Formation,failure, and consequences of the Xiaolin landslide dam,triggered by extreme rainfall from Typhoon Morakot,Taiwan

An extreme rainfall event on August 9, 2009, which was close to setting a world record for 48-h accumulated rainfall, induced the Xiaolin deep-seated landslide, which was located in southwestern Taiwan and had volume of 27.6?×?10⁶?m³, and caused the formation of a landslide dam. The landslide dam burst in a very short time, and little information remained afterward. We reconstructed the process of formation and failure of the Xiaolin landslide dam and also inferred the area of the impoundment and topographic changes. A 5?×?5-m digital elevation model, the recorded water stage of the Qishan River, and data from field investigation were used for analysis. The spectral magnitude of the seismic signals induced by the Xiaolin landslide and flooding due to failure of the landslide dam were analyzed to estimate the timing of the dam breach and the peak discharge of the subsequent flood. The Xiaolin landslide dam failure resulted from overtopping. We verified the longevity of the Xiaolin landslide dam at about 2 h relying on seismic signals and water level records. In addition, the inundated area, volume of the impoundment behind the Xiaolin landslide dam, and peak discharge of the flood were estimated at 92.3 ha, 19.5?×?10⁶?m³, and 17?×?10³?m³/s, respectively. The mean velocity of the flood-recession wave front due to the dam blockage was estimated at 28 km/h, and the peak flooding velocity after failure of the dam was estimated at 23 km/h. The Xiaolin landslide provides an invaluable opportunity for understanding the mechanism of deep-seated landslides and flooding processes following a landslide dam failure.     

Reconstruction and effects of a failure of a typical check dam system under an extreme rainstorm on the Loess Plateau,China

Check dam systems are extensively utilized on the Loess Plateau. However, the development of the check dam system is restrained due to the failure hazard. To investigate the failure process of the check dam system and the corresponding effect, a hydrodynamic simulation was conducted in this study based on the failure of a typical check dam system, which occurred on 15 July 2012. The simulation was regarded as satisfactory based on verification with observed data of the peak discharge at the outlet of the catchment (NSE?=?0.61, R²?=?0.83), breaches of damaged check dams (relative error?<?20%) and maximum water depths in the front of 2 check dams (relative error of ? 13.4% and?+?4%). The simulation results indicated that the series failure in the tributary ditch did not cause the stack of peak discharges, and the peak flood discharge at the outlet of the catchment in this failure increased 20% compared to the status without dam-break and decreased 87% compared to the status without check dam.

     

Numerical modeling of the June 24, 2015, Hongyanzi landslide generated impulse waves in Three Gorges Reservoir,China

Subaerial landslides falling into confined water bodies often generate impulsive waves. Damaging landslide tsunamis in Three Gorges Reservoir, China, have struck several times in the last 15 years. On June 24, 2015, a 23?×?10⁴ m³ slope failure occurred on the east bank of the Daning River opposite Wushan Town. The sliding mass intruded into the Three Gorges Reservoir and initiated a reservoir tsunami that resulted in two deaths and significant damage to shipping facilities. A post-event survey revealed the landslide geometry and wave run-up distribution, while an eyewitness video captured most of the landslide motion. Employing these firm constraints, we applied the Tsunami Squares method to simulate the 2015 Hongyanzi landslide and tsunami. The simulation revealed that the landslide experienced a progressive failure in the first few seconds and impacted the water with a maximum velocity of ~?16 m/s. The initial wave propagated to the opposite shore in an arch shape, and the water surface reached a maximum amplitude of ~?11 m near the landslide. Wave amplitude-time curves at four points on the river cross section show that the initial wave reached Wushan town in about 50 s with an average wave velocity of ~?30 m/s. The maximum wave run-ups on the shoreline opposite the landslide are around 6 m and attenuate to less than 1 m beyond 2-km distance. The landslide simulation matches the observed geological profile and the eyewitness video, and the numerical results coincide with the observed wave run-up heights. Nearly 80% of landslide energy is lost due to frictional resistances, but the remaining fraction imparted to the tsunami carried catastrophic consequences to a large region. The numerical results emphasize the efficiency and accuracy of Tsunami Squares method for a “Quick Look” simulation of a potential landslide.     

基于声发射多重分形特征的层状板岩失稳前兆研究

为探究层状板岩失稳前兆,开展了5组不同层理倾角（0°、30°、45°、60°、90°）板岩的单轴压缩试验,分析了其破坏形态、声发射参数及多重分形特征,讨论了多重分形谱宽Δα与损伤演化的关系,得到了基于多重分形的破坏前兆及预警时间。结果表明：当层理倾角由0°增加到90°时,板岩先由张拉劈裂破坏向劈裂剪切破坏转变,接着变为剪切滑移破坏,最终转变为张拉劈裂破坏;振铃计数突增以及低频-高幅信号比例的持续增加可作为板岩失稳前兆,且层状板岩在裂纹贯通阶段低频-高幅信号占比随层理倾角的增大呈先减后增的变化过程;多重分形谱宽?α先突减再突增也可作为不同层状板岩的失稳前兆,且Δα的突增时间提前于损伤突变,Δα预警时间随层理倾角的增大呈先增后减再增的变化过程,层理倾角为30°时预警时间最长。     

Experimental Investigation on the Strength, Deformability, Failure Behavior and Acoustic Emission Locations of Red Sandstone Under Triaxial Compression

Conventional triaxial compression and “reducing confining pressure” experiments were carried out for red sandstone by an MTS815 Flex Test GT rock mechanics experimental system. Our results show that the post-peak axial deformation characteristics of red sandstone changed as the confining pressure was increased from 5 to 65?MPa. Young’s modulus of red sandstone increased nonlinearly with increasing confining pressure, but Poisson’s ratio remained unaffected. Using our new data, the compactive and dilatant behavior, strength and failure characteristics of sandstone under triaxial compression are further discussed. For our data, the nonlinear Hoek-Brown criterion better reflects the peak strength properties than the linear Mohr-Coulomb criterion. However, the residual strength shows a clear linear relationship with confining pressure, which can be best described using the linear Mohr-Coulomb criterion. The peak and residual strengths were not directly related to the two different loading paths. The onset of dilatancy (C′), the switch from compaction-dominated to dilatant-dominated behavior (D′) and the stress at zero volumetric strain all increased linearly with the confining pressure. In our conventional triaxial compression experiments, the failure mode changed from mixed tension and shear fracture (single shear fracture) to shear fracture with double slippage planes with increasing confining pressure. However, the failure mode in our “reducing confining pressure” experiments was more complicated and results mainly from the unstable failure characteristics of the rock during the reduction in confining pressure. Finally, based on our acoustic emission (AE) locations, at a confining pressure of 35?MPa, a detailed analysis of the evolutionary process of internal cracks is presented for the entire loading process.     

The February 2010 large landslide at Maierato, Vibo Valentia, Southern Italy

A large landslide formed at Maierato (Vibo Valencia District), Southern Italy, on 15 February 2010, at 1430?hours local time, when rapid failure occurred after several days of preliminary movements. The landslide has an area of 0.3?km², a runout distance of 1.2?km and an estimated volume of about 10?Mm³. The landslide caused nearly 2,300 inhabitants to be evacuated, with high economic losses. The most probable trigger of the landslide was the cumulative precipitation over the preceding 20?days (having a return period of more than 100?years), which followed a long period of 4?C5?months of heavy rainfall (of about 150% of the average rainfall of the period). This report presents a summary of our findings pertinent to the landslide??s activities based on our field investigations. In particular, this report covers (1) details of land deformation caused by the landslide, (2) geology pertinent to landslide development, (3) identification of the landslide mechanism and its triggering factors based on the analysis of the boring core specimens and landform features, as well as the available video of the event, and (4) preliminary evaluation of the stability of the original slope before the landslide using the finite element-based shear strength reduction method. The aim of the paper was to describe the landslide and explain its mechanism of occurrence.     

Optimization of reinforcement strategies for dangerous dams considering time-average system failure probability and benefit�Ccost ratio using a life quality index

Lifetime-oriented multi-objective optimization for structural reinforcement based on series-system reliability and benefit?Ccost analysis has already been proposed. It is still needed, however, to incorporate the life quality index (LQI) in the lifetime reinforcement optimization process of complex massive infrastructure engineering with correlated series?Cparallel failure modes (e.g., dams). An improved technique combining overall system failure probability with benefit?Ccost analysis based on the LQI is developed. An approach to obtain time-average system failure probability with correlated series?Cparallel failure modes is proposed to measure the structural performance. Then, the concept for benefit?Ccost ratio based on LQI including failure consequence and life quality objective is introduced. As an application of the methodology, the optimal reinforcement strategy for an existing earth dam is shown. Three types of reinforcement strategies, that is, preventive reinforcement, essential reinforcement and that lies between them, are selected. The results show that the preventive reinforcement strategy is the most beneficial for a dam, whose failure loss involving human life is tremendous. The advantage of the proposed approach is its ability to harmonize overall structural safety with reinforcement cost and can be extended to optimization of reinforcement strategies for other massive infrastructure engineering projects.     

裂隙充填影响巴西圆盘抗拉力学特性试验研究

裂隙是影响岩石力学特性和破裂模式最重要的因素之一,通过试验、数字照相技术和声发射监测对完整和含不同裂隙倾角 单裂隙、不同岩桥与裂隙夹角 双裂隙充填与非充填类岩石材料巴西圆盘的抗拉强度和破裂模式进行研究,探讨了随着 、 的不断变化和裂隙充填与否对试样最终破坏机制的影响。试验结果表明：（1）随着裂隙倾角 不断增大,单裂隙试样的抗拉强度先减小后增大,然后又减小;预制裂隙尖端萌生的翼裂纹贯通造成试样破坏;（2）双裂隙试样的抗拉强度随着 的增大先减小后增大;预制裂隙尖端萌生的翼裂纹和远场裂纹的扩展导致试样破坏;（3）在 、 相同的情况下,充填试样抗拉强度明显要高于非充填试样;预制裂隙充填与否对试样裂纹扩展的时间和裂纹数目影响较大;（4）加载初期,声发射较为平稳;宏观裂纹出现或者抗拉强度跌落时声发射将会变的异常活跃;在 、 相同的情况下充填试样声发射的起伏变化更为剧烈。     

Quickclays as products of glacial action: a new approach to their nature,geology, distribution and geotechnical properties

Essentially, quickclays are products of glaciation which accounts for their limited distribution; other modes of development being of lesser importance. Glacial grinding provides the fine silt and clay sizes required to constitute quickclays. Two major factors account for the geotechnical properties, a composition factor related to material comprising the soil system and a leaching factor, the effectiveness of which is related to the clay-mineral content of the soil.Soils can be divided into three types, based on criteria of particle size and type of interparticle bond. Among the latter are long-range active bonds, typical of true clay-mineral systems; and short-range inactive bonds such as are observed between two quartz particles. The three main soil types have: (a) small particles and long-range forces - the bond/weight ratioR is high; (b) small particles and short-range forces ? R > 1 ; and (c) large particles and short-range forces - i.e., the sands, andR < 1. Quickclays fall more conveniently into type (b) than into type (a) in as much as the most important property is a preponderance of inactive bonds in the soil system. This is achieved by a high content of non-clay mineral particles, and also may be assisted by leaching and cementation. If more than a critical proportion of long-range bonds are present, the required very high sensitivity does not occur.The initial failure of the soil might be treated as tensile using a volume failure criterion; the low settling velocity of the very small (≈ 1?2 μm) particles allows the solid-liquid transformation to occur after a modest shock loading. Observations of low thixotropy, lack of secondary settlement and sudden failure in compression tests can be explained by requirements of particle size and material.     

Preliminary analyses of landslides and sand liquefaction triggered by 22 May, 2021, Maduo Mw 7.3 earthquake on Northern Tibetan Plateau,China

During the Maduo Earthquake (MDEq) (M_w 7.3), which occurred on 22 May 2021 in the northern Tibetan Plateau, coseismic surface ruptures, numerous land liquefaction instances and landslides, were triggered along the NW strike of the?~?160 km long aftershock zone. We performed three times emergency field surveys (22 May to 3 Jun., 28 Jun. to 14 Jul., 8–24 Oct., 2021) with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) orthophoto and digital elevation model (DEM) data. We found a discontinuous coseismic surface rupture zone along with loose sediment, severe sand liquefaction regions with an area of?~?10³ km² along the Yellow River and its tributaries. More than 23 coseismic landslides had been checked with relative small-size volume for limited local terrain relief. Three of those landslides had relatively small source areas and volumes and affected relatively large areas. We identified numerous tension cracks in and around the trailing edges, which could trigger more landslides in the future. Further detailed research into the occurrence of these three landslides will reveal the failure mechanism of the earthquake (shaking)–freeze–thaw effect–rainfall disaster chain. Here, we present basic information to aid the overall understanding of the preliminary characteristics of coseismic earthquake-triggered landslides, sand liquefaction, and possible follow-up disasters.

     

Mechanisms and runout characteristics of the rainfall-triggered debris flow in Xiaojiagou in Sichuan Province, China

The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake induced a large number of landslides, and a vast amount of loose landslide materials deposited on steep hill slopes or in channels. Such loose materials can become sources of deadly debris flows once triggered by storms. On 13 August 2010, a storm swept Yingxiu and its vicinity, triggering a catastrophic debris flow with a volume of 1.17?million?m³ in Xiaojiagou Ravine. The debris flow buried 1,100?m of road, blocked a river and formed a debris flow barrier lake. A detailed field study was conducted to understand the initiation mechanisms and runout characteristics of this debris flow. Two types of debris flows are identified, namely hill-slope debris flow and channelized debris flow. The hill-slope debris flow was triggered in the forms of firehose effect, rilling and landsliding, whereas the channelized debris flow was triggered in the form of channel-bed failure. This debris flow was a water?Crock flow since most particles were gravel, cobble or larger rocks and the fraction of silt and clay was less than 2%. Grain contact friction, pore-pressure effects and inertial grain collision were the three most important physical interactions within the debris flow. Such interactions yielded a smaller runout distance (593?m) compared with those of mud?Crock flows of similar size.     

Mechanism of the giant Seimareh Landslide,Iran, and the longevity of its landslide dams

Seimareh Landslide (SL) is globally recognized as one of the largest rock mass movements in the world. It is located along the border of Ilam and Lorestan provinces in southwest Iran, in the heart of the Zagros Mountain Range. There are controversial findings about the mechanism of the landslide formation. This field work study reviewed the possible mechanisms of failure and analyzed post-failure geomorphic features. Drainage pattern disturbance in the depositional region and consequent dammed lake formation are among the most significant characteristics of these features. Seimareh, Jaidar and Balmak are three large landslide-dammed lakes. The present study analyzed the processes responsible for the formation and erosion of the Jaidar and Seimareh Landslide dams using the available annual sedimentation and field measurements of the sediment deposited in these lakes. The results showed that the SL dam has been formed about 935 years after the landslide event. Detailed field investigations indicated a specific hydro-morphological condition in the landslide area. The results implied that the main causes of the failure were probably the particular hydro-morphological characteristic of the landslide source area together with the enormous eroding energy resulted from merging of two high-flow rivers which eroded the base of the southern flank of Kabir-kuh Mountain. However, the unusual size of the landslide suggests that an external factor, e.g., a huge earthquake, might have triggered the failure.     

断续三裂隙砂岩强度破坏和裂纹扩展特征研究

利用岩石力学伺服试验机,对尺寸为80 mm×160 mm×30 mm的断续三裂隙砂岩试样进行了单轴压缩试验,研究了岩桥倾角? 2对断续三裂隙砂岩（? = 30°和? 1 = 60°）强度破坏和裂纹扩展特征的影响规律。与完整砂岩试样相比,断续三裂隙砂岩试样应力-应变曲线显示了较多的应力跌落,其峰值强度也呈显著降低趋势,但降低程度与? 2密切相关,随着? 2从75°增加到90°,峰值强度从82.04 MPa 降低到77.82 MPa,而当? 2从90°增加到120°,其峰值强度无明显变化。完整砂岩试样呈现轴向劈裂脆性破坏,而断续三裂隙砂岩试样是由许多从裂隙尖端产生的裂纹扩展与汇合,导致了其失稳破坏。通过照相量测技术,探讨了? 2对断续三裂隙砂岩试样裂纹扩展特征的影响：? 2为75°、90°和105°的断续三裂隙试样中裂隙①、③和②、③之间均出现了贯通,而裂隙①、②之间无任何贯通;? 2为120°的断续三裂隙试样中裂隙①、③和①、②之间均出现了贯通,而②、③之间无任何贯通。最后给出了断续三裂隙砂岩试样宏观变形特性与裂纹扩展过程之间的关系。     

Borehole failure analysis in a sandstone under anisotropic stresses

Borehole failure under anisotropic stresses in a sandstone is analyze numerically for various borehole sizes using a nonlinear elastic–plastic constitutive model for a Cosserat continuum. Borehole failure is identified as macroscopic failure of the borehole through the development of shear bands and breakouts. The results compare well both qualitatively and quantitatively with experimental results from polyaxial tests on Red Wildmoor sandstone. They show that the hole size effect of the borehole failure strength is independent of the far‐field stress anisotropy and follows a ? power law of the hole size. A similar scale effect equation with a ? power law is proposed for the scale effect of the maximum plastic shear strain at failure. This equation can be useful for better predicting hole‐size‐dependent failure with standard codes based on classical continua. The effect of stress anisotropy on the borehole failure stress is found to be independent of the hole size. The failure stress decreases linearly to 40% as the stress anisotropy increases. However, the maximum plastic shear strain at failure is stress anisotropy independent and therefore the critical plastic shear strain for failure is only hole‐size dependent. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于系列Drucker-Prager破坏准则评述土坡的稳定性

各种在? 平面上等效面积的Drucker-Prager屈服准则,如DP4(Drucker-Prager与Mohr-Coulomb两屈服准则在? 平面上的投影面积相等)、DP5(Drucker-Prager与Matsuoka-Nakai两屈服准则在? 平面上的投影面积相等)和DP6(Drucker-Prager与Lade-Duncan两屈服准则在? 平面上的投影面积相等)等模型都不同程度地模拟了平面应变条件下土体的破坏强度,这就是为什么等效面积的Drucker-Prager屈服准则在二维土坡稳定分析中被推广应用的原因。结合砂土的真三轴强度破坏试验结果,从量化角度论证了DP4模型求出的土坡安全系数可能会保守一些,而DP5和DP6两模型求出的土坡安全系数可能会更真实一些,能更好地发挥材料的承载潜力,因而进一步改善了土坡稳定安全系数的计算精度。     

Thaw-induced slope failures and stability analyses in permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

The distribution of permafrost-related slope failures along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway from Wuddaoliang to Fenghuoshan correlates with ice content, slope gradient, and ground temperature. Slope failures are of two types. (1) Retrogressive thaw slumps result from icy permafrost being exposed by either man-induced excavation or fluvial-thermal erosion and undercutting of basal slopes. (2) Active-layer-detachment failures are caused by thaw of icy permafrost at the active layer-permafrost interface. After initial failure, active-layer-detachment failures can lead to retrogressive thaw-slumping and localized surficial landslide. Common trigger mechanisms for failure include high summer air temperatures and heavy summer precipitation. A third possible trigger mechanism for slope failure is earthquake occurrence. A geotechnical slope stability analysis was undertaken for an active-layer-detachment failure that had progressed into a retrogressive thaw slump. A safety factor (F _s ) of 1.24 for the natural slope was determined using in situ tested strength parameters. However, the slope would lose stability when either the groundwater level over the permafrost table exceeded 1.42 m or seismic acceleration reached, or exceeded, 0.03?g.     

Development of a geotechnical and geophysical database for seismic zonation of the Ankara Basin,Turkey

The Kocaeli earthquake (M _w = 7.4) of 17 August 1999 occurred in the Eastern Marmara Region of Turkey along the North Anadolu Fault and resulted in a very serious loss of life and property. One of the most important geotechnical issues of this event was the permanent ground deformations because of both liquefaction and faulting. These deformations occurred particularly along the southern shores of ?zmit Bay and Sapanca Lake between the cities of Yalova and Adapazar? in the west and east, respectively. In this study, three sites founded on delta fans, namely De?irmendere Nose, Yeniköy tea garden at Seymen on the coast of ?zmit Bay, and Vak?f Hotel site on the coast of Sapanca Lake were selected as typical cases. The main causes of the ground deformations at these sites were then investigated. Geotechnical characterization of the ground, derivation of displacement vectors from the pre- and post-earthquake aerial photographs, liquefaction assessments based on field performance data, and analyses carried out using the sliding body method have been fundamental in this study. The displacement vectors determined from photogrammetric evaluations conducted at De?irmendere and Seymen showed a combined movement of faulting and liquefaction. But except the movements in the close vicinity of shorelines, the dominant factor in this movement was faulting. The results obtained from the analyses suggested that the ground failure at De?irmendere was a submarine landslide mainly because of earthquake shaking rather than liquefaction. On the other hand, the ground failures at the Yeniköy tea garden on the coast of Seymen and the hotel area in Sapanca town resulted from liquefaction-induced lateral spreading. It was also obtained that the ground deformations estimated from the sliding body method were quite close to those measured by aerial photogrammetry technique.     

Brittle Rock Failure in the Steg Lateral Adit of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel

Summary  During the crossing of brittle rock formations at the L?tschberg base tunnel, failure phenomena have been observed both at the tunnel face and at the walls. A detailed analysis has been undertaken to explain these behaviours, based on the recent developments of Canadian research on brittle failure mechanisms. At the tunnel walls, a very good agreement is found between the calculated and observed damage and between two prediction methods, i.e. a semi-empirical failure criterion and elastic calculations with the “brittle Hoek-Brown parameters.” Near the face, due to the 3D nature of the stress conditions, some limitations of these approaches have been highlighted, and the growth of wall failure has been analysed. This research allowed a better understanding of the brittle rock mass behaviour at the L?tschberg base tunnel and showed that brittle failure processes dominate the behaviour of deep, highly stressed excavations in massive to moderately jointed rock. It also illustrates where improvements to the adopted approaches are required.     

Effects of fine particle content and sample scale on the failure properties of loose landslide deposits

A large amount of loose landslide deposits caused by a strong earthquake can cause several mountain disasters (slope failures, debris flows, and others) under heavy rainfall conditions. Loose landslide deposits are sensitive to water due to their special structural properties, such as loose structure and wide grading. There are complex conformational and mechanical responses of loose deposits, but the initial conditions and formation mechanisms of mountain disasters can be described by several different parameters. Among these parameters, the property of failure is one of the most important, and it is used to describe extremely dangerous situations for each kind of disaster. In this study, a two-dimensional particle flow code platform (PFC2D) was used to simulate the failure properties, and a laboratory test verified the validity of the numerical experiments. Different sample scales (S1, 150?×?300 mm; S2, 300?×?600 mm; S3, 600?×?1200 mm) and fine particle contents smaller than 5 mm (f-1, 20%; f-2, 30%; f-3, 40%) were considered. The simulation results show that failure stress increases with increasing sample scale or fine particle content under low confining pressure and decreases under high confining pressure. The tendency of failure stresses to vary mutates with different fine particle contents when the confining pressure changes. The mutation value of the confining pressure is 280 kPa. In addition, the phenomenon of strain softening becomes less obvious when the confining pressure increases.     

冻结饱水砂卵石三轴压缩强度试验研究

为研究北京富水砂卵石地层冻结后的强度特性,以北京某地铁暗挖车站砂卵石为研究对象,进行不同温度（?5、?10、?15、?20℃）,不同围压（0.0、0.3、0.8、1.3、2.0、3.0、4.0、8.0 MPa）条件下三轴压缩试验。试验结果表明：冻结砂卵石的应力-应变曲线以应变软化形态为主,高负温、高围压条件下,呈现理想塑性破坏形态;砂卵石强度、黏聚力和摩擦角均随温度降低而增大,其中强度呈指数分布,黏聚力和摩擦角呈线性分布;强度和弹性模量随围压增加而增大,但增大趋势逐渐减小,低围压压缩区强度满足线性Morh-Coulomb（简称M-C）准则;冻结砂卵石的破坏形态以破裂面始/终于试样侧面的剪切破坏为代表,张拉型破坏受冰影响显著,仅存在于低围压条件下,高围压、高负温时易出现体胀型破坏。