Stability and sensitivity analysis of Himalayan road cut debris slopes: an investigation along NH-58, India

The complex geological environment due to active tectonics and varied lithology with multiple phases of deformation and metamorphism led to a rugged topography and large destabilization of slopes in the Himalayan region. However, the ever-rising activities due to various ongoing developmental and urbanization processes in the region are contributing to instability of slopes. The significant number of causalities and massive economic loss is deliberately endangering Himalayan ecosystem due to landslide-related phenomena. Transportation corridors within Himalayan terrain experience frequent landslides, particularly the sections manifested by debris slopes. From several decades, the national highway-58, in Uttarakhand, Himalayas, has been endangered due to diverse and incessant slope failures. The present investigation demonstrates the stability appraisal along the strategic transportation corridor. These studies incorporate the various issues and causes pertaining to debris slides from Rishikesh to Devprayag, Uttarakhand. The numerical simulation assessment was undertaken by deterministic and sensitivity analyses by conventional limit equilibrium methods which is being augmented by much advanced and robust finite element tool. Factor of safety for each slope was determined, and correspondingly, best efficient slope stabilization remedies were proposed to enhance the stability of slopes. It is recommended that such strategic slope stability assessment should be performed within different vulnerable sections of the Himalayas and likewise regions for fruitful and sustainable step toward disaster mitigation.     

Lake outburst and debris flow disaster at Kedarnath,June 2013: hydrometeorological triggering and topographic predisposition

Heavy rainfall in June 2013 triggered flash flooding and landslides throughout the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, killing more than 6000 people. The vast majority of fatalities and destruction resulted directly from a lake outburst and debris flow disaster originating from above the village of Kedarnath on June 16 and 17. Here, we provide a systematic analysis of the contributing factors leading to the Kedarnath disaster, both in terms of hydrometeorological triggering and topographic predisposition. Topographic characteristics of the lake watershed above Kedarnath are compared with other glacial lakes across the north-western Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and implications for glacier lake outburst hazard assessment in a changing climate are discussed. Our analysis suggests that the early onset of heavy monsoon rainfall (390 mm, June 10–17) immediately following a 4-week period of unusually rapid snow cover depletion and elevated streamflow was the crucial hydrometeorological factor, resulting in slope saturation and significant run-off into the small seasonal glacial lake. Between mid-May and mid-June 2013, snow-covered area above Kedarnath decreased by around 50 %. The unusual situation of the lake being dammed in a steep, unstable paraglacial environment but fed entirely from snowmelt and rainfall within a fluvial dominated watershed is important in the context of this disaster. A simple scheme enabling large-scale recognition of such an unfavourable topographic setting is introduced. In view of projected 21st century changes in monsoon timing and heavy precipitation in South Asia, more emphasis should be given to potential hydrometeorological triggering of lake outburst and debris flow disasters in the Himalaya.     

Evaluating cut slope failure by numerical analysis—a case study

Slope failure is very common phenomenon in hilly regions, especially in young techno active mountainous like Himalayas. It is hazardous because of the accompanying progressive movement of the slope-forming material. In order to minimize the landslide effects, slope failure analysis and stabilization requires in depth understanding of the process that governs the behavior of the slope. The present article mainly deals with the analysis of the stability of road cut slopes of Rudraprayag Area, Uttarakhand, India. The area experiences local as well as regional slides every year. Extensive field study was carried out along the road cut slopes. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the various Physio-mechanical properties of rock mass. These properties have been used as input parameters for the numerical simulation of slope using FLAC3D (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua) including geological discontinuities. The computed deformations and the stress distribution along the failure surface are compared with the field observations. The study indicates that the overall slope is unstable except at the location E where slope is critically stable. The effects of instability have been thoroughly considered and remedial measures have been recommended.     

An engineering geological approach to road cutting slope design in Ghana

Summary Road cutting slope design in tropical terrains often tends to be conservative when based on the methods of classical slope stability analysis. This could be attributed to the difficulties encountered in the accurate characterization of tropically weathered rocks and soils, and the time-dependent improvement in soil properties resulting from haematite-hardening of the slope faces. A field-orientated approach, based on a slope performance survey of both natural and existing cutting slopes in similar geo-environmental settings, often tends to provide a more reliable alternative for the design of cutting slopes along new roads. This paper presents the results of slope performance studies carried out at selected locations in Ghana as a guide to designing cutting slopes along two proposed road projects in the southwestern sector of the country. It is recommended that slopes in competent lithologies along the proposed roads should be cut at steep inclinations of 72° and 80° while slopes in the less competent lithologies should be cut at flatter inclinations of 45°.     

Hazard assessment in rockfall-prone Himalayan slopes along National Highway-58, India: rating and simulation

A massive disaster occurred in June 2013 in Kedarnath, India, due to cloudburst and extremely heavy rain along the Chorabari glacier. The resulting flash floods further aggravated the instability of natural and hill cut slopes at different places on the downstream side. The village Rambara that existed in close proximity of Kedarnath was swept away under flow of debris and water. The immediate surrounding area, which housed over a hundred and fifty shops and hotels, was completely washed away leaving no trace of civilization. This calamity in Uttarakhand is considered as India’s worst natural disasters after the tsunami in December 2004. On the downstream of the affected areas lie other pilgrim destinations that witness innumerable footfalls every year. Investigation of the health of the slopes on the routes to these destinations is therefore very important to ensure minimal damage to humans and machinery. The Himalayan terrain is a tectonically active mountain belt, having a large number of unstable natural and road cut slopes. Such slopes with rugged topography lie in the high seismic vulnerability zone. Further, the instability is aggravated by natural and anthropogenic activities increasing at a rapid and uncontrollable rate. In the light of the Kedarnath tragedy, more advanced research is being conducted along the National Highways to monitor and prevent slope/structure failures. This study was conducted to evaluate the hazard potential along National Highway-58, near Saknidhar village of Devprayag district by analysing rockfall using hazard rating systems and numerical simulation. Rockfall hazard rating systems were applied to evaluate the conditions of the slopes and to identify the associated risks. Based on the field and laboratory analyses, the parameters required for numerical models were determined. The bounce height, roll-out distance, kinetic energy and speed of the detached blocks were determined by using a competent rockfall simulator. The results obtained were used to identify rockfall risk in the region. Optimization strategies were applied during investigation by modifying the slope angle, ditch width and ditch angle to assess the possibility of a hazard to occur in different scenarios. The simulation studies revealed that an increasing slope angle could significantly increase the kinetic energy of the rock blocks. However, an increase in the ditch angle and the ditch width reduces the energy of moving blocks. The maximum bounce height above the slope varied from 0.003 m to 0.8 m for 10-kg blocks, whereas the maximum velocity and the maximum kinetic energy under such circumstances were 7.882 m/s and 379.89 J, respectively. The barrier capacity was found to be 233.18 J for 10-kg falling blocks at a height of 10.02 m. From the optimization studies, it was found that the risk can be reduced by up to 13 % if the slope of 70° has a ditch angle of 15° while on a flat ditch, the maximum risk will be at an angle of 65°. If the ditch angle is increased, the vertical component of the falling blocks is more effective than that in case of a flat ditch. These optimization studies lay foundation for advanced research for mitigation of rockfall hazards in similar potential areas.

     

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.     

基于边坡单元的公路沿线滑坡危险度概率分析

公路沿线发生的滑坡、泥石流等自然灾害是造成交通停滞的主要原因。对公路沿线边坡进行稳定性评价及滑坡灾害分析对于公路管理和灾害防治具有重要意义。为了能对大范围边坡应用三维力学模型进行稳定性评价,研究中将较大研究区域划分为多个边坡单元（slope unit）,并介绍了边坡单元划分方法。对每个边坡单元,采用随机生成许多假想滑动面并通过一个基于GIS的边坡稳定性三维分析模型计算其安全系数的方法,找出具有最小安全系数的危险滑动面,同时求出在试算过程中安全系数小于某临界值（通常设为1.0）的结果出现的比率,作为该边坡单元的滑坡发生概率,以此作为指标对研究区域进行危险度评价。通过对日本49号国道沿线边坡中的应用对该方法的实用性进行了验证。     

预应力锚索加固岩质边坡的设计实例

在修筑高等级公路时 ,常需要开挖而形成高陡路堑边坡 ,边坡稳定与否将影响公路施工和运营的安全。 对具有潜在滑动面的不稳定岩质边坡 ,通常采用预应力锚索和锚杆加固以节约工程投资与缩短施工时间。结合某高速公路路堑岩质边坡工程 ,在分析边坡工程地质条件的基础上 ,提出了预应力锚索加固边坡的设计方法和步骤 ,为相关边坡工程的加固提供借鉴经验。     

Rock Slope Stability Assessment Using Geomechanical Classification and its Application for Specific Slopes along Kodaikkanal-Palani Hill Road,Western Ghats,India

Linear infrastructure networks like roads play a vital role in the socio-economic development of hill towns centered on tourism. Stability of the slopes along the hill roads are therefore a major concern and slope failures lead to disruption of traffic and loss of property/life or both. This study analyses the stability of cut-slopes along the Kodaikkanal – Palani hill road in the Western Ghats, India using rock mass classification systems like rock mass rating (RMR), slope mass rating (SMR) and continuous slope mass rating (CSMR). These geomechanical classifications provide a preliminary assessment of rock quality based on rock strength, discontinuity properties, hydrogeological condition of the slopes and slope stability based on the inherent rock strength parameters, discontinuity orientation and method of excavation. The results showed that both rock quality and discontinuity orientation contribute to type of failure in rock slopes with RMR > 40. SMR results are conservative while CSMR classification is matches more closely to the failures obtained from the field survey. CSMR classification represents continuous slope stability conditions and hence are more suitable for development of spatial database. Cutting of roads, thereby, steepening slopes has a definite influence on the stability of slopes.     

Application of geogrids in waste dump stability: a numerical modeling approach

Geosynthetic is widely used to reinforce the weak rock mass, mine waste dump, soil slopes road cut slopes, etc. The present paper discusses the effect of geogrids on the stability of mine waste dump. The stability of mine waste dump has been done by Fast Langrage Analysis of Continua (FLAC) slope software, which is based on finite difference method. Reinforcement by geogrids mainly depends on the tensile strength, aperture size of geogrids, and particle size distribution of dump rock mass. Different permutations and combinations of spacing between two geogrid sheets have been taken into consideration to study the stability of mine waste dump. The factor of safety is calculated to quantify the effect of geogrids on waste dump slope. It has been observed from numerical modeling that the maximum slope angle is 45° at a height of 10 m. The scope of increasing slope angle from 45 to 60° is evaluated using geogrids. It has been found from the study that the factor of safety increases as the spacing between geogrids decreases. Maximum strain is also plotted of each case to identify the slip circle. The positions of geogrids modify the probable slip circle or failure plane of mine waste dump. Using ten geogrids at a spacing of 1 m, the slope angle can be increased up to 60° with factor of safety of 1.4.     

Prediction of slope stability using multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN)

The stability problem of natural slopes, filled slopes, and cut slopes are commonly encountered in Civil Engineering Projects. Predicting the slope stability is an everyday task for geotechnical engineers. In this paper, a study has been done to predict the factor of safety (FOS) of the slopes using multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN). A total of 200 cases with different geometric and shear strength parameters were analyzed by using the well-known slope stability methods like Fellenius method, Bishop’s method, Janbu method, and Morgenstern and Price method. The FOS values obtained by these slope stability methods were used to develop the prediction models using MLR and ANN. Further, a few case studies have been done along the Jorabat-Shillong Expressway (NH-40) in India, using the finite element method (FEM). The output values of FEM were compared with the developed prediction models to find the best prediction model and the results were discussed.     

Assessment of potential sediment disasters and resilience management of mountain roads using environmental indicators

In recent years, extreme rainfall events occur frequently, causing serious watershed sediment disasters, destroying mountain roads, and endangering the safety of residents' lives and property. This study aims to deal with the spatial change of potential sediment movement on the road slope pre-disaster and to screen disaster hot spots for early warning and control system. The conceptual model is used to simulate the distribution of primary and/or derived disasters on a watershed scale to assess the impact of sediment disasters caused by heavy rain event. Correlation analysis shows that the models in assessment of primary disaster and derived disaster are significantly correlated with the collapse ratio and disaster ratio, respectively. Since the primary disaster has been considered when calculating the derived disaster risk, the terrain subdivision along Provincial Highway 21 (Tai-21) is extracted to understand the derived sediment disaster on the road slope. The model can effectively evaluate the road sections prone to disasters. According to the risk level, the hot spot of road slope disasters and the management of disaster resilience are determined and can be the reference for disaster prevention and control.

     

Hill slope stability analysis using two and three dimensions analysis: A comparative study

Slope instability is very common phenomenon, especially in tectonically active hills of the lesser Himalaya. The deformed, weathered and fragile rocks of the lesser Himalaya are often vulnerable under natural or anthropogenic influences. There were several cases of slope failure along highway sections in Uttarakhand Himalaya. The study was carried out along a highway section of NH-109. The factor of safety (FoS) is commonly most acceptable parameter that analyses the health of slopes. The two dimensional (2D) numerical analysis techniques are commonly used to obtain the FoS. It is observed that many times FoS obtained from 2D analysis techniques do not qualify the actual conditions and are usually lower in value as compared to ground conditions. This, in turn, increases the cost of remedial measures used for protection of slopes. This paper presents a comparative study of 2D and 3D numerical analysis based on the finite difference method (FDM) using fast Langrangian analysis of continua (FLAC) codes. The study indicates that there is no appreciable difference between FoS values obtained from 2D and 3D analysis based on the selected slope conditions. The difference ranges from 0.02 to 0.07 for analysed cases in uniform rock mass. The study also exhibits some of the important analytical observations and effects of variables on resultant FoS.     

Geologic hazards along part of Al-sayl–Alkabeir Al-Jammum road in Saudi Arabia

 The geological hazards along part of Al-Sayl Alkabeir Al-Jammum road, western Saudi Arabia, were studied by the use of the sterographic projection to define the types of possible failures and the magnitude of safety factor on each slope face. The studied area consists of granite and granodiorite rocks that were cut by acidic and basic dikes. There are four sets of structural discontinuities which, besides a few strike slip faults, constitute the planes of weakness that lead to a variety of possible mode failures. The stability analysis indicates that sections of the road are unstable as their cut slopes exceed the maximum safe slope angles which range between 65° and 73°. Received: 16 June 1998 · Accepted: 2 March 1999     

土坡地震稳定性影响因素分析

针对目前土质边坡地震稳定性评价还没有成熟可靠的标准,采用FLAC3D对土坡进行地震稳定性分析,得出:在土体强度参数中,摩擦角对土坡的稳定性影响最大。地震波传播方向平行于坡面时,比地震波传播方向与坡面相交时对土坡的危害要小得多。提出对土坡采用分级处理,多设置平台,更利于抗震。      

Charnockite bedrock,Chennai coast,Tamil Nadu: Micromorphology and geochemical signatures in stages of the weathering processes

Occurrences of landslide are most common and critical issue in North-East India. The various types of slope failures have been affected most part of slopes and road section between Malidor to Sonapur area (approx 30 Km) along NH-44 within Jaintia hills district, Meghalaya, India. These slope failures causes considerable loss of life and property along with many inconveniences such as disruption of traffic along highways. The unscientific excavations of rock slopes for road widening or construction purposes may weaken the stability of the slopes. The rocks exposed in the area are highly jointed sandstone and shale of Barail Group of Oligocene age. The Sonapur landslide is most dangerous and destructive rock fall-cum debris flow. The present study includes the kinematic analysis of the slope to assess the potential failure directions as the rocks are highly jointed in some parts of road cut sections. The continuous slope mass rating (CSMR) technique has been applied for slope stability analysis at five vulnerable locations. Kinematic analysis indicates mainly wedge type of failure along with few toppling and planar failures. These failure required immediate treatment to prevent the slide and long term stability of the slope.     

Stability analysis and supporting system design of a high-steep cut soil slope on an ancient landslide during highway construction of Tehran–Chalus

The stability of both natural and cut slopes in mountainous areas is a great challenge to highway constructions and operations. This paper presents a successful case study of stability analyses and protection treatments for high-steep cut soil slopes in an ancient landslide zone which was located at Km12+700 to Km15+000 along the Tehran?CChalus highway. This report has three parts. First, geotechnical investigations of in situ direct shear test, SPT tests and laboratory tests were implemented to get the subsurface profiles and the mechanical properties of the soil mass. Second, finite difference analysis was carried out to evaluate the stability of both the natural and cut slopes. Minimum safety factors and potential failure modes of cut slopes were obtained under both static and dynamic conditions. These results indicated that the ancient landslide could not be reactivated under the present climatic and morphological conditions, but there were some potential shallow failures in some cut soil slopes (failure actually occurred during excavation). Protection treatments and reinforcements were thus necessary. Third, the stability of the cut slopes was re-assessed by simplified Bishop limit equilibrium analysis (using Slide 5.0). Some potential failure zones were designed to be protected by back-anchored concrete retaining wall at the slope toe, rock bolts and frame beams on the slope face and planting grass on the slope face. Numerical analysis indicated that these protection measures could stabilize this remedial slope. These practical experiences may be of benefit for similar highway construction projects.     

Cut Slope Design Recommendations for Sub-Horizontal Hard Sedimentary Rock Units in Ohio, USA

Although most cut slopes in Ohio consist of inter-layered, sub-horizontal units of hard and soft sedimentary rocks (sandstone, limestone, dolostone, shale, claystone, mudstone), slopes consisting of relatively thick hard rock units are not uncommon. Design of stable cut slopes in hard rock units needs to consider rock mass strength and orientation of discontinuities with respect to slope face. Results of kinematic stability analyses show that hard-rock cut slopes are less likely to have conventional plane and wedge failures, caused by unfavorable orientation of discontinuities. The main cause of failure is identified to be the undercutting-induced toppling, which is not amenable to traditional kinematic or rock mass strength-based analyses. Therefore, to recommend a suitable slope angle, numerical models, using UDEC software, were employed to study how various slope angles affect the process of undercutting-induced toppling failures. The UDEC models showed a slope angle of 45° (1H:1 V) to be the most stable angle. However, a 63° (0.5H:1 V) slope angle can significantly reduce the potential for such failures and is therefore more appropriate than the widely used angle of 76° (0.25H:1 V).     

A resilience framework for safety management of fossil fuel power plant

In the present study, cut slope stability assessment along ghat road section of Kolli hills was carried out by using various geotechnical parameters of rock and soil slope sections and structural kinematics of major discontinuities is presented. The rock slope (RS) stability assessment was carried out using Rock Mass Rating basic (RMR_basic) and Slope Mass Rating (SMR) classification systems. The type of failure and their Factor of Safety (FOS) for individual RS was calculated using Hoek and Bray method. In the case of soil slopes (SS), the FOS was calculated using Circular Failure Chart (CFC) and Limit Equilibrium (LE) methods. The input data for the slope stability analyses were collected through extensive field work followed by stereonet plotting and laboratory test. There are six rock slope sections, and five soil slope sections were taken into consideration for the cut slope stability analyses. The area depicts class II (RS-1, 2, & 6) and class III (RS-3, 4, & 5) of RMR classes. The SMR result depicts for RS-1, RS-2, and RS-6 are 64.40, 60.02, and 60.70, respectively, and falls in class II stable condition. The SMR values of RS-3 and RS-5 were 44.33 and 57, respectively, and come under the class III partially stable condition. The RS-4 with SMR value of 17.33 falls under the class I completely unstable condition. The FOS of planar failure case indicates that RS-3 (FOS = 0.22) is more unstable, while all other sections are having greater than 1 FOS. The calculated FOS values using CFC method reveals that the FOS is very close to 1 for all the SS sections that fall under completely saturated condition which indicates that these slope sections may fail during heavy rainfall. In LE method, the sections SS-3 and SS-4 are unsafe under partially and completely saturated (natural slope) condition. In average slope condition, all the SS sections are unsafe under partially or completely saturated conditions. The facets 2, 3, 4, and 5 required mitigation measures, to improve the stability of slopes. Site-specific mitigation measures were suggested for partially or completely unstable rock and soil cut slopes.     

边坡稳定分析的神经网络改进模糊点估计法

边坡稳定性分析中,模糊点估计法能同时考虑模糊不确定性和随机不确定性因素。针对传统模糊点估计法计算工作量大的缺点,提出一种神经网络改进模糊点估计法。利用拉丁超立方抽样法和径向基函数神经网络（RBF）建立边坡安全系数的预测模型;对黏聚力和内摩擦角等模糊随机变量取λ截集,并在各截集水平对参数进行组合;利用建立的预测模型对各参数组合的安全系数进行预测;最后由统计矩点估计法计算边坡的可靠度指标。实例分析表明：改进模糊点估计法使用方便、结果可靠,且能通过增加λ截集水平的数目来提高计算精度。对于含有2～4个模糊随机变量的边坡,采用改进模糊点估计法计算可靠度时λ截集水平的数目可近似取25。