Stress–strain behaviour of a loosely compacted volcanic-derived soil and its significance to rainfall-induced fill slope failures

The stress–strain behaviour of a soil is crucial to the recognition of the mechanism of slope failure. Triaxial tests, composed of isotropically consolidated drained (ICD) and undrained compression (ICU) tests and anisotropically consolidated constant deviatoric stress path (CQD) tests, were carried out with the aim of investigating the stress–strain behaviour of loosely compacted volcanic-derived soils. The fact that the critical states are the same for ICU, ICD and CQD tests may show that the critical state is independent of the above three stress paths. The critical state line, as defined in critical state soil mechanics, is obtained from the e–log p′ and q–p′ plots based on the results of the above tests. The initial state of the consolidated specimens at initiation of failure may be classified as dilative or contractive in the light of the locations of the soil state relative to the critical state line. For contractional soils, the increased pore water pressure generated by rainfall infiltration leads to a contractive failure in a drained manner, giving rise to high excess pore water pressure. The excess pore water pressure caused by contraction cannot be dissipated instantly, resulting in a decrease in the shear resistance of the soil. The failure process is rapid. The failed soil mass is prone to flow after failure under the action of gravity due to its high moisture content and inflow of surface runoff and rainwater. For dilational soils, the increased pore water pressure resulting from infiltration leads to dilation, which reduces pore water pressure and thus increases the shear resistance of the soil. However, continued rainfall infiltration may be able to equilibrate the reduction in pore water pressure caused by dilation and, therefore, the dilation or displacement can continue. In Hong Kong, volcanic-derived soil is characterized by high permeability. Both the high permeability of volcanic-derived soil and a shallow failure surface make it possible for the reduction in pore pressure to equilibrate relatively quickly. Therefore, the failure is also rapid, at least for poorly compacted fill slopes.     

火山岩坡残积土地区暴雨滑坡泥石流的形成机理

暴雨条件诱发的浅层坡残积土质斜坡破坏的机理受控于土体在低有效围压条件下的应力应变特性。1993年11月4～5日,香港大屿山地区特大局部性暴雨导致在120km2范围内产生自然滑坡泥石流800余处,且绝大多数发生于火山岩风化坡残积土地区。本文对火山岩风化坡残积土开展了室内偏压固结不排水剪和偏压固结常剪应力排水剪试验,揭示了该类土的应力应变特性;在此基础上,分析了暴雨滑坡泥石流的形成机理和过程。     

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。     

基于降雨响应的黄土-基岩型滑坡失稳机制分析以宝鸡市麟游县岭南滑坡为例

为探索黄土-基岩型滑坡的降雨响应机制,以麟游县岭南滑坡为例,利用滑坡宏观变形破坏数据、岩土体测试与模拟计算相结合的方法,讨论了暴雨、连阴雨下岭南滑坡的地下水水位响应特征,相应应力路径下土体应力应变特征,对黄土-基岩型滑坡的破坏机制进行了研究。初步揭示:(1)滑坡体为粉质黄土状黏土,滑床为砂砾岩,渗透系数小,具有隔水性质。(2)黄土泥流与块体滑动是岭南斜坡的主要运动失稳方式。暴雨天气时黄土泥流频发,块体滑动的出现与连阴雨有关。(3)与降雨103mm的暴雨天气相比,连续降雨235.5mm,斜坡地下水位明显升高。(4)滑坡体粉质黄土状土具有剪胀特征。在暴雨背景下,表层土体孔隙水压力易消散,诱发低速运动的黄土泥流; 在连阴雨背景下,地下水水位以下的滑动面剪切破坏过程中,剪胀孔隙被地下水迅速补充,诱发的剧烈块体滑动,具有高危险性。     

对水致黄土斜坡破坏模式及稳定性分析原则的思考

水对斜坡作用包括地表水流动作用和地表水入渗作用,地表水流动作用,如水库、河流的岸坡破坏,由水动力侵蚀所引起。目前黄土中地表水入渗影响下的斜坡稳定性分析存在一些概念含糊的问题,如忽略了入渗过程的应力路径,只考虑其破坏时的应力状态,这会导致对其破机理和稳定性计算参数取值的误判,文章只针对该类问题进行辨析讨论。黄土中地表水的入渗一般有降雨和灌溉两种,伴随降雨入渗多引起斜坡浅层破坏;灌溉导致地下水位上升则引起深层滑移。地表水入渗对斜坡总应力改变不大,水致斜坡破坏主要是孔隙水压力上升,土体有效应力降低所致。非饱和黄土中的初始孔隙水压力为负值,降雨入渗后的浅层黄土仍处于非饱和状态,孔压最大升到0;灌溉会引起地下水位抬升,潜水位下为正的孔隙水压力。明确了孔压变化过程,就可以用有效强度评价边坡稳定性。同时,目前一些观点认为关于流动性黄土滑坡是静态引起,这颠倒了因果关系,是滑移引起了液化,而不是液化导致的滑移。     

Finite element modeling approach to assess the stability of debris and rock slopes: a case study from the Indian Himalayas

Landslides and slope failures are recurrent phenomena in the Indian Himalayas. The study area comprises the hill slopes along a road stretch of 1.5 km at a distance of 9 km from Pipalkoti on Chamoli–Badrinath highway (NH-58) in the Garhwal Himalayas, India. Based on the field survey, contour map, and the hillshade, the study area has been divided into different zones. Three different zones/slopes in this study area including one potential debris slide, one stable debris slope, and one potential rock slide have been undertaken for investigation and modeling. Field mapping, data collection related to slope features and soil/rock sample collection, and discontinuity mapping for all the slopes have been carried out in field. Soil samples have been tested in the laboratory to determine the physico-mechanical properties. These properties along with some material properties from the literature have been used as input parameters for the numerical simulation. To investigate the failure process in the debris/rock slides as well as stable debris slope, the slopes were modeled as a continuum using 2D finite element plain strain approach. Shear strength reduction analysis was performed to determine the critical strength reduction factor. The computed deformations and the stress distributions, along the failure surface, have been compared with the field observations and found to be in good agreement. The analysis results indicated rock/debris slide slopes to be highly unstable. The debris slide modeling depicted failures both above and below road levels as observed in field. The rock slide modeling could depict the exact pattern of failure involving 3 sets of discontinuities simultaneously as observed in real-field scenario which is a major limitation in case of limit equilibrium analysis. The field-observed stable slope comes to be stable through FE analysis also. Based on these analyses, landslide hazard assessment of the study area could be done.     

基于室内模型试验的滑坡碎屑流堆积分布规律研究

本文利用室内物理模型试验,模拟了特定条件下滑坡碎屑流的滑动和堆积过程。获取了滑坡碎屑流堆积物的位置分布,并对其规律进行了分析,且在此基础之上对滑坡碎屑流运动机制进行了简单的分析。结果表明:碎屑流颗粒在滑坡发生后的最终位置分布兼具随机性和规律性;关于坡面中轴对称分布的碎屑流颗粒在滑坡后依然对称分布;堆积体中沿滑坡方向连续分布的颗粒在滑坡结束后最终位置分布在一定程度上并不连续;颗粒滑后位置分布受其滑前在颗粒整体中所处的位置影响较大;在沿坡面下滑过程中,碎屑流颗粒堆积体会发生内部的整体滚动。研究结果为滑坡-碎屑流运动机制的理论研究和复原滑坡初始状态提供了可靠的数据参考。     

Numerical model of antecedent rainfall effect on slope stability at a hillslope of weathered granitic soil formation

Modeling rainwater infiltration in slopes is vital to the analysis of slope failure induced by heavy rainfall. Although the significance of rainwater infiltration in causing landslides is widely recognized, there have been different conclusions as to the relative roles of antecedent rainfall to slope failure. In this study, a numerical model was developed to estimate the effect of antecedent rainfall on an unsaturated slope, the formation of a saturated zone, and the change in slope stability under weak rainfall and rainstorm event. Results showed that under a rainstorm event, slope failure occurred at comparably similar time although the antecedent rainfall drainage periods prior to the major rainfall were different (i.e., 24-h, 48-h and 96-h). However, under weak rainfall condition, differences of the antecedent rainfall drainage periods have significant effect on development of pore-water pressure. A higher initial soil moisture conditions caused faster increase in pore water pressure and thus decreasing the safety factor of the slope eventually increasing likelihood of slope failure.     

Small landslide types and controls in glacial deposits: Lower Skagit river drainage,northern cascade range,Washington

Observations of 167 small, shallow landslides spanning a 22-year period on extensively logged slopes of Quaternary terraces in the lower Skagit and Baker Valleys, Washington, shows that there is a relationship between the common slope failures in this area and the slope angle, stratigraphy, and logging practices. Landslide frequency increases upvalley, as do mean annual precipitation and the frequency of perched water tables. Debris slides are most common, occur on steep slopes (>50%) composed of sand and gravel, and are most abundant in areas previously logged by the clear—cut method. Debris flows occur on shallower slopes (>30%) where the stratigraphy leads to perched water tables. Debris flows larger than 600 m² in area appear to be unrelated to logging practices. Slump flows, described here for the first time, occur on similar slope angles and stratigraphic situations as debris flows. They differ mainly by the presence of semiconsolidated material, usually till, at the slide head. Where till is breached—commonly along road cuts—water infiltration is increased, saturating underlying fine-grained deposits, which then fail by debris flowage. Secondary slumping of till happens when the slope steepens during debris flow failure. Small landslides surrounding Lake Shannon may contribute up to 80% of the total particulate matter yield to the fluvial system at present, increasing lake sedimentation by a rate of 5 mm/yr.     

间歇型降雨对堆积层斜坡变形破坏的物理模拟研究

为研究间歇型降雨作用下缓倾堆积层斜坡的变形破坏特征,以樱桃沟滑坡为例,进行了降雨作用下斜坡变形破坏的物理模拟研究。试验结果表明：前期降雨作用下坡体变形特征表现为前缘滑移沉陷、中部滑移、后缘沉陷、坡体裂缝生成,且前缘裂缝扩张明显,后期降雨作用下坡脚区域首先发生滑塌,然后依次向后缘传递发生逐阶滑塌破坏;降雨入渗易在基岩面上储存,形成暂态地下水位、高孔隙水压力区域和坡向渗流场,基岩面附近土体饱水时间长,软化程度高,抗剪强度弱化显著,边坡易沿基覆界面土层发生滑坡;坡体滑动易发生在降雨间歇期,触发特征表现为雨后坡体暂态饱和区水分和坡表积水持续下渗,导致地下水位上升滞后于降雨,造成坡体内浮托力、渗透力和孔隙水压力增大,有效应力降低,诱发滑坡。     

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.     

ICL/IPL activities in West Africa: landslide risk assessment and hazard mapping approach

The ICL/IPL Project achieved results in capacity building, investigation of landslides in West Africa and also evaluated some other slope movements in the region. These include the catastrophic rock–debris avalanche at the Cameroon–Nigeria border and the Iva Valley landslides in Enugu. During the avalanche, an estimated 100 M m³ of rock and debris was moved more than 2 km from the source of the slide at 600 m above sea level to the toe in the valley in a few minutes. The materials range from mud and soil debris to blocks of rocks up to 20 m in diameter. The grain size of moved material tended to increase upslope and closer to the head scarp though it tended to decrease again close to and at the source area. Nature and composition of the basement bedrock with foliation planes dipping in the direction of slope, dominant joint sets oriented perpendicularly to the foliation, the nature of weathered material and high relief were strong factors in the avalanche. Field studies identified 43 landslides at the Iva Valley area of Enugu state, which were shallow, short run-out movements with slip-surface depth less than 2 m. The shallow slides and the avalanche are triggered by water infiltration in slopes with high topographic gradient. The soil saturation leads to a reduction of the shear strength of the soil because of a rise in pore water pressure. These landslides are known to occur during or after intense rainfalls at the beginning or at the tail end of rainy season.     

Techniques for slope stability analysis: Site specific studies from Idukki district,Kerala

The occurrences of slope failures are frequent in Idukki district of Kerala state particularly along the road cuttings and hill slopes causing disruption in traffic, loss of lives and property. This demands a critical evaluation of stability of slopes along the hill roads. This paper deals with stability analysis of a typical hard rock profile at Chuzhappu and a lateritic profile at Kumili along the road connecting Kottayam and Kumili. A large number of factors have been examined and studied; the orientation of discontinuities has been identified as one of the major inherent factors influencing slope instability along Chuzhappu hard rock profile. These have been analysed carefully using stereographic/equal area projection technique in order to determine the vulnerability to slope failure and to understand the type of rock slide that can occur in this profile. The buoyant force of water acting along the discontinuities after heavy rain storm further aids the down slope movement. As the laterite slope is mostly homogeneous, Bishops method and Swedish method were adopted for stability analysis of laterite slope at Kumili. The study also examines the efficacy and applicability of the different methods employed in soil mechanics to assess the stability of laterite slope.The results obtained by this method are compared by actual field conditions. The stability assessment indicates that two sectors at Chuzhappu and one sector at Kumili profile are at the geo-technical threshold of failure, when piezometric head rises during rainstorm. The study indicates that these methods are highly useful in determining the Factor of Safety in profiles with similar geological setting.     

Failure mechanism of a slope with a thin soft band triggered by intensive rainfall

Rainfall is considered as one of the paramount factors for slope failures in many regions around the world, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. To study the effect of rainfall storm and its duration on the stability of slopes with a thin soft band layer, a 2D seepage numerical analysis and experimental investigation were implemented on an unsaturated model, consisting of clayey sand soils with a thin soft layer inclined to the horizontal level by 30° at a slope angle of 50°. It was subjected to intensive rainfall 20 mm/h for 8 h. Positive pore water pressures and horizontal earth pressures were monitored during the rainstorm using sensors distributed inside the experimental model. Both the experimental and numerical simulation results showed that the stability of the slope decreased during the time of the rainfall storm. Infiltration of rainwater resulted in reduction of soil shear strength, due to the loss occurring in soil suction after 1 h of rainstorm; the tension cracks appeared at the top of the slope and a certain displacement was observed in the sliding blocks. During the time of rainstorm, the infiltrated water flowed out from the slope through the weak interlayer near to the toe causing piping and local failure, so the formed cracks at the top of slope grew and expanded due to sliding of the failed soil blocks. Moreover, the ground water table rose and the positive pore water pressures increased, resulting in a reduction of effective stress, which is considered as a main factor in soil shear strength. A surface runoff was also present following the full saturation of the slope, leading to dragging the fine particles with water flow causing erosion. The combination of piping and erosion effects led to a quick local failure at the toe, as well as sliding of the failed blocks and spreading of the cracks.     

大型复杂堆积边坡稳定性的离散元分析

与一般高边坡相比,堆积边坡在物质组成、边界条件、力学特性上具有明显差异,其变形与破坏表现出明显的非连续介质特性,传统的边坡稳定分析方法难以反映其失稳方式与破坏过程,而离散元法在分析非连续介质的变形和破坏方面具有较好优越性。以某一大型复杂堆积边坡为依托,首先模拟边坡土体室内三轴试验过程,通过与试验结果对比确定边坡土体的细观力学参数,进而通过建立堆积边坡离散元模型研究其失稳机制,预测其失稳方式和变形过程。结果表明:未开挖前该边坡处于稳定状态,一期开挖完成后边坡上部存在2个潜在滑动体,且表现为沿下伏基岩面的深层滑动; 二期开挖完成后,下部存在一较明显滑动体,其失稳会进一步加剧上部两潜在滑动体的变形破坏; 整个堆积边坡的失稳表现为沿基岩的自下而上牵引式渐进破坏。     

The January 10, 1997 Pozzano landslide, Sorrento Peninsula, Italy

From 1997 to 1999, a huge number of slides, often turning into extremely rapid debris-earth flows, repeatedly affected the late Quaternary volcaniclastic deposits mantling the carbonate slopes of Campania region, Italy. The Sorrento Peninsula was the epicentral district of the 1997 regional slope-instability crisis. Some hundred shallow mass movements took place during January 1997 in this area. These were the last episode of a long series of slope failure events dating back to mid-18th century. Results from geological and geomorphologic surveys are presented. Landslide mechanism and triggering factors are analysed for the most important mass movement, which occurred during the January 9-11, 1997, regional event. On January 10, 1997, at about 8:15 PM, a rainfall-induced debris slide-debris flow occurred at Pozzano (province of Naples), mainly affecting the 79 AD pyroclastic products. Following a J-path, the landslide destroyed a private house and invaded the State Road no. 145. This event resulted in four deaths, 22 persons injured and road closure for about 2 months. There was less than 200 mm of rainfall in the 72-h period prior to the landslide, although intense precipitation had occurred during a preceding 4-month period. However, the slope failure event was not preceded by an extreme short-term antecedent rainfall, as already noticed in previous landslides of this type in Campania. Finally, following a preliminary geotechnical characterization of volcaniclastic soils, a slope-stability back analysis was carried out, which adopted the classical infinite slope scheme. This analysis gave further evidence of the role played by pore pressure in reducing the overall shear strength of pyroclastic soils.     

Analysis of the landslide triggering mechanism during the storm of 20th–21st November 2000, in Northern Tuscany

A severe rainstorm of high intensity occurred on 20th–21st November 2000, in the region of Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy, which triggered, within the entire province, over 50 landslides. These landslides can be broadly defined as complex earth slides—earth flows, originating as rotational slides that develop downslope into a flow. In this paper, two such landslides have been investigated by modelling the process of rainwater infiltration, the variations in both the positive and negative pore water pressures and their effect on slope stability during the storm. For both sites, results from morphometric and geotechnical analyses were used as a direct input to the numerical modelling. A modified Chu, 1978 approach was used to estimate the surface infiltration rate by adapting the original Green and Ampt, 1911 equations for unsteady rainfall intensity in conjunction with the surficial water balance. For transient conditions, a finite element analysis was used to model the fluctuations in pore water pressure during the storm, with the computed surface infiltration rate as the surface boundary condition. This was then followed by the application of the limit equilibrium Morgenstern and Price, 1965 slope-stability method, using the temporal pore water pressure distributions derived from the seepage analysis. From this methodology, a trend for the factor of safety was produced for both landslide sites. These results indicate that the most critical time step for failure was a few hours following the rainfall peak.     

Morphological methods and dynamic modelling in landslide hazard assessment of the Campania Apennine carbonate slope

Landslide risk of the Campanian carbonate slopes covered by pyroclastic deposits is mainly connected with the occurrence of high-velocity debris avalanches and debris flows. Analyses show that flows initiate as small translational slides in the pyroclastics. The failure process is controlled by the interaction of both natural and human-induced factors. Geomorphological settings play a decisive role in locating the source failures. Therefore, the crucial aspects in landslide hazard and risk assessment are: (a) recognise the geomorphological control factors, (b) determine parameters defining landslide intensity (velocity, volume, depth of deposit) and (c) predict landslide runout distance. An approach combining geomorphology and numerical analysis has been adopted in the work reported here. Potential future landslide intensity scenarios are simulated predicting the runout behaviour of potential instabilities by using a dynamic model previously calibrated by back-analysing observed events of similar scale and type. The selected area is a sector of the Avella Mountains having the same geomorphological environment as the 1998 Sarno landslides (Campania, Southern Italy).     

The March 25 and 29, 2016 landslide-induced debris flow at Clapar,Banjarnegara, Central Java

The Clapar landslide induced debris flow consisted of the Clapar landslide occurred on 24 March 2017 and the Clapar debris flow occurred on 29 March 2017. The first investigation of the Clapar landslide induced debris flow was carried out two months after the disaster. It was followed by UAV mapping, extensive interviews, newspaper compilation, visual observation and field measurements, and video analysis in order to understand chronology and triggering mechanism of the landslide induced debris flow in Clapar. The 24 March 2016 landslide occurred after 5 hours of consecutive rainfall (11,2 mm) and was affected by combination of fishponds leak and infiltration of antecedent rain. After five days of the Clapar landslide, landslide partially mobilized to form debris flow where the head scarp of debris flow was located at the foot of the 24 March 2016 landslide. The Clapar debris flow occurred when there was no rainfall. It was not generated by rainstorm or the surface erosion of the river bed, but rather by water infiltration through the crack formed on the toe of the 24 March 2016 landslide. Supply of water to the marine clay deposit might have increased pore water pressure and mobilized the soil layer above. The amount of water accumulated in the temporary pond at the main body of the 24 March 2016 landslide might have also triggered the Clapar debris flow. The area of Clapar landslide still shows the possibility of further retrogression of the landslide body which may induce another debris flow. Understanding precursory factors triggering landslides and debris flows in Banjarnegara based on data from monitoring systems and laboratory experiments is essential to minimize the risk of future landslide.     

Micro-sheeting of granite and its relationship with landsliding specifically after the heavy rainstorm in June 1999, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan

Certain types of granite in mountainous areas are microscopically sheeted to a depth of 50 m due to unloading under the stress field that reflects slope morphology. Micro-sheets generally strike parallel to major slope surfaces and gently dip downslope, forming cataclinal overdip slopes. The cataclinal overdip slope accelerates creep movement of micro-sheeted granite, which in turn loosens and disintegrates granite via the widening or neoformation of cracks, probably in combination with stress release, temperature change, and changes in water content near the ground surface. The surface portion of micro-sheeted granite is thus loosened with a well-defined basal front, which finally slides in response to heavy rain. Innumerable landslides of this type occurred in Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, following the heavy rainstorm of 29 June 1999. Following such landslides, the weathering of micro-sheeted granite exposed on the landslide scar recommences, setting the stage for future landslide.