Coupled hydro-mechanical analysis of slope under rainfall using modified elasto-plastic model for unsaturated soils

Two modifications for the basic Barcelona model(BBM) are present. One is the replacement of the net stress by the average skeleton stress in unsaturated soil modeling, and the other is the adoption of an expression for the load-collapse(LC) yield surface that can match flexibly the normal compression lines at different suctions. The predictions of the modified BBM for the controlled-suction triaxial test on the unsaturated compacted clay are presented and compared with the experimental results. A good agreement between the predicted and experimental results demonstrates the reasonability of the modified BBM. On this basis, the coupled processes of groundwater flow and soil deformation in a homogeneous soil slope under a long heavy rainfall are simulated with the proposed elasto-plastic model. The numerical results reveal that the failure of a slope under rainfall infiltration is due to both the reduction of soil suction and the significant rise in groundwater table. The evolution of the displacements is greatly related to the change of suction. The maximum collapse deformation happens near the surface of slope where infiltrated rainwater can quickly reach. The results may provide a helpful reference for hazard assessment and control of rainfall-induced landslides.

Bearing capacity of foundation on slope determined by energy dissipation method and model experiments

To determine the ultimate bearing capacity of foundations on sloping ground surface in practice, energy dissipation method was used to formulate the bearing capacity as programming problem, and full-scale model experiments were investigated to analyze the performance of the soil slopes loaded by a strip footing in laboratory. The soil failure is governed by a linear Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion, and soil deformation follows an associated flow rule. Based on the energy dissipation method of plastic mechanics, a multi-wedge translational failure mechanism was employed to obtain the three bearing capacity factors related to cohesion, equivalent surcharge load and the unit gravity for various slope inclination angles. Numerical results were compared with those of the published solutions using finite element method and those of model experiments. The bearing capacity factors were presented in the form of design charts for practical use in engineering. The results show that limit analysis solutions approximate to those of model tests, and that the energy dissipation method is effective to estimate bearing capacity of soil slope.

Numerical modeling of failure mechanisms in phyllite mine slopes in Brazil

This paper presents three case studies comprising failure mechanisms in phyllite mine slopes at Quadrilá-tero Ferrífero, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Numerical modeling techniques were used in this study. Failure mechanisms involving discontinuities sub parallel to the main foliation are very common in these mines. Besides, failure through the rock material has also been observed due to the low strength of phyllites in this site. Results of this work permitted to establish unknown geotechnical parameters which have significant influence in failure processes, like the in situ stress field and the discontinuity stiffness.

Applications of A Numerical Model to Wave Propagation on Mild Slopes

Based on the mild slope equation that has heen deeomposed inlo three equations related to wave phase function, wave amplitude and wave approach angle, a refraction-diffraction model is developed. The finite difference method has been selected as the solution method. The model results are compared with experimental results and the model is applied to coastal waters of the Fethiye Bay, whieh is located at the Mediterranean Sea of Turkey.

Facets of Uncertainty in Digital Elevation and Slope Modeling

This paper investigates the differences that result from applying different approaches to uncertainty modeling and reports an experimental examining error estimation and propagation in elevation and slope, with the latter derived from the former. It is confirmed that significant differences exist between uncertainty descriptors, and propagation of uncertainty to end products is immensely affected by the specification of source uncertainty.

Analog modeling of sand slope stability with different precipitation conditions

Water–sand flow triggered by rainfall is the dominant mechanism for instability and failure of sand slopes. To further analyze the stability state of sand on a slope under different rainfall conditions, the initiation conditions and flow characteristics of water–sand flows are studied. Based on the theory of equilibrium forces and hydrological dynamics, a 1：100-scale analog model is built and verified with field observation data. The results indicate three dynamic stabilization stages of the sand slope under different weather conditions： dry sand, wet sand, and water–sand flow. Water–sand flows are triggered easilyunder short duration and heavy rainfall conditions. The rainfall threshold required to initiate water–sand flow is 4.14 mm/h. Rainfall amount and duration required to initiate water–sand flow decrease with fine sand content increasing. A sand head that develops at the front of the water–sand flow results in a flow along the edge of the sand debris flow and a ‘‘tree root’’ flow morphology. Modelingresults are consistent with theoretical analysis and field observations.

Effectiveness of Fiber Bragg Grating monitoring in the centrifugal model test of soil slope under rainfall conditions

Centrifugal model testsare playing an increasingly importantrolein investigating slope characteristics under rainfall conditions. However, conventional electronic transducers usually fail during centrifugal model tests because of the impacts of limitedtest space, high centrifugal force, and presence of water, with the result that limited valid data is obtained. In this study, Fiber Bragg Grating(FBG) sensing technology is employed in the design and development of displacement gauge, an anchor force gauge and an anti-slide pile moment gauge for use on centrifugal model slopes with and without a retaining structure. The two model slopes were installed and monitored at a centrifugal acceleration of 100 g. The test results show that the sensors developed succeed in capturing the deformation and retaining structure mechanical response of the model slopes during and after rainfall. The deformation curvefor the slope without retaining structure shows a steepresponse that turns gradualfor the slope with retaining structure. Importantly, for the slope with the retaining structure, results suggest that more attention be paid to increase of anchor force and antislide pile moment during rainfall. This study verifies the effectiveness of FBG sensing technology in centrifuge research and presents a new and innovative method for slope model testing under rainfall conditions.

Failure behavior of soil-rock mixture slopes based on centrifuge model test

The stability of soil-rock mixtures(SRMs) that widely distributed in slopes is of significant concern for slope safety evaluation and disaster prevention. The failure behavior of SRM slopes under surface loading conditions was investigated through a series of centrifuge model tests considering various volumetric gravel contents. The displacement field of the slope was determined with image-based displacement system to observe the deformation of the soil and the movement of the block during loading in the tests. The test results showed that the ultimate bearing capacity and the stiffness of SRM slopes increased evidently when the volumetric block content exceeded a threshold value. Moreover, there were more evident slips around the blocks in the SRM slope. The microscopic analysis of the block motion showed that the rotation of the blocks could aggravate the deformation localization to facilitate the development of the slip surface. The high correlation between the rotation of the key blocks and the slope failure indicated that the blocks became the dominant load-bearing medium that influenced the slope failure. The blocks in the sliding body formed a chain to bear the load and change the displacement distribution of the adjacent matrix sand through the block rotation.

Slope stability assessment of an open pit using lattice-spring-based synthetic rock mass (LS-SRM) modeling approach

Discontinuity waviness is one of the most important properties that influence shear strength of jointed rock masses,and it should be incorporated into numerical models for slope stability assessment.However,in most existing numerical modeling tools,discontinuities are often simplified into planar surfaces.Discrete fracture network modeling tools such as MoFrac allow the simulation of non-planar discontinuities which can be incorporated into lattice-spring-based geomechanical software such as Slope Model for slope stability assessment.In this study,the slope failure of the south wall at Cadia Hill open pit mine is simulated using the lattice-spring-based synthetic rock mass(LS-SRM)modeling approach.First,the slope model is calibrated using field displacement monitoring data,and then the influence of different discontinuity configurations on the stability of the slope is investigated.The modeling results show that the slope with non-planar discontinuities is comparatively more stable than the ones with planar discontinuities.In addition,the slope becomes increasingly unstable with the increases of discontinuity intensity and size.At greater pit depth with higher in situ stress,both the slope models with planar and non-planar discontinuities experience localized failures due to very high stress concentrations,and the slope model with planar discontinuities is more deformable and less stable than that with non-planar discontinuities.

Uncertainty of Slope Length Derived from Digital Elevation Models of the Loess Plateau, China

Although many studies have investigated slope gradient uncertainty derived from Digital Elevation Models(DEMs), the research concerning slope length uncertainty is far from mature. This discrepancy affects the availability and accuracy of soil erosion as well as hydrological modeling. This study investigates the formation and distribution of existing errors and uncertainties in slope length derivation based on 5-m resolution DEMs of the Loess Plateau in the middle of China. The slope length accuracy in three different landform areas is examined to analyse algorithm effects. The experiments indicate that the accuracy of the flat test area is lower than that of the rougher areas. The value from the specific contributing area(SCA) method is greater than the cumulative slope length(CSL), and the differences between these two methods arise from the shape of the upslope area. The variation of mean slope length derived from various DEM resolutions and landforms. The slope length accuracy decreases with increasing grid size and terrain complexity at the six test sites. A regression model is built to express the relationship of mean slope length with DEM resolution less than 85 m and terrain complexity represented by gully density. The results support the understanding of the slope length accuracy, thereby aiding in the effective evaluation of the modeling effect of surface process.

Slope wavenumber spectrum models of capillary and capillary-gravity waves

Capillary and capillary-gravity waves possess a random character, and the slope wavenumber spectra of them can be used to represent mean distributions of wave energy with respect to spatial scale of variability. But simple and practical models of the slope wavenumber spectra have not been put forward so far. In this article, we address the accurate definition of the slope wavenumber spectra of water surface capillary and capillary-gravity waves. By combining the existing slope wavenumber models and using the dispersion relation of water surface waves, we derive the slope wavenumber spectrum models of capillary and capillary-gravity waves. Simultaneously, by using the slope wavenumber models, the dependence of the slope wavenumber spectrum on wind speed is analyzed using data obtained in an experiment which was performed in a laboratory wind wave tank. Generally speaking, the slope wavenumber spectra are influenced profoundly by the wind speed above water surface. The slope wavenumber spectrum increases with wind speed obviously and do not cross each other for different wind speeds. But, for the same wind speed, the slope wavenumber spectra are essentially identical, even though the capillary and capillary-gravity waves are excited at different times and locations. Furthermore, the slope wavenumber spectra obtained from the models agree quite well with experimental results as regards both the values and the shape of the curve.

Constitutive models in stability analysis of rock slope

Equivalent Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion was established,and the relationship between different constitutive models was studied.The application of equivalent Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion in Ansys was achieved by means of transforming material parameters.The stability research aiming at the most common rock slope without conspicuous slide surface was accomplished,the methods of measurably assessing the stability of rock slope without conspicuous slide surface were explored,and the disadvantages of method of minimum slide-resisted reserve as dangerous slide path were pointed out.The results show that through the calculation and analysis of cases,the conception that measurable assessment of the stability of rock slope without conspicuous slide surface can be achieved under condition that equivalent Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion is validated.Its safety parameter formula is explicit in theory and credible in results.The results obtained are approximate to those obtained by using finite element intensity reducing method.

Numerical method of slope failure probability based on Bishop model

Based on Bishop's model and by applying the first and second order mean deviations method, an approximative solution method for the first and second order partial derivatives of functional function was deduced according to numerical analysis theory. After complicated multi-independent variables implicit functional function was simplified to be a single independent variable implicit function and rule of calculating derivative for composite function was combined with principle of the mean deviations method, an approximative solution format of implicit functional function was established through Taylor expansion series and iterative solution approach of reliability degree index was given synchronously. An engineering example was analyzed by the method. The result shows its absolute error is only 0.78% as compared with accurate solution.

Stability analysis of unsaturated soil slope during rainfall infiltration using coupled liquid-gas-solid three-phase model

Generally, most soil slope failures are induced by rainfall infiltration, a process that involves interactions between the liquid phase, gas phase,and solid skeleton in an unsaturated soil slope. In this study, a loosely coupled liquid-gas-solid three-phase model, linking two numerical codes,TOUGH2/EOS3, which is used for water-air two-phase flow analysis, and FLAC^(3D), which is used for mechanical analysis, was established. The model was validated through a documented water drainage experiment over a sandy column and a comparison of the results with measured data and simulated results from other researchers. The proposed model was used to investigate the features of water-air two-phase flow and stress fields in an unsaturated soil slope during rainfall infiltration. The slope stability analysis was then performed based on the simulated water-air two-phase seepage and stress fields on a given slip surface. The results show that the safety factor for the given slip surface decreases first, then increases, and later decreases until the rainfall stops. Subsequently, a sudden rise occurs. After that, the safety factor decreases continually and reaches its lowest value, and then increases slowly to a steady value. The lowest value does not occur when the rainfall stops, indicating a delayed effect of the safety factor. The variations of the safety factor for the given slip surface are therefore caused by a combination of pore-air pressure, matric suction, normal stress, and net normal stress.

Calibration of Numerical Model Applied to a Shear Zone Located on a Slope in an Open Pit Mine—Case History

The instability of a pit mine slope diagnostic caused by the slipping of a localized deep shear zone is described. The slope was designed on ultra basic, serpentine and metabasite rock formations with an angle varying from 40 to 45 de- grees. The perturbed slope zone was classified as RMR 12 and the non-perturbed zone as RMR 75. The boundary of these zones is defined as the shear zone. The pit slope was field mapped in detail and the mechanical properties of the rock were obtained through a laboratory test. The lab data were further processed using the RMR mechanical classifi- cation system. The Distinct Elements Code numerical modeling and simulation software was used to design the pit slope. The model was calibrated through topographic mapping of the points on the ground. The task of calibrating a numerical model is far from simple. Exhaustive attempts to find points of reference are required. The mechanical be- havior in function of the time factor is a problem that has yet to be solved. The instant deformation generated in the numerical model generated functions that can be compared with the deformations of quick shifts acquired in the topog- raphic monitoring. SMR is indeed more often recommended for Pit Slopes, though the fact that we have used RMR does not invalidate the classification for the modeling effect. The main parameters such as spacing, filling, diving direc- tion and continuity allow for compartmentalization of the modeled area. The objective of the modeling was not to pro- ject slopes because this massif was undergoing a progressive slow rupture. The objective of the modeling was to study the movement of the mass of rock and its progressive rupture caused by a shear zone.

A Test Model of Water Pressures within a Fault in Rock Slope

This paper introduces model test results of water pressure in a fault, which is located in a slope and 16 different conditions. The results show that the water pressures in fault can be expressed by a linear function, which is similar to the theoretical model suggested by Hoek. Factors affecting water pressures are water level in tension crack, dip angle of fault, the height of filling materials and thickness of fault zone in sequence.

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE MODEL OF UNSATURATED EXPANSIVE SOIL AND ITS APPLICATION IN MULTI-FIELD COUPLE ANALYSIS ON EXPANSIVE SOIL SLOPE

Focused on the sensitivity to climate change and the special mechanical characteristics of undisturbed expansive soil, an elasto-plastic damage constitutive model was proposed based on the mechanics of unsaturated soil and the mechanics of damage. Undisturbed expansive soil was considered as a compound of non-damaged part and damaged part. The behavior of the non-damaged part was described using non-linear constitutive model of unsaturated soil. The property of the damaged part was described using a damage evolution equation and two yield surfaces, i.e., loading yield （LY） and shear yield （SY）. Furthermore, a consolidation model for unsaturated undisturbed expansive soil was established and a FEM program named UESEPDC was designed. Numerical analysis on solid-liquid-gas tri-phases and multi-field couple problem was conducted for four stages and fields of stress, displacement, pore water pressure, pore air pressure, water content, suction, and the damage region as well as plastic region in an expansive soil slope were obtained.

Numerical Modeling of the Hyperbolic Mild-Slope Equation in Curvilinear Coordinates

The mild-slope equation is familiar to coastal engineers as it can effectively describe wave propagation in nearshore regions. However, its computational method in Cartesian coordinates often renders the model inaccurate in areas with irregular shorelines, such as estuaries and harbors. Based on the hyperbolic mild-slope equation in Cartesian coordinates, the numerical model in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates is developed. The transformed model is discretized by the finite difference method and solved by the ADI method with space-staggered grids. The numerical predictions in curvilinear co- ordinates show good agreemenl with the data obtained in three typical physical expedments, which demonstrates that the present model can be used to simulate wave propagation, for normal incidence and oblique incidence, in domains with complicated topography and boundary conditions.

A gravity similitude model for studying steep rock slopes

A method of a large experimental model coupled with a smaller one and an equivalent replacement method are adopted to study the deformation and the failure mechanism of a steep rock slope, in order to solve the difficult problems in space gravity similitude of the experimental model on steep rock slope with weak layers. The experimental results on the Lianziya Precipice of the Yangtze Three Gorges are in general agreement with the field observations. The experimental method adopted is proved to be successful in molding the complex geological condition especially with the weak layers.

Early warning model for slope debris flow initiation

Early warning model of debris flow is important for providing local residents with reliable and accurate warning information to escape from debris flow hazards. This research studied the debris flow initiation in the Yindongzi gully in Dujiangyan City, Sichuan province, China with scaled-down model experiments. We set rainfall intensity and slope angle as dominating parameters and carried out 20 scaled-down model tests under artificial rainfall conditions. The experiments set four slope angles(32°, 34°, 37°, 42°) and five rainfall intensities(60 mm/h, 90 mm/h, 120 mm/h, 150 mm/h, and 180 mm/h) treatments. The characteristic variables in the experiments, such as, rainfall duration, pore water pressure, moisture content, surface inclination, and volume were monitored. The experimental results revealed the failure mode of loose slope material and the process of slope debris flow initiation, as well as the relationship between the surface deformation and the physical parameters of experimental model. A traditional rainfall intensity-duration early warning model(I-D model) was firstly established by using a mathematical regression analysis, and it was then improved into ISD model and ISM model(Here, I is rainfall Intensity, S is Slope angle, D is rainfall Duration, and M is Moisture content). The warning model can provide reliable early warning of slope debris flow initiation.