Spectral element analysis to evaluate the stability of long and steep slopes

This paper evaluates the stability of long and steep slopes examining the effect of the critical length/depth ratio, L/H, and critical slope angle, β _cr, by comparing the results of infinite slope equation with the spectral element method. In addition, the influence of uphill and downhill boundaries on stability of long and steep slopes is also evaluated in theoretical domains. As an example, this paper presents a stability analysis of long and steep vegetated and barren slopes in saturated and seismic conditions, and also evaluates the effectiveness of the infinite slope equation for those slopes. In the vegetated slopes, the root zone may not extend to the whole depth of slope, which may lead to overestimating the factor of safety by infinite slope equation. This paper examines the applicability of the infinite slope equation for infinitely long, steep, and shallow slope model by comparing the results of the spectral element method.     

Probabilistic infinite slope analysis

Research activity in the mechanics of landslides has led to renewed interest in the infinite slope equations, and the need for a more general framework for giving insight into the probability of failure of long slopes involving non-homogeneous vertical soil profiles and variable groundwater conditions. This paper describes a methodology in which parameters such as the soil strength, slope geometry and pore pressures, are generated using random field theory. Within the limitations of the infinite slope assumptions, the paper clearly demonstrates the important “seeking out” effect of failure mechanisms in spatially random materials, and how “first order” methods that may not properly account for spatial variability can lead to unconservative estimates of the probability of slope failure.     

土体抗拉强度对均质边坡稳定性的影响

目前对均质边坡稳定性受岩土体抗拉强度影响程度的看法不一,尤其是对不同坡度的边坡受抗拉强度的影响甚至有相反意见。基于有限差分程序FLAC^3D提供的考虑张拉-剪切复合破坏的Mohr-Coulomb准则,采用强度折减法对多个典型均质边坡进行一系列数值计算,研究土体抗拉强度对不同坡度边坡稳定性的影响。结果表明：边坡越陡,土体抗拉强度对安全系数的影响越大;抗拉强度取值对直立边坡的稳定安全系数及变形破坏特征影响显著,对45°及以下边坡的影响相对较小。总体来说,对于坡角超过60°的陡坡,土体抗拉强度不同引起的边坡安全系数变化幅度可达10%以上,应在边坡稳定分析中特别注意,避免因土体抗拉强度取值过大或过小而导致计算结果偏于危险或过于保守。     

水-力耦合及干湿循环效应对浅层残积土斜坡稳定性的影响

降雨入渗过程中,土体吸力降低,体积明显改变。天然浅层土体长期受到季节性气候变化的影响,因此,开展水-力耦合及干湿交替对浅层残积土坡稳定性影响的数值分析,分析浅层土坡孔隙水压力、湿润锋及安全系数的时空演变规律,并对水-力耦合及干湿交替条件下的浅层土坡失稳破坏机制进行探讨显得尤为必要。研究结果表明：随着干湿循环次数的增加,水-力耦合分析下孔隙水压力以及湿润锋的迁移速度增加更快,边坡也更易失稳破坏;干湿交替初期,雨水入渗易引起地下水位上升,边坡可因正孔隙水压力的增加而失稳;干湿交替后期,湿润锋的快速推进加剧基质吸力迅速丧失及土体强度下降,边坡安全系数显著降低,发生失稳破坏的时间缩短。因此,可将湿润锋处的安全系数(局部最小值)作为控制边坡长期稳定性的临界值。     

考虑前期降雨过程的边坡稳定性分析

基于三峡库区实测降雨资料,研究了不同初始条件对不同土体边坡稳定性影响,建议了能够反映边坡含水状态的初始条件选取方法。在此基础上,采用非饱和渗流分析方法研究了前期降雨对不同土体边坡稳定性影响,以典型的砂土和黏土边坡为例初步探索了前期降雨对边坡稳定性影响规律。结果表明：初始条件对不同土体边坡稳定性影响不同;建议将多年平均降雨量对应的稳态渗流场作为初始条件进行非饱和渗流分析。边坡土体渗透系数越低,边坡稳定性受前期降雨的影响越大、影响时间也越长。砂土和黏土边坡稳定性分析时建议至少考虑15 d以上的前期降雨,对于砂土边坡还应根据这15 d前面5 d的降雨情况确定是否需要增加计算天数。短历时高强度前期降雨对砂土边坡稳定性影响更大,而长历时低强度前期降雨对黏土边坡稳定性影响更大。累积前期降雨量可以作为判断边坡最小安全系数出现时刻的依据。砂土边坡出现最小安全系数时刻与10 d累积前期降雨量最大的时刻较为吻合,而黏土边坡则与15 d累积前期降雨量最大的时刻较为吻合。     

边坡稳定分析中加速度临界滑动面研究

采用最大加速度也可以评价边坡的安全性。当黏聚力在土的抗剪强度中所占比重较小时,加速度与稳定系数的相关性较好。本文进一步比较加速度临界滑动面与稳定系数临界滑动面的关系,发现对于坡角α≥45°的简单边坡,在ξ < 0.1时,加速度临界滑动面与稳定系数临界滑动面是比较接近的。对于加筋土边坡,在筋材较短时,稳定系数较小的区域分布在筋材末端位置;筋材长度较长时,其位置和区域随着筋材长度的增加不再发生明显变化。但加速度较大的区域几乎都分布在筋材末端。相关机理还需要进一步研究。     

Influence of the spatial variability of shear strength parameters on rainfall induced landslides: a case study of sandstone slope in Japan

Rainfall-induced landslides frequently occur in humid temperate regions worldwide. Research activity in understanding the mechanism of rainfall-induced landslides has recently focused on the probability of slope failure involving non-homogeneous soil profiles. This paper presents probabilistic analyses to assess the stability of unsaturated soil slope under rainfall. The influence of the spatial variability of shear strength parameters on the probability of rainfall-induced slope failure is conducted by means of a series of seepage and stability analyses of an infinite slope based on random fields. A case study of shallow failure located on sandstone slopes in Japan is used to verify the analysis framework. The results confirm that a probabilistic analysis can be efficiently used to qualify various locations of failure surface caused by spatial variability of soil shear strength for a shallow infinite slope failure due to rainfall.     

强降雨作用下堆积层滑坡稳定性分析

强降雨作用易造成堆积层滑坡发生,带来严重的生命财产损失。基于Green-Ampt（GA）模型,同时考虑湿润锋以上饱和带渗流作用,推导了一种新的滑坡降雨入渗函数,弥补了GA模型只适用于无限长坡的不足。为考虑降雨入渗对土体条块强度的影响,采用整体抗剪强度准则评价滑坡稳定性,并在受力分析时考虑了湿润锋以上饱和带渗透力作用,建立了滑坡稳定性系数表达式。研究结果表明：滑坡降雨入渗的尺寸效应非常明显,湿润锋扩展速率随着坡长的增大而增大,当滑坡无限长时新降雨入渗模型与GA模型计算结果相同,说明GA模型是新模型的一个特例。此外,降雨初期,滑坡稳定性下降较快;随着降雨的持续,稳定性下降速率逐渐放缓。与模型试验结果对比表明,提出的降雨入渗模型和评价方法计算结果与试验揭示的现象一致,证明了该方法的可靠性。     

Incorporating hydro-mechanical coupling in an analysis of the effects of rainfall patterns on unsaturated soil slope stability

Rainfall-induced landslides can cause loss of life and damage to property, infrastructure, and the environment. Rainfall patterns affect the pore-water pressure of unsaturated soil slopes, and are related to the slopes’ stability. Four rainfall patterns were chosen to represent natural rainfall patterns for an examination of rainfall infiltration into soil slopes using numerical models incorporating coupled water infiltration and deformation in unsaturated soils. Our analysis showed that rainfall patterns play a significant role in the distribution of the pore-water pressure in soil slopes, and influence the slope stability. The pore-water pressure profile of soil slopes and the factor of safety are affected by the ratio of rainfall intensity and the coefficient of permeability. The depth and shape of the shallow sliding plane of the landslide is closely related to the rainfall pattern; moreover, the results showed a correlation between the factor of safety of the slope and the rainfall intensity. This relationship can be described by a dimensionless rainfall intensity. The nonlinear relationship can be used to estimate the slope stability resulting from rainfall infiltration when the hydro-mechanical coupling in unsaturated soil slopes is considered.     

考虑饱和-非饱和渗流的土坡极限分析

给出了均质土坝的下游坝坡的安全系数的计算方法。均质土坝的下游坝坡有可能会通过滑裂面发生破坏。土坝中的土坡通常处于非饱和状态。非饱和土坡的安全系数计算需要考虑吸力对抗剪强度的贡献以及土坡中的非饱和渗流。给出处于饱和-非饱和渗流状态下的土坡的安全系数,有助于评价均质土坝的安全系数。下游坝坡的安全系数计算方法有：极限平衡法、上限解法和下限解法,该算法适用于非饱和土坡,且是在饱和土坡安全系数的计算方法上修正得到的。算例中非饱和土坡安全系数的计算考虑了吸力对抗剪强度的贡献。考虑非饱和渗流理论的土坡安全系数计算方法通常更加接近现场实际情况,并且对于同一坝坡,考虑非饱和渗流计算出的土坡安全系数要比饱和渗流理论计算出的安全系数大。     

An analytical solution for rainfall infiltration into an unsaturated infinite slope and its application to slope stability analysis

Surficial slope failures in residual soils are common in tropical and subtropical regions as a result of rainfall infiltration. This study develops an analytical solution for simulating rainfall infiltration into an infinite unsaturated soil slope. The analytical solution is based on the general partial differential equation for water flow through unsaturated soils. It can accept soil–water characteristic curve and unsaturated permeability function of the exponential form into account. Numerical simulations are conducted to verify the assumptions of the analytical solution and demonstrate that the proposed analytical solution is acceptable for the coarse soils with low air entry values. The pore‐water pressure (pwp) distributions obtained from the analytical solution can be incorporated into a limit equilibrium method to do infinite slope stability analysis for a rain‐induced shallow slip. The analysis method takes into account the influence of the water content change on unit weight and hence on factor of safety. A series of analytical parametric analyses have been performed using the developed model. The analyses indicate that when the residual soil slope, consisting of a completely decomposed granite layer underlain by a less permeable layer, is subjected to a continuous heavy rainfall, the loss of negative pwp and the reduction in factor of safety were found to be most significant for the shallow soil layer and during the first 12 h. The antecedent and subsequent rainfall intensity, depth of a less permeable layer and slope angle all have a significant influence on the pwp response and hence the slope stability. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

PSO-based stability analysis of unreinforced and reinforced soil slopes using non-circular slip surface

Slope stability analysis is one of the most intricate problems of geotechnical engineering because it is mathematically difficult to search the critical slip surface of earth slopes with complex strata owing to the involved multimodal function optimization problem. At present, a minimum factor of safety for a non-circular slip surface in a uniform and unreinforced earth slope can be calculated using several methods; however, for a reinforced soil slope, it cannot be easily calculated because of the additional effect of the reinforcement. One efficient method to search the critical slip surface is particle swarm optimization (PSO). PSO can solve complex non-differentiable problems, and its increasing ease of use has facilitated its application to multimodal function optimization problems in a variety of fields. However, the recommended PSO parameters to calculate the safety factors of unreinforced and reinforced soil slopes, namely the inertia and local and global best solution weighting coefficients, have not been sufficiently investigated. Moreover, the computational efficiency of PSO for safety factor calculation, including computational accuracy and time, has not been clarified. To calculate the unreinforced and reinforced soil slope safety factors, this study considers force and moment equilibriums, including the tensile force of the reinforcement. Firstly, the computational efficiency of the calculation process by PSO was shown to increase the maximum number of slip surface nodes in the calculation of the safety factor. Then, an analysis was carried out to investigate the safety factor sensitivity to the PSO parameters. Based on this analysis, appropriate PSO parameters for the safety factor calculation of unreinforced and reinforced soil slopes were proposed.

     

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.     

Reinforcing mechanism of anchors in slopes: a numerical comparison of results of LEM and FEM

This paper reports the limitation of the conventional Bishop's simplified method to calculate the safety factor of slopes stabilized with anchors, and proposes a new approach to considering the reinforcing effect of anchors on the safety factor. The reinforcing effect of anchors can be explained using an additional shearing resistance on the slip surface. A three‐dimensional shear strength reduction finite element method (SSRFEM), where soil–anchor interactions were simulated by three‐dimensional zero‐thickness elasto‐plastic interface elements, was used to calculate the safety factor of slopes stabilized with anchors to verify the reinforcing mechanism of anchors. The results of SSRFEM were compared with those of the conventional and proposed approaches for Bishop's simplified method for various orientations, positions, and spacings of anchors, and shear strengths of soil–grouted body interfaces. For the safety factor, the proposed approach compared better with SSRFEM than the conventional approach. The additional shearing resistance can explain the influence of the orientation, position, and spacing of anchors, and the shear strength of soil–grouted body interfaces on the safety factor of slopes stabilized with anchors. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microtremor survey and stability analysis of a soil-rock mixture landslide: a case study in Baidian town,China

Soil-rock mixtures (S-RM) are widely distributed in mountainous regions, and there are different genetic types and scales of S-RM slopes. The stability of these slopes is very important for slope safety during the construction and operation of engineering projects. Since the mechanical properties of an S-RM are mainly dominated by its random component, accurately investigating the structure of an S-RM slope is the fundamental basis for evaluating the mechanism of a landslide. In this paper, in situ direct shear tests are used to obtain the “soil” strength parameters of the S-RM, the microtremor survey method (MSM) is introduced to detect the S-RM slope and the numerical method of FEM is utilised to simulate the failure characteristics and stability of the S-RM slope. Based on the MSM, the strata structure and proportions of solitary rock blocks in the S-RM slope are investigated, and three possible models of the S-RM slope are established. By using the strength reduction method in numerical simulations, the potential failure surface and stability of a slope of homogeneous soil and that with solitary rock blocks are discussed. The study results show that the MSM is an effective method to estimate the proportion of rock blocks in the S-RM slope. The presence of solitary rock blocks makes the slope potential slide surface complicated. The factor of safety of the S-RM slope is higher than that of the homogeneous soil slope, the rock blocks at the toe of the slope are favourable for slope stability and the rock blocks near the surface of the slope squeeze the lower soil and improve the safety factor of the slope.     

沉桩超孔隙水压力对码头边坡稳定的影响

沉桩会对码头边坡稳定产生不利影响,一是引起桩周土体超孔隙水压力的急剧上升,导致土体有效应力降低;二是沉桩的振动加速度会产生对边坡稳定不利的瞬时惯性力。对于灵敏度低的土质岸坡来说,前者是影响其稳定性的主要因素。考虑沉桩时初始超孔隙水压力的分布,根据Biot固结方程超孔隙水压力消散解的一般表达式,建立了沉桩引起的超孔隙水压力随时间消散的解析式,在条分法的基础上考虑沉桩产生的超孔隙水压力的不利影响,建立了沉桩时边坡稳定安全系数的计算公式。根据沉桩顺序对某码头进行边坡稳定分析,结果表明：考虑打桩作用的岸坡稳定安全系数明显降低,沉桩产生的超孔隙水压力逐渐消散,边坡稳定安全系数随沉桩工序历时变化,施工中期由于超孔隙水压力叠加,岸坡最危险,沉桩结束3个月以后,超孔隙水压力基本消散,边坡稳定安全系数接近不考虑沉桩时的值。工程中要根据打桩计划进行边坡稳定计算。     

The effect of pressure-grouted soil nails on the stability of weathered soil slopes

Pressure-grouted soil nails have been increasingly used for stabilizing slopes. The pullout resistance of a soil nail is the main factor for reinforcing the slope stability. In this study, a two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element model is developed to simulate the pullout behavior of a pressure-grouted soil nail. This model is verified with field pullout tests result of a pressure-grouted soil nails by comparing with gravity-grouted soil nails. Based on the analysis, a three-dimensional finite element model is proposed for stability analysis of a slope reinforced with pressure-grouted soil nails using the shear strength reduction method. A series of numerical slope stability analyses for a slope composed of weathered soil are performed to investigate the effects of grouting pressure on the slope stability and the behavior of the soil nails. Special attention is given to the installation effect of a pressure-grouted soil nails. It is found from the result of this study that the pressure-grouted soil nails increase the safety factor by fifty percent in a slope by increasing the stiffness of the nailed slope system. Numerical analysis results confirm the fact that the pullout resistance of a soil nail is the main factor for stabilizing slopes rather than the shear resistance of the soil nail.     

弹性模量和泊松比对边坡稳定安全系数的影响

根据土的弹性模量和泊松比满足双曲线关系，给出了弹性模量和泊松比折减的基本原理。通过算例分析表明，调整泊松比对安全系数的求解是有影响的，而弹性模量的影响一般较小。算例亦表明，位移控制方法具有较高的稳定性和收敛性，在运用有限元强度折减方法求解边坡的安全系数时，建议采用位移控制方法来控制其收敛性。     

不同渗流条件下无限斜坡稳定性分析方法探讨

顺层滑坡和冻土地区的浅层滑坡如融冻泥流和热融滑塌等，其斜坡深长比很小，一般属于无限斜坡类型，这类滑坡的形成往往与地下水的存在有关。本文应用有效应力原理推导了不同渗流条件下无限斜坡稳定性分析的计算模式，对各种不同表达形式的安全系数进行了讨论和对比，得出在流线平行于斜坡条件下。两类特殊条件(干土坡、饱水土坡)下的分析结果与相同情况下安全系数统一式结果相一致的结论；流线为相互平行的水平线、流线与坡向一致两种情况分别为孔晾压力和安全系数的两种特例。     

Water infiltration characteristics of unsaturated soil slope and its effect on suction and stability

Rainfall has been considered the cause of the majority of slope failures and landslides that happened in regions experiencing high seasonal rainfalls. The mechanism of the failures was mainly due to the lost of matric suction of soils by rainwater. This paper presents the results of a laboratory model study on the effect of slope angle and surface cover on water infiltration into soil and soil matric suction. A field infiltration test is carried out for comparison. A parametric study is also done to examine the effect of permeability ratio, development of perched water table and rainfall intensity on the factor of safety against instability of a soil slope. Results of the model study show that different surface covers on slopes have an effect on the water infiltration. Generally the covered surface (grass or geosynthetic net) has a lower infiltration rate compared with the bare (no cover) surface. On the effect of slope angle, it was observed that water infiltration decrease with increase in the slope steepness. With regards to the movement of the wetting front, it appears that water infiltration is more at the toe compared with the top of the model slope. Based on the parametric study, it is found factor of safety of the slope against instability drops for slope with higher ratio of permeability for the permeable and impermeable stratum. As the perched water table is formed, the factor of safety decreased. The rainfall intensity also has a marked effect on the slope factor of safety. The higher the intensity of the rainfall, the higher is the infiltration rate into the soil, hence the lower is the factor of safety against slope instability.