Slope Instability Analysis of the Qiongdongnan Basin in the Northern Part of the South China Sea:Implications for the Risk Evaluation of Deepwater Drilling

The instability of continental slopes damages marine engineering equipment,such as submarine pipelines,resulting in the generation of tsunamis,which endangers the safety of nearshore personnel.Therefore,research on the instability of continental slopes where submarine landslides usually occur is crucial to the risk evaluation of deepwater drilling.Previous studies were mainly based on simplified 2D and 3D models,which extend the 2D model applied on submarine slopes with complex topography.In this study,a numerical model with bathymetric data from the Qiongdongnan Basin was established.Furthermore,3D slope stability analysis and static and dynamic analyses were conducted.The static analysis found two discussions where slopes are most likely to occur.Through the analysis of different seismic forces,the dynamic result showed that an instability area is added to the two positions where the static analysis is unstable.Topography scatters and transmits seismic waves and controls the accumulation and diffusion of seismic energy.3D calculations and analysis revealed that the direction of slope instability is closely related to terrain inclination,slope,terrain effect,and terrain curvature.Data showed that instability situations could not be derived from a single direction or profile data.Such situations are an important factor in slope stability analysis and are critical to the prediction and evaluation of marine geological disasters.

Risk analysis of slope instability of levees under river sand mining conditions

Levees are affected by over-exploitation of river sand and river adjustments after the formation of sand pits. The slope stability is seriously threatened, drawing wide concern among experts and scholars in the area of water conservancy. This study analyzed the uncertainties of slope stability of levees under river sand mining conditions, including uncertainty caused by interest- driven over-exploitation by sand mining contractors, and uncertainty of the distance from the slope or sand pit to the bottom of the levee under the action of cross-flow force after the sand pit forms. Based on the results of uncertainty analysis, the distribution and related parameters of these uncertainties were estimated according to the Yangtze River sand mining practice. A risk model of the slope instability of a levee under river sand mining conditions was built, and the possibility of slope instability under different slope gradients in a certain reach of the Yangtze River was calculated with the Monte Carlo method and probability combination method. The results indicated that the probability of instability risk rose from 2.38% to 4.74% as the pits came into being.

Hill slope instability of Nainital City,Kumaun Lesser Himalaya,Uttarakhand,India

Nainital City of Kumaun Lesser Himalaya is prone to mass wasting processes during monsoon season,which mischievously triggers the hill slope instability in this region. Slate, dolomitic limestone, silty sandstone and rhythmite of the Krol Formation are the main rock types. The present study focuses on the investigation of slope stability in the region in terms of potential seismicity and landslide. Geological and geotechnical mapping indicates that the major portion of the area is characterized by slope wash materials and buildings. The combination of 3-4 joint sets with one random joint is the main structure at outcrops.The major geological structures of this area are Nainital lake fault passing from the center of the lake, Main Boundary Thrust at SW, and Khuriya Fault passing from the SE direction of Nainital City. This work finds that different types of discontinuities(e.g. joints and faults), overburden due to unplanned civil structures,and neotectonic activity in the vicinity of this ara affect the stability of the city. The slate forms the base of the city, dipping slightly towards the lake side along the NW direction, thus accelerating the instability of this area. Rock mass rating(RMR), slope mass rating, factor of safety(FOS) and graphical analysis of the discontinuity for slope kinematics indicate that the study area is a landslide-prone zone. This study can facilitate reducing the risk of human life, and contribute to the ongoing construction works in the area.

Slope Instability at Nablus-Al Bathan Road, Palestinian Territories (Causes, Analysis and Remedy Measurements)

Nablus-Al Bathan Road which connects Nablus City and Jordan Valley in the West Bank of Palestinian Territories, was widened, reconstructed and rehabilitated in 2009, however, between 2010 and 2012 road defects at several locations were observed. To fix these defects especially at station 2 + 100 of the road, soil replacement in the body of the road and big boulders to support the edge of the road were used. Unfortunately, large settlement occurred in the part of the road under maintenance and more sliding and slope instability occurred in the road at station 2+ 100 during the remedial measures. Studies were carried out to find the causes of this problem. These included surveying of the area, geotechnical studies (making trial pits, performing geophysical seismic exploration and digging out several boreholes), in addition to slope stability analysis. It was found that the main causes of landslides were types of soils at the site, high slopes, groundwater recharged from rainfall and changing of weights (cut and fill). Remedy measures were suggested to overcome sliding problem based on available resources and local technology.

Assessments on slope instabilities triggered by engineering excavations near a small settlement(Turkey)

In this study,the mechanisms of slope instabilities triggered by engineering excavations at location of a planned tunnel portal in the northwest region of Turkey were assessed,and stability of the current slopes which has impacts on safety of a settlement(village)and agricultural fields was investigated.In the first stage of the study,in order to identify the geological units and structural properties of the sedimentary rocks in the area,to clarify the mechanisms of instabilities and to characterize discontinuity and rock mass properties field works were conducted.In this content,geotechnical boreholes,geophysical explorations between the boreholes,line surveys to explore discontinuity properties,preparation of slope profiles using topographical techniques and sampling of rock blocks and discontinuity planes were performed.In the second stage,laboratory tests were carried out on the samples to determine the geomechnical properties of the slope forming materials and discontinuities.Then,back analyses of the instabilities were made to assess the responsible shear strength parameters of the geological units during failures by considering laboratory shear test results too.Based on the backanalyses of the failures,the strength properties of the slope debris were estimated,and it has been clarified that the residual shear strength properties are the factors controlling slip mechanism along the beddings.Following the stability analyses,it is understood that a further instability along the mass or bedding planes in the failed and redesigned area are not expected,if the current slope geometry is not changed.However,safety factor calculated for the slope in the debris is 1.1 which is well below the recommended value in the literature.The minimum safety factor for currently stable slopes which were cut at the eastern part of the failed area is 1.22 which is also less than that suggested in literature.Some remedial measures such as mini-pile or slope flattening are suggested after analyses to increase the factor of safety for this part below the settlement.

IBIS-FM radar as a tool for monitoring hill slopes during excavations in hydropower projects:A case study from Bhutan Himalayas

Excavation is common in the construction of hydropower projects.Monitoring for both stable and unstable slopes is a pressing requirement during progressive excavations with or without cut-slope support measures.The present study is about an excavation carried out in a proposed concrete gravity dam site on the right bank slope of the Punatsangchhu River in western Bhutan.During the excavation,the right bank abutment witnessed multiple events of slope failures of various magnitudes.One major landslide occurred on 23 July 2013 in the toe of the right abutment,where foliation/multiple sheared/fractured zones/seams in quartz-feldspathic biotite gneiss dip towards the valley.During further excavations/piling works,a subsequent landslide on the downstream,within the body of the July 2013 landslide,occurred on 12 August 2016.As a result,a real-time monitoring of the slope became necessary to facilitate further excavations for achieving the dam foundation.Thus,the advanced slope monitoring instrument like Image By Interferometric Survey e Frequency Modulated(IBIS-FM)radar was deployed for monitoring the right bank slope during the excavation for the construction of~129 m high dam.The displacement of the hill slope is assessed based on this system by monitoring point locations as well as areas by assigning different threshold values for providing timely alerts.This real-time monitoring was effective in identifying the reactivation of August 2016 landslide that occurred on 22 January 2019.Thus,this study showcases the efficiency of IBIS-FM radar in monitoring slope instability with sub-millimeter accuracy on a near real-time basis.

Human-induced landslide on a high cut slope: a case of repeated failures due to multi-excavation

The paper attempts to represent a case of repeated failures on a high cut slope due to multi-excavation. The characteristics of each failure induced by excavation are analyzed through geological investigation, and then a geological model at different failure stages is proposed. The geological analysis shows that the excavation-induced repeated failures are related to the exposure of the weak bedding plane and the toe unloading of the cut slope, Numerical modeling is conducted based on a sequential method, taking into account the main failure stages of cut slope. The simulation results fairly coincide with the practical phenomena observed in field. It is shown that the decrease in normal stress of displaced mass on cut slope will induce the increase in shear stress in bedding planes and that at the toe of the cut slope. The released stress leads to repeated gravitational instabilities of cut slope due to the decrease in normal stress and the increase in shear stress along the bedding planes of mudstone.

Large-area Analysis of Soil Erosion and Landslides Induced by Rainfall: A Case of Unsaturated Shallow Deposits

Unsaturated shallow soil deposits may be affected by either superficial soil erosion or shallow landslides in adjacent or overlapping source areas and in different seasons when a different soil suction exists.The triggering analysis of both these processes is a relevant issue for the hazard analysis while the literature mostly provides specific approaches for erosion or for landslides.The paper proposes a largearea analysis for a case study of Southern Italy,consisting of unsaturated shallow deposits of loose pyroclastic(air-fall) volcanic soils that have been repeatedly affected by erosion and landslides in special seasons.For a past catastrophic event, the simulated source areas of shallow landslides are smaller than those observed in the field while the simulated eroded areas with thickness greater than 5cm are comparable with the in-situ evidences, if the analysis takes into account high rainfall intensity and a spatially variable soil cover use.More in general, the results of the paper are consistent with the previous literature and also provide a methodological contribution about the application of distinct tools over large area.The added value is that the paper shows how the combination of distinct large-area analyses may help with understanding the dominant slope instability mechanisms.Only once this goal is fully achieved, can specific physically-based analyses be confidently performed at detailed scales and for smaller specific areas.

Flow-Induced Instabilities in Pump-Turbines in China

The stability of pump-turbines is of great importance to the operation of pumped storage power （PSP） stations. Both hydraulic instabilities and operational instabilities have been reported in PSP stations in China. In order to provide a reference to the engineers and scientists working on pump-turbines, this paper summarizes the hydraulic instabilities and performance characteristics that promote the operational instabilities encountered in pump-turbine operations in China. Definitions, analytical methods, numerical and experimental studies, and main results are clarified. Precautions and countermeasures are also provided based on a literature review. The gaps between present studies and the need for engineering practice are pointed out.