,（1）文中方法可考虑张裂缝具体位置、深度及其充水状态下对边坡稳定性的影响,并能搜索出任意形状危险滑面,计算结果合理可靠;（2）降雨条件下张裂缝中静水压力对边坡稳定性及滑面形状有较大影响;（3）降雨条件下张裂缝位置对边坡稳定有较大影响,距坡肩越近,张裂缝对边坡稳定性影响越大;（4）张裂缝处在最不利位置且充水时存在一个最不利深度。     

Geotechnical Facets of Active Sediments and its Bearing on Natural Hazards and Mitigation Measures: An Approach on Sediments of the Nubra Valley (Ladakh), Trans-Himalaya,India

Slope stability has been identified as a major obstacle to construction in the rapidly developing countries of Indonesia and Malaysia. In these countries, slope failure has been identified as one of the most commonly occurring natural disasters, leading to financial losses and deaths. Slope failure is often related to prolonged rainfall events where rainfall infiltration increases pore water pressure, reducing soil strength. This failure mechanism will accelerate with the existence of cracks, which are usually caused by differential settling, drying and shrinking of soil, and associated construction activities, among other causes. The existence of cracks on slopes usually provides an easy pathway for rainfall infiltration into soil, allowing rain to infiltrate to deeper layers than in the absence of cracks. The moisture content in deep layers is therefore higher in cracked slopes than in slopes without cracks. To address this issue, we investigated the effects of cracks on slope stability when subjected to rainfall. The influence of crack location, depth, size, and direction on pore water pressure distribution and slope stability was studied by imposing different rainfall intensities. Analysis of seepage and stability were conducted using the GEO STUDIO 2007 softwares SEEP/W and SLOPE/W. Results suggested that pore water pressure and slope stability were influenced by the existence of cracks. Analysis showed that slope factors of safety decreased sharply when cracks were located adjacent to the slope crest, as compared to when cracks were located in the middle of the slope. Furthermore, slope factors of safety decreased with increasing crack depth. Pore water pressure and slope factors of safety decreased further when slopes were subjected to small rainfall intensities for long periods, as compared to when slopes were subjected to high rainfall intensities for short periods. The present study shows that study of cracks should be an integral part of the slope stability analysis.     

An integrated model simulating the initiation and motion of earthquake and rain induced rapid landslides and its application to the 2006 Leyte landslide

A gigantic rapid landslide claiming over 1,000 fatalities was triggered by rainfalls and a small nearby earthquake in the Leyte Island, Philippines in 2006. The disaster presented the necessity of a new modeling technology for disaster risk preparedness which simulates initiation and motion. This paper presents a new computer simulation integrating the initiation process triggered by rainfalls and/or earthquakes and the development process to a rapid motion due to strength reduction and the entrainment of deposits in the runout path. This simulation model LS-RAPID was developed from the geotechnical model for the motion of landslides (Sassa 1988) and its improved simulation model (Sassa et al. 2004b) and new knowledge obtained from a new dynamic loading ring shear apparatus (Sassa et al. 2004a). The examination of performance of each process in a simple imaginary slope addressed that the simulation model well simulated the process of progressive failure, and development to a rapid landslide. The initiation process was compared to conventional limit equilibrium stability analyses by changing pore pressure ratio. The simulation model started to move in a smaller pore pressure ratio than the limit equilibrium stability analyses because of progressive failure. However, when a larger shear deformation is set as the threshold for the start of strength reduction, the onset of landslide motion by the simulation agrees with the cases where the factor of safety estimated by the limit equilibrium stability analyses equals to a unity. The field investigation and the undrained dynamic loading ring shear tests on the 2006 Leyte landslide suggested that this landslide was triggered by the combined effect of pore water pressure due to rains and a very small earthquake. The application of this simulation model could well reproduce the initiation and the rapid long runout motion of the Leyte landslide.     

岸坡地下水控制技术的试验研究

地下水赋存状态与渗流条件的改变及其造成的土体中孔隙水压力的变化是造成岸坡失稳的重要因素。通过模型试验和数值计算（EMU法）检验了降水速率对岸坡稳定性的影响,初步验证了虹吸排水法能够减小岸坡内地下水与库水位之间的水位差,并改善渗流路径,为其在工程中的应用提供了依据。     

Kinematic analysis of pile behavior for improvement of slope stability in fractured and saturated Hoek–Brown rock masses

Because of a multitude of steep slopes being constructed adjacent to roadways, there is greater concern of landslide occurrence, particularly in instances where poor geomaterials are present. Installation of piles along the slope is one commonly adopted method. This paper presents the assessment of the stability of a rock slope with stabilizing piles based on kinematic analysis. The pile effect is introduced with a resultant lateral force and a moment. Upper bound solutions of the pile's lateral force are derived with a log‐spiral rotational failure mechanism. The slope performance based on the bearing capacity of surcharge loading is also discussed with consideration of pore water pressure. In order to substantiate the derived theoretical solutions, numerical analysis with optimization technique is carried out. Results demonstrate that rock materials with high quality are conducive to ensure slope stability. Reduced lateral force on the pile is produced with lower rock weight, slope height, and surcharge loading. Finally, the safety factor and stability coefficient are discussed to complete the evaluation of the slope stability. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

雨水入渗对非饱和土坡稳定性影响的参数研究

很多国家和地区的斜坡失稳与雨水入渗有密切关系。通过参数分析研究可以深化对这种关系的认识和理解,因而对滑坡灾害的预测和预防有重要意义。针对香港地区一种典型非饱和土斜坡,用有限元法模拟雨水入渗引起的暂态渗流场,然后将计算得到的暂态孔隙水压力分布用于斜坡的极限平衡分析。计算中采用延伸的摩尔－库伦破坏准则以便考虑基质吸力对抗剪强度的贡献,研究了降雨特征、水文地质条件及坡面防渗处理等因素对暂态渗流场和斜坡安全因数的影响。数值模拟结果表明：降雨强度、降雨历时和雨型对暂态渗流场及斜坡稳定性有明显的影响;土体的渗透系数,尤其是渗透系数各向异性的影响特别显著;斜坡中相对隔水层的存在以及斜坡防渗护面的效果等因素的影响均不容忽视。     

黄河李家峡典型岩坡变形破坏的水效应研究

黄河上游李家峡段高陡岩坡变形破坏受多种因素控制, 其中水的影响十分明显, 主要包括水的静态效应和动态效应两方面。本文从地下水的软化作用、库岸水压力或静水压力、孔隙水压力, 以及河流冲蚀、边岸再造、降雨引起的动水压力作用和水库泄水引起的动水压力作用等方面, 结合数值模拟手段分别研究了它们对岩坡变形破坏的影响程度和方式。     

Modeling uncertainty in stability analysis for design of embankment dams on difficult foundations

A probabilistic 3-D slope stability analysis model (PTDSSAM) is developed to evaluate the stability of embankment dams and their foundations under conditions of staged construction taking into consideration uncertainty, spatial variabilities and correlations of shear strength parameters, as well as the uncertainties in pore water pressure. The model has the following capabilities: (1) conducting undrained shear strength analysis (USA) and effective stress analysis (ESA) slope stability analysis of staged construction, (2) incorporation of field monitored data of pore water pressure, and (3) incorporation of increase of undrained shear strength with depth, effective stress, and pore water pressure dissipation. The PTDSSAM model is incorporated in a computer program that can analyze slopes located in multilayered deposits, considering the total slope width.

The main outputs of the program are the geometric parameters of the most critical sliding surface (i.e., center of rotation/radius of rotation and critical width of failure), mean 2-D safety factor, mean 3-D safety factor, squared coefficient of variation of resisting moment, and the probability of slope failure. The program is applied to a case study, Karameh dam in Jordan. Monitored data of induced pore water pressure in the dam embankment and soft foundation were gathered during dam construction.

The stability of Karameh dam embankment and foundation was evaluated during staged construction using deterministic and probabilistic analysis. Foundation stability was evaluated based on the monitored data of pore water pressure.

The study showed that the mean values of the corrective factors which account for the discrepancies between the in situ and laboratory-measured values of soil properties and for the modeling errors have significant influence on the 2-D safety factor, 3-D safety factor, slope probability of failure, and on the expected failure width.

The degree of spatial correlation associated with shear strength parameters within a soil deposit also influences the probability of slope failure and the expected failure width. This correlation is quantified by scale of fluctuation. It is found that a larger scale of fluctuation gives an increase in the probability of slope failure and a reduction in the critical failure width.     

A simulation chain for early prediction of rainfall-induced landslides

A new simulation chain for early prediction of rainfall-induced landslides in unsaturated soils is presented. It includes a special computational weather code for forecasting the evolution of the synoptic weather and its changes due to interaction with the Earth’s surface (rainfall pattern), and a hydro-mechanical code to analyse rainfall effects on slope stability by computing degree of saturation and pore pressure changes due to rainwater infiltration. The linkage between these two numerical codes is ensured by an interface with the aim of bringing the data provided by the first code, which operates at basin or slope scale. The simulation chain can work in computational times that may be considered suitable for civil protection operations.     

降雨诱发填方路堤边坡变形机制物理模拟研究

填方路堤变形失稳是西部山区工程建设的常见问题。重庆某高速公路边坡为典型的堆载条件下降雨诱发型滑坡,填方堆载后,填方边坡在连续降雨条件下,沿基岩之上的软弱面产生滑动破坏。定性分析认为,降雨在滑坡形成中起着关键作用,为了研究填方边坡在降雨条件下的变形破坏机制及孔隙水压力与变形之间的关系,采用物理模拟方法研究边坡变形失稳的全过程,分析孔隙水压力随降雨时间的变化规律及其与变形破坏的关系。研究结果表明：边坡后缘大方量堆载,改变了其应力条件,是滑坡产生的主要因素。场地施工改变了原有的地表水环境,连续强降雨致使大量下渗的雨水,不仅显著改变坡体应力条件,而且雨水沿着滑面运移软化滑带,是滑坡产生的重要诱发因素。孔隙水压力在坡体失稳过程中起着关键作用,填方体土碎屑、泥质含量大,下渗的雨水携带上部细小颗粒及滑带泥质成分至滑带附近,堵塞地下水消散通道,表现为坡体变形积累,孔隙水压力增加;边坡变形陡增,孔隙水压力降低。该滑坡破坏分为降雨下渗、滑带饱水软化、后缘产生裂缝、裂缝贯通-整体滑动4个阶段,为蠕滑-拉裂式滑坡。     

山区高速公路边坡勘察设计常见问题分析

在山区高公路上经常遇到顺向坡、滑坡蠕变体和陡反倾坡。对于顺向坡,是否稍陡倾的坡体就应加固,而稍缓倾坡体可以不加固,边坡专家根据现场情况给出相应的工程措施主要是基于顺层边坡中的主要控制层位、相关特性和场地地质条件得出缓坡预加固、稍陡坡整体稳定的结论。从红砂岩显示倾角、倾向异常着手,通过多方面的分析调查,该岩层的特性以及反分析潜在滑动面力学特征,分析判断该切坡体为一蠕滑变形体,进而强调采用抗滑桩预先加固的工程处理方式,通过实际切坡变形破坏证明边坡专家的分析判断和工程措施的正确性。对于红砂岩反倾陡边坡,由于存在软弱夹层和顺坡向节理的切割,边坡岩性强度随雨水渗透软化,特别是现场有类似自然层倾倒变形特征,需要采取工程加固措施。边坡专家能根据工程场地性质,综合分析控制层随时间变化特征及对稳定性起控制性因素,能预先提出合理的工程措施,避免或减少工程损失,达到事半功倍的效果。     

岩体应力应变曲线的围压及孔压效应和降雨触发滑坡的机制分析

从宏观分析与微观机制方面探讨了围压、孔隙水压力对岩体应力应变曲线峰后特性即脆－延性转变的影响。定义了一个峰后破坏割线模量 来表征孔隙水压力对岩体应力应变曲线转型的影响,并结合斜坡失稳的刚度判据,进一步分析了孔隙水压力对应力应变曲线峰后斜率的影响,随孔隙水压力的增加,峰后曲线斜率变陡,峰后刚度增大,即材料的均匀性、脆性增大与刚度比k减小。因此在围压等外界环境因素及系统内部条件不变时,刚度比 时就存在一个临界孔隙水压力 ,也就是说降雨等涨落因素引起滑面介质中的孔隙水压力大于这个临界值时斜坡就易于发生突变失稳。从而进一步加深认识了降雨等外部涨落因素对斜坡系统失稳的重要触发作用。     

降雨过程中边坡临界滑动场

降雨入渗过程中孔隙水压力的升高与基质吸力的降低引起边坡稳定性的下降,是导致边坡滑塌的主要诱导因素。利用饱和-非饱和渗流有限元计算得到的孔隙水压力场,基于Fredlund提出的非饱和土抗剪强度理论,对边坡临界滑动场进行改进,提出可以考虑降雨过程的边坡临界滑动场数值模拟方法,能够方便、快速地计算出边坡局部、整体安全系数和相对应的临界滑动面在降雨过程中的变化历程。将该法用于一个典型均质边坡和一个非均质边坡在降雨过程中的稳定性计算,分析降雨持续时间、降雨强度和非饱和强度参数取值等因素对边坡稳定性的影响,并将计算结果与其他方法进行比较,结果表明临界滑动场方法能搜索任意形状最危险滑面,计算的安全系数合理。     

Analysis of the peat slide at Pollatomish, County Mayo, Ireland

A major landslide event occurred at Pollatomish, County Mayo, Ireland in September 2003, during a period of intense rainfall. It comprised about 30 significant individual longitudinal planar type slides of peat and weathered rock. Relatively simple limit state stability analyses, using the method of slices and an infinite slope analysis, were used to model the slide and it was found that the features observed on site could easily be reproduced. These included confirmation that thin layers of peat could be stable on steep slopes but the margin of safety reduces rapidly under elevated pore pressure conditions. As was observed in the field, the analyses suggested the most vulnerable zone was the upper layer of weathered rock but that slides could occur in the peat if its thickness was appreciable. Careful site characterization is vital in such studies. Here efforts have been made to understand the effect of fibers on the peat strength and some sensitivity analyes have been performed to assess the critical engineering parameters of the peat.     

非饱和-非稳定渗流条件下的边坡临界滑动场

受季节性降雨或水库运行的影响,岸坡外水位及坡内孔隙水压力场的变化较大,不利于岸坡的稳定性。在水位变化过程中,利用非饱和-非稳定渗流有限元计算得到孔隙水压力场,基于非饱和土的渗流和抗剪强度理论,对水位变化过程中的边坡临界滑动场法进行改进,提出可考虑水位变化与岸坡非饱和-非稳定渗流过程的边坡临界滑动场数值模拟方法。将改进后的水位变化过程中的边坡临界滑动场法分别应用于黏土、粉土岸坡在水位升降过程中的稳定性分析,研究了水位升降速率及基质吸力对岸坡稳定性的影响,并揭示了边坡在水位变化过程中的稳定性变化历程。研究表明,该方法计算结果合理、可靠,更适用于涉水边坡的稳定性计算,且岸坡稳定性变化历程受水位升降速率、基质吸力等多种因素共同影响,只有在考虑非稳定渗流的基础上同时考虑基质吸力的作用才能正确得出水位变化过程中岸坡稳定性变化规律和实质。     

人工堆山边坡稳定性数值分析

镇江市蛋山堆山工程是在原蛋山废弃采石场地基上,采用建筑垃圾堆筑起一座具景观功能的新蛋山,堆土厚度最大达50m,该工程西侧地基中分布有厚度较大的软土层,勘察试验结果表明该软土层强度低,压缩性高,对新山体的变形和稳定性有很大的影响.本文以该工程为例,采用数值分析法对软土地基上人工堆山边坡的变形和稳定性进行了研究,计算时对堆...     

基于结构面性状对岩体力学性质响应的模拟研究

为研究结构面性状对锦屏大奔流料场边坡岩体性质的影响,在对该边坡砂岩进行室内三轴压缩试验的基础上,开展含4组不同结构面性状岩体的力学模拟测试,最后对该边坡岩体的开挖进行数值模拟。试验结果表明,岩样破坏过程可以分为4个典型的阶段: 弹性变形阶段,屈服阶段,残余强度阶段及塑性流动阶段。随着围压的增大,岩石破坏所需偏应力逐渐增大,且岩石逐渐表现出延性特征。结构面性状模拟结果表明,含软弱充填结构面比不含者对岩体力学性质影响(弱化)大,有倾角结构面比无倾角结构面对岩体性质影响较大,大倾角结构面总体上比小倾角的影响大,软弱充填厚度对岩体内摩擦角影响较大。实例模拟结果表明,开挖卸荷使得边坡后缘岩体产生卸荷回弹变形,产生X向拉伸位移,煌斑岩脉的存在使得塑性区域沿此软弱带发展,开挖第8步时,塑性区贯通,边坡发生失稳。研究结果对陡高边坡岩体开挖的稳定性评价具有一定指导意义。