Study of horizontal drain effect on slope stability

Slope failure usually occurs when soil particles are unable to build a strong bond with each other and become loose because of the presence of water. Water pressure weakens the ties between the particles and they tend to slip. Therefore, this study focused on the use of horizontal drains to reduce water entry and control the ground water level as a method of slope stabilization. Several previous studies have shown that the use of horizontal drains to lower the water level in soil is one of the fastest and cheapest slope stabilization methods. The main objective of this study is to analyze the effect of horizontal drains on slope stability. Information on slope condition during the landslides which happened at Precinct 9, Putrajaya, Malaysia was used for analytical simulation. Seep/W and Slope/W analyses were carried out with GeoStudio version 2007 software. Slopes with and without horizontal drains were then compared in terms of groundwater level and factor of safety (FOS) values. Scenarios were created for seven types of soil namely: residual, clay, silt, loam, sandy loam, sandy clay loam, and silt clay loam for a case wise analysis. The effect of daily steady rainfall and realcondition rainfall was studied. These cases were studied to find the effectiveness of horizontal drains as a slope stabilization tool. The results revealed that when a drain was installed on a slope, the groundwater level dropped immediately and the safety factor of the slope increased. Sandy loam (sL) soil was identified as the best candidate for a horizontal drain. Its highly saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks facilitated groundwater drain through the horizontal drain effectively. Silt clay loam (scL) soil was identified as the least effective candidate.     

Prediction of piezometric surfaces and drain spacing for horizontal drain design

Horizontal drains, used independently or as part of a more complex remediation scheme, are frequently installed to mitigate the effects of increased groundwater in slope stabilization projects. Due to a general trial and error approach to their design, the need for improved design practices has been recognized. The procedures established by Crenshaw and Santi in 2004 made some advances in this direction, but did not account for slopes with drains that were not horizontal or for sloping low-permeability layers underneath the slide mass. Furthermore, the method outlined by Crenshaw and Santi is time-consuming and requires some trial and error calculations to achieve convergence. Therefore, the method has been modified to account for nonhorizontal elements, and a horizontal drain spreadsheet has been developed to streamline the design for projects where horizontal drains will be installed. The horizontal drain spreadsheet may be used to: (1) predict a conservative piezometric profile in a drained slope for use in slope stability analyses, (2) predict piezometric heads in any single piezometer in a drainage field, and (3) predict drain spacing for design purposes. This document explains the revisions to Crenshaw and Santi’s procedures and provides instructions for applying the method. The instructions may be used for hand calculations, but are specifically intended for use with the horizontal drain spreadsheet. The spreadsheet may be used for slopes composed of silty or clayey sands, silts, and silty or sandy clays.     

Effects of horizontal drains on slope stability under rainfall by three-dimensional finite element analysis

The effects of the horizontal drains on the ground water level during rainfall are predicted using a three-dimensional finite element analyses of transient water flow through unsaturated–saturated soils. The slope stability is evaluated by the global safety factor, based on the three-dimensional elasto-plastic shear strength reduction finite element method. The following conclusions are obtained: (1) the horizontal drains can effectively lower the ground water level and increase the slope stability under rainfall, but the rate of the increase in the safety factor becomes smaller and smaller when the drains is extended beyond a critical length; (2) lengthening the horizontal drains is more effective than making the spacing smaller and increasing the number of the drains in a group in order to lower the ground water level and increase the slope stability; (3) the effects of the drains are mainly influenced by the ratio of the rainfall intensity to the saturated hydraulic conductivity. ©     

Effectiveness of horizontal drains for slope stability

Horizontal drains have been commonly used in stabilising unsaturated residual soil slopes. This study examines the effectiveness of horizontal drains in stabilising residual soil slopes against rainfall-induced slope failures under a tropical climate. The study includes field instrumentation at two residual soil slopes complemented with a parametric study relating to drain position. Field monitoring results indicate that rainfall infiltration is limited to a certain depth below which infiltration becomes insignificant. This zone tends to be unsuitable for horizontal drains. Horizontal drains were found to be most effective when located at the base of a slope. The parametric study indicated conditions under which horizontal drains are effective or ineffective in improving the stability of a slope. It was also found that horizontal drains have little role in minimising infiltration in an unsaturated residual soil slope. Benefits of using horizontal drains can be obtained through the lowering of the water table.     

Long-term trend analysis of water table using ‘MAKESENS’ model and sustainability of groundwater resources in drought prone Barind area,NW Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, agriculture plays a major role in the national economy. In the drought prone Barind area in NW Bangladesh, cropping intensity has increased almost double since late eighties of last century (from 1985) because of the introduction of groundwater irrigation. Long-term behavior of groundwater table (GWT) in the drought prone Barind area has been studied using MAKESENS model in the wake of massive installation of tube-wells. The study reveals that the maximum and minimum depths to GWT during 1991-2010 show on average declining trend of 4.51 m and 4.73 m. The long-term prediction for the period of 2020-50 assuming the current rate of groundwater withdrawal is that the declining trend will be 1.16 to 1.59 and 1.07 to 1.82 times more for maximum and minimum groundwater depths respectively in comparison to the present. The rigorous exploitation of groundwater for irrigation, decreasing rainfall and surface geological attributes lead towards declining trend of GWT. This will hamper the country’s food security and ultimately threaten its socio-economic sustainability. So the appropriate strategies for the management of groundwater resource on a sustainable basis should be the priority for maintaining agricultural productivity.     

Two and three-dimensional slope stability reanalyses of Bukit Batok slope

A residual soil slope in Singapore that failed on two occasions, in 1989 and 1991, was reanalysed using two (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) slope stability analyses. The geometry of the slope in 1989 differed from that in 1991. The 2D and 3D slope stability analyses on the slope that failed in 1989 showed that the average shear strength parameters of the residual soils are representative of the slope and the factors of safety obtained from 2D slope stability analyses are not necessarily more conservative than 3D slope stability analyses. The analyses also showed that the slope failed in 1989 due to rising groundwater table. The analyses of the slope in 1991 showed that the slope experienced shallow failure due to the high groundwater table. Analyses of the slope after lowering of groundwater table by horizontal drains showed that the factor of safety of the slope has improved tremendously. The differences in factors of safety for 2D and 3D slope stability analyses are greater for low groundwater table as compared with those for high groundwater table. The results illustrated how 3D slope stability analyses have become less daunting to perform and can be incorporated into routine slope designs.     

Engineering geological assessments of the repeated plane shear slope instability threatening Babadag (Turkey) and its environmental impacts

Babadag, in the Denizli province of Turkey, is one of the oldest textile industry settlements. The town has suffered from a very slow slope movement for about 60 years. One-third of the population lives in the unstable area. The slope movement resulted in significant ground deformations and damage to buildings, roads and buried utilities, and negatively affects socioeconomic life in the town. This paper contributes to the understanding of the long-term plane shear slope movement at the town, analyzes the main causes of the movement, and describes the slope instability and its effects. Movement occurs at an annual rate of between 3.8 cm and 15 cm along weak bedding planes in the alternating marl and sandstone beds forming the slope. Engineering geological assessments based on movement, groundwater and rainfall monitoring data, laboratory testing, and stability analyses indicate the following main factors contributing to the movement: (a) the unfavorable orientations and low shear strength of the bedding planes, (b) variations in the groundwater table related to precipitation and waste water seeping from the damaged sewage system, and (c) undercutting at the toe of the slope by a creek. Particularly due to fluctuations in the groundwater table or variations in pore pressures, the slope movement exhibits increasing and decreasing rates of movement without catastrophic failure.     

Formation Mechanism and Stability Assessment of the Colluvial Deposit Slope in Zuoyituo

The basic features of the colluvial deposit slope in Zuoyituo such as geological conditions, dimensions, slip surfaces and groundwater conditions are described concisely in this paper. The formation mechanism of the slope is discussed. It is considered that the formation of the colluvial deposit slope in Zuoyituo has undergone accumulation, slip, load, deformation and failure. The effects of rainfall on slope stability are categorized systematically based on existing methodology, and ways to determine the effects quantitatively are presented. The remained slip force method is improved by the addition of quantitative relations to the existing formulae and programs. The parameters of the colluvial deposit slope are determined through experimentation and the method of back-analysis. The safety factors of the slope are calculated with the improved remained slip force method and the Sarma method. The results show that rainfall and water level in the Yangtze River have a significant effect on the stability of the colluvial deposit slope in Zuoyituo. The hazards caused by the instability of the slope are assessed, and prevention methods are put forward.     

Mechanisms of failure on terraced slopes: the Valtellina case (northern Italy)

Slopes that are terraced by means of dry-stone retaining walls are very common in the alpine environment. In Valtellina, a typical Italian alpine valley, these slopes are widespread and quite often involved in superficial mass movements that can result in severe damage and casualties. For an in-depth understanding of the processes that can trigger these events, numerical modeling of groundwater movement and a related stability analysis were performed on a detailed scale, based on an intensive monitoring of rainfall events and groundwater movement. Field observations suggest that the formation of a perched groundwater table at the contact between the bedrock and the backfill soil of walls as well as the concomitant saturation of this backfill soil are the determining factors of potential slope failure. The numerical models support these observations. In addition, the models are able to explain the mechanisms of formation of perched water tables, highlighting the factors that can influence groundwater levels and slope instabilities.     

Relationship between groundwater flow estimated by soil temperature and slope failures caused by heavy rainfall, Shikoku Island, southwestern Japan

Most of the slope failure disasters in a humid area such as that of Japan are caused by heavy rain. However, even for the case of heavy rainfall that occurs once in every 10 years, total area of slope failures seldom exceeds 10% of a watershed. From this background, we focused on the vein-like groundwater flows that increase pore-water pressure, and clarified the relationship between distributions of slope failures and groundwater veins. In this study, a 1-m-depth ground temperature survey and water-chemistry analyses at springs and boreholes were conducted in Zentoku area of Shikoku Island, southwestern Japan, to grasp the distribution of groundwater veins and their sources. Subsequently, slope-stability was analyzed to investigate the relationship between groundwater veins and slope failures at study sites. These results lead to the following conclusions: The slope failures appear to concentrate around shallow groundwater veins and groundwater veins rising from deep layers. This means that slope failures caused by these groundwater veins in addition to rainfall. Two types of groundwater originate in the deep layers: one has short storage time as indicated by the fact that dissolved substances are low; the other is stored for a lengthy period as noted by a high concentration of dissolved substances. By combining the results of stability analyses and distribution of groundwater veins, it is suggested that prediction of zones with high potential for slope failure can be more accurate.     

老松公路延吉段K64+300～K64+900边坡稳定性评价及治理措施

对老松公路10标边坡开挖后的稳定性分析表明,地表及地下水是影响其稳定性的重要因素,排水不畅使边坡体饱水处于欠安全状态,稳定性难以保证.针对该边坡体的特点,采用了支撑盲沟和排水盲沟联合作用并结合坡面防护的处治措施,疏干坡体内地表及地下水,增大抗滑力,达到了提高边坡稳定性,保护生态环境,美化公路的目的.     

Groundwater flow modeling for effective implementation of landslide stability enhancement measures

This paper deals with groundwater hydrology at a prominent fracture zone landslide slope (Nuta–Yone landslides) in Japan with an objective to explore an efficient method for the application of landslide stability enhancement measures. The correlation analyses between the hydrological parameters and ground surface movement data at this landslide resulted in low correlation values indicating that the geological formation of the area is extremely complex. For the purpose of understanding the groundwater flow behavior in the landslide area, a three-dimensional transient groundwater flow model was prepared for a part of the landslide slope, where the levels of effectiveness of applied landslide stability enhancement measures (in the form of multilayered deep horizontal drains) are different, and was calibrated against the measured water surface elevations at different piezometer locations. The parameter distributions in the calibrated model and the general directions of the groundwater flow in terms of flow vectors and the results of particle tracking at the model site were interpreted to understand the reasons for variations in effectiveness of existing landslide stability enhancement measures and to find potentially better locations for the implementation of future landslide stability enhancement measures. From the modeling results, it was also understood that groundwater flow model can be effectively used in better planning and locating the landslide stability enhancement measures.     

湘西陈溪峪滑坡变形机理及稳定性评价

浅层滑坡在我国广泛分布,但在区域范围内分布规律性较差,且具有突发性、隐蔽性和破坏性强等特点。湘西武陵山区地质条件复杂、降雨丰沛、人类工程活动强烈,突发性地质灾害频发,尤以降雨诱发的浅层滑坡为主。文章以湘西地区慈利县陈溪峪滑坡为例,开展了降雨量、基质吸力、地下水位和地表变形等的监测;结合滑坡的现场调查及监测成果,分析滑坡的形成条件和变形机理;在此基础上,考虑基质吸力对边坡稳定性的贡献,将强度折减有限元法推广到非饱和土边坡,计算得到了不同降雨工况下滑坡稳定性。结果表明:当强降雨降落到滑坡体上时,坡内基质吸力值均迅速减小,直至一定值后（9.5 kPa左右）不再变化;坡内地下水位受季节性降雨影响显著,短时强降雨引起地下水变化幅度不如长时间降雨对地下水位造成的影响大;陈溪峪滑坡的地质力学成因为蠕滑推移式土质滑坡,运动形式为沿基覆界面的浅层滑坡;短时强降雨是诱发滑坡变形的最关键因素。陈溪峪滑坡在持续降雨条件下的降雨量预警值约为280 mm,在短时强降雨条件下的降雨强度预警值约为240 mm/d。     

地下水渗流对崩坡积滑坡稳定性和变形的影响——以湖南安化春风滑坡群为例

为了研究地下水渗流对崩坡积滑坡变形的影响,通过分析现场调查勘察资料,在研究该滑坡所处的地质环境条件、滑坡的形态特征和变形特征的基础上,探讨了该滑坡的形成机制,对比了地下水渗流对崩坡积滑坡和老滑坡的影响,并开展了数值模拟。取得的认识有:（1）地形地貌、地层岩性、大气降水、人类工程活动是该滑坡形成的主要原因。在这些因素共同作用下,滑坡最终失稳变形,过程中可能发生多次滑动,形成现今的堆积形态。（2）降雨引起的地下水渗流对该崩坡积滑坡稳定性和变形的影响是十分显著的。对于局部架空现象较严重的崩坡积组成的Ⅲ号滑坡体,雨水更易入渗进入坡体,地下水渗流对其稳定性和变形的作用十分明显;而对于优势通道较少的Ⅰ号和Ⅱ号老滑坡体,局部架空现象相对较差,地下水渗流对其稳定性和变形的作用不显著。（3）降雨时间和降雨强度与滑坡稳定性负相关。降雨强度较小时、一定时间内降水对滑坡稳定性影响不大,但降雨较大时,滑坡稳定性将快速降低。     

滑坡稳定性变化与地下水非稳定渗流初探--以三峡库区黄蜡石滑坡群石榴树包滑坡为例

把滑坡体离散化为一定数量的条块,基于水均衡原理建立了滑坡体地下水一维非稳定渗流的差分方程组,其中考虑了滑坡体地下水通过弱透水滑动带的越流排泄,对动态边界提出了处理方法.以三峡库区黄蜡石滑坡群的石榴树包滑坡为例,根据三峡水库蓄水前和蓄水后排泄区的不同水位条件,模拟了在强降雨过程中滑坡地下水的动态过程.结合考虑地下水渗透力的传递系数法,计算了石榴树包滑坡稳定性系数随时间的变化,结果表明无论是在三峡水库蓄水前还是蓄水后的极端降雨条件下石榴树包滑坡都是不安全的.在地下水非稳定渗流的影响下,滑坡稳定性对降雨和排泄区水位的响应具有滞后性.     

Performance of the horizontal drains in upstream shell of earth dams on the upstream slope stability during rapid drawdown conditions

Slope stability analysis during rapid drawdown is an important consideration in the design of embankment dams. During rapid drawdown, the stabilizing effect of the water on the upstream face is lost, but the pore water pressures within the embankment may remain high. As a result, the stability of the upstream face of the dam can be much reduced. Installing horizontal drains is a very efficient and cost-effective method for reducing the pore water pressure and increasing the stability of the upstream slope. The theory of horizontal drains in the upstream shell of earth dams is well established, but there seems to be limited resources available for the design of this type of horizontal drains. Hence, this study is focused on the performance of horizontal drains in the upstream shell of the slope of earth dams on the upstream slope stability during rapid drawdown conditions. The parametric study has been conducted on the variation of horizontal drain parameters such as the number of drains, their length, and their location. In this study, ten scenarios were analyzed based on different drainage configurations and the performance of each scenario is investigated on the seepage and the upstream slope stability during rapid drawdown conditions using finite element and limit equilibrium methods. The results demonstrated that the stability of the upstream slope during rapid drawdown conditions increases by increasing the number of drains. The length of drains extending further from its intersection with the critical failure surface does not provide any significant change in the factor of safety. Finally, the study also found that installing drains in the lower region of the upstream shell of earth dams gives more stability than those installed in higher elevations.     

Field monitoring of groundwater responses to heavy rainfalls and the early warning of the Kualiangzi landslide in Sichuan Basin,southwestern China

The Kualiangzi landslide was triggered by heavy rainfalls in the “red beds” area of Sichuan Basin in southwestern China. Differing from other bedrock landslides, the movement of the Kualiangzi landslide was controlled by the subvertical cracks and a subhorizontal bedding plane (dip angle < 10°). The ingress of rainwater in the cracks formed a unique groundwater environment in the slope. Field measurement for rainfall, groundwater movement, and slope displacement has been made for the Kualiangzi landslide since 2013. The field monitoring system consists of two rainfall gauges, seven piezometers, five water-level gauges, and two GPS data loggers. The equipments are embedded near a longitudinal section of the landslide, where severe deformation has been observed in the past 3 years. The groundwater responses to four heavy rainfall events were analyzed between June 16 and July 24 in 2013 coincided with the flood season in Sichuan. Results showed that both of the water level and the pore-water pressure increased after each rainfall event with delay in the response time with respect to the precipitation. The maximum time lag reached 35 h occurred in a heavy rainfall event with cumulative precipitation of 127 mm; such lag effect was significantly weakened in the subsequent heavy rainfall events. In each presented rainfall event, longer infiltration period in the bedrock in the upper slope increased the response time of groundwater, compared to that of in the gravels in the lower slope. A translational landslide conceptual model was built for the Kualiangzi landslide, and the time lag was attributed to the gradual formation of the uplift pressure on the slip surface and the softening of soils at the slip surface. Another important observation is the effect on the slope movement which was caused by the water level (H _w) in the transverse tension trough developed at the rear edge of the landslide. Significant negative correlation was found for H _w and the slope stability factor (F _s), in particular for the last two heavy rainfall events, of which the drastic increase of water level caused significant deterioration in the slope stability. The rapid drop (Δ?=?22.5 kPa) of pore-water pressure in the deep bedrock within 1 h and the large increase (Δ?=?87.3 mm) of surficial displacement were both monitored in the same period. In the end, a four-level early warning system is established through utilizing H _w and the displacement rate D _r as the warning indicators. When the large deformation occurred in flood season, the habitants at the leading edge of the landslide can be evacuated in time.     

滑坡降雨阈值模型的应用

在数字高程模型（DEM）的基础上,运用滑坡降雨阈值模型,以楚雄丁家坟一斜坡作为试验研究工点,结合现场勘察、监测数据以及斜坡岩土体主要特性、地形地貌、降雨强度与降雨持续时间、地下水位等因素,模拟斜坡单元产生潜在滑动时的临界降雨量,研究降雨对滑坡发生、分布的影响。研究结果表明：各斜坡单元产生潜在滑动时的临界降雨量各不相同,在不同的降雨量及地下水位条件下滑坡降雨阈值模型模拟的潜在滑坡位置主要位于楚勐公路下边坡处,与实际发生滑坡的位置吻合率达80%以上,滑坡降雨阈值模型可实现对斜坡稳定性进行可视化分析与预测,为降雨型滑坡提供一种有效的预测与分析方法。     

Response of a loess landslide to rainfall: observations from a field artificial rainfall experiment in Bailong River Basin,China

Rainfall-induced landslides are a significant hazard in many areas of loess-covered terrain in Northwest China. To investigate the response of a loess landslide to rainfall, a series of artificial rainfall experiments were conducted on a natural loess slope, located in the Bailong River Basin, in southern Gansu Province. The slope was instrumented to measure surface runoff, pore water pressure, soil water content, earth pressure, displacement, and rainfall. The hydrological response was also characterized by time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography. The results show that most of the rainfall infiltrated into the loess landslide, and that the pore water pressure and water content responded rapidly to simulated rainfall events. This indicates that rainfall infiltration on the loess landslide was significantly affected by preferential flow through fissures and macropores. Different patterns of pore water pressure and water content variations were determined by the antecedent soil moisture conditions, and by the balance between water recharge and drainage in the corresponding sections. We observed three stages of changing pore water pressure and displacement within the loess landslide during the artificial rainfall events: Increases in pore water pressure initiated movement on the slope, acceleration in movement resulting in a rapid decrease in pore water pressure, and attainment of a steady state. We infer that a negative pore water pressure feedback process may have occurred in response to shear-induced dilation of material as the slope movement accelerated. The process of shear dilatant strengthening may explain the phenomenon of semi-continuous movement of the loess landslide. Shear dilatant strengthening, caused by intermittent or continuous rainfall over long periods, can occur without triggering rapid slope failure.     

The effects of tidal buffering on acid sulphate soil environments in coastal areas of New South Wales

One-way floodgates installed on flood mitigation drains in regions affected by acid sulphate soils restrict carbonate/bicarbonate buffering, thereby creating reservoirs of acid water (pH < 4.5) that discharge during the ebb tide. The drain water quality and hydrodynamic conditions prior to and following floodgate modifications that allowed for controlled saline intrusion are described with reference to data collected from intensively drained and floodgated coastal lowlands located in southeastern New South Wales, Australia. Cl:SO₄ ratios taken from groundwater samples depicted an acidic environment with little soil buffering capacity. Prior to modification, water quality upstream of the one-way floodgate was consistently acidic (average pH 4.6) with high concentrations of aluminum and iron that fluctuated with precipitation. Over a two-week period before modifications, floodgate leakage permitted alkaline water to intrude upstream of the floodgate and react with H⁺ ions. This period showed the strongest supporting field evidence for tidal buffering via modified floodgates. After installing vertical lifting, two-way floodgates average drain water pH increased to 5.89 and aluminum and iron concentrations decreased by more than 30%. A large rainfall (131.8 mm) during the post-modification period caused acidic groundwater flushing, however, in comparison to the pre-modification period, recovery time and average pH were markedly improved. Preliminary investigations of groundwater salinity in response to tidal intrusion has shown that electrical conductivity fluctuates with rainfall and it is predominately limited to 10 m perpendicular to the drain.