scholarly journals Analysis of shallow failures triggered by the 14-16 November 2002 event in the Albaredo valley, Valtellina (Northern Italy)

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 305-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Dapporto ◽  
P. Aleotti ◽  
N. Casagli ◽  
G. Polloni

Abstract. On 14-16 November 2002 the North Italy was affected by an intense rainfall event: in the Albaredo valley (Valtellina) more than 200 mm of rain fell triggering about 50 shallow landslides, mainly soil slips and soil slip-debris flows. Landslides occurred above the critical rainfall thresholds computed by Cancelli and Nova (1985) and Ceriani et al. (1994) for the Italian Central Alps: in fact the cumulative precipitation at the soil slips initiation time was 230 mm (in two days) with a peak intensity of 15 mm/h. A coupled analysis of seepage and instability mechanisms is performed in order to evaluate the potential for slope failure during the event. Changes in positive and negative pore water pressures during the event are modelled by a finite element analysis of water flow in transient conditions, using as boundary condition for the nodes along the slope surface the recorded rainfall rate. The slope stability analysis is conducted applying the limit equilibrium method, using pore water pressure distributions obtained in the different time steps by the seepage analysis as input data for the calculation of the factor of safety.

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Sitarenios ◽  
Francesca Casini

This paper presents a three-dimensional slope stability limit equilibrium solution for translational planar failure modes. The proposed solution uses Bishop’s average skeleton stress combined with the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion to describe soil strength evolution under unsaturated conditions while its formulation ensures a natural and smooth transition from the unsaturated to the saturated regime and vice versa. The proposed analytical solution is evaluated by comparing its predictions with the results of the Ruedlingen slope failure experiment. The comparison suggests that, despite its relative simplicity, the analytical solution can capture the experimentally observed behaviour well and highlights the importance of considering lateral resistance together with a realistic interplay between mechanical parameters (cohesion) and hydraulic (pore water pressure) conditions.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 502
Author(s):  
Jinman Kim ◽  
Heuisoo Han ◽  
Yoonhwa Jin

This paper shows the results of a field appliance study of the hydraulic well method to prevent embankment piping, which is proposed by the Japanese Matsuyama River National Highway Office. The large-scale embankment experiment and seepage analysis were conducted to examine the hydraulic well. The experimental procedure is focused on the pore water pressure. The water levels of the hydraulic well were compared with pore water pressure data, which were used to look over the seepage variations. Two different types of large-scale experiments were conducted according to the installation points of hydraulic wells. The seepage velocity results by the experiment were almost similar to those of the analyses. Further, the pore water pressure oriented from the water level variations in the hydraulic well showed similar patterns between the experiment and numerical analysis; however, deeper from the surface, the larger pore water pressure of the numerical analysis was calculated compared to the experimental values. In addition, the piping effect according to the water level and location of the hydraulic well was quantitatively examined for an embankment having a piping guide part. As a result of applying the hydraulic well to the point where piping occurred, the hydraulic well with a 1.0 m water level reduced the seepage velocity by up to 86%. This is because the difference in the water level between the riverside and the protected side is reduced, and it resulted in reducing the seepage pressure. As a result of the theoretical and numerical hydraulic gradient analysis according to the change in the water level of the hydraulic well, the hydraulic gradient decreased linearly according to the water level of the hydraulic well. From the results according to the location of the hydraulic well, installation of it at the point where piping occurred was found to be the most effective. A hydraulic well is a good device for preventing the piping of an embankment if it is installed at the piping point and the proper water level of the hydraulic well is applied.


1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 464-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.D. Eigenbrod

Slow, shallow ground movements in a slope near Yellowknife caused excessive tilting of timber piles that supported an engineering structure. To avoid damage to the structure, the pile foundations had to be replaced by rigid concrete piers that were designed to resist the forces of the moving soil mass. Downhill movements were rather slow and, during an initial inspection, were indicated only by soil that was pushed up against a series of piles on their uphill sides, while gaps had formed on their downhill sides. No open cracks or bulging was observed on the slope. A stability analysis indicated that the slope was not in a state of limit equilibrium. To obtain a better understanding of the creep movements in the slope and their effect on the rigid concrete piers, extensive instrumentation was carried out after the construction of the piers. This included slope indicators, piezometers, thermistors, and total-pressure cells against one of the concrete piers. In addition, a triaxial testing program was undertaken in which the effect of cyclic pore-water pressure changes on the long-term deformations of the shallow clay layer was investigated. From the data collected in the field and laboratory, it could be concluded that (i) tilting of the original timber piles was caused by downslope movements related to cyclic pore-water increases; (ii) the lateral soil movements increased almost linearly with depth from 2 m below the ground surface, with no indication of a slip surface; and (iii) the pressures exerted by the moving soil mass against the rigid concrete piers within the soil mass were equal to the passive resistance activated within the moving soil mass. Key words : soil creep, slope movements, soil pressures, pore-water pressures, freezing pressures, permafrost, cyclic loading.


1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 491-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delwyn G. Fredlund ◽  
Zai Ming Zhang ◽  
Karen Macdonald

The stability of potash tailings piles is investigated using a pore-water pressure generation and dissipation model together with a limit equilibrium analysis. It is found that a shallow toe failure mode is generally the most applicable and that the stability may be influenced by pore-water pressure migration below the pile. It is suggested that field studies would be useful in evaluating stability in the toe region of the pile. Key words : potash tailings, slope stability, pore pressure dissipation, solutioning.


2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 1713-1728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Li ◽  
Michel Aubertin

Backfilling of underground stopes is commonly applied in mining operations. Barricades are required to hold the fill material in the stope during and after placement. As such barricades may be constructed with waste rock, there is a need to develop solutions to analyse their response. This paper presents a limit equilibrium analysis solution for defining the dimensions of waste rock barricades. The proposed solution applies to drained (without pore-water pressure) and submerged (with pore-water pressure) conditions. The solutions are presented and applied to sample cases.


2014 ◽  
Vol 501-504 ◽  
pp. 1927-1931
Author(s):  
Guang Ju Wen ◽  
Wen Jie Deng ◽  
Feng Wen

Based on the characteristics of slope failure induced by rainfall, from the point of view of moisture migration and combining unsaturated soil mechanics, the characteristics of moisture migration in slope under different rainfall intensities were analyzed by finite element method. The results reveal that under rainfall, the pore water pressure in slope is in layered distribution, and at the bottom of slope, the pore water pressure is the highest, the top is lower and the middle is the lowest. The volumetric water content is in nonlinear distribution and the degree of nonlinear in unsaturated area is higher than that of the saturated area. The permeability coefficient of soil rises with the increase of rainfall intensity, and when the soil is saturated, its permeability coefficient is saturate permeability coefficient.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (02) ◽  
pp. 1342010 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. OSMAN ◽  
M. ROUAINIA

An analytical solution for consolidation around spherical cavity contraction is developed. This solution has the potential to evaluate consolidation around tunnel heads. The initial excess pore water pressure immediately after the creation of the cavity is estimated from the cavity expansion/contraction theory using a linear-elastic-perfectly-plastic soil model. Expressions for the decay of pore water pressure with time are obtained using elasticity. Curves showing the variation of pore water pressure with time are plotted in nondimensional form. Comparison with two-dimensional coupled stress-pore pressure finite element analysis shows that the proposed semi-analytical solution can successfully predict the poro-elasto-plastic behavior around spherical cavity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Joon-Young Park ◽  
Young-Suk Song

A combined analysis involving a laboratory test and numerical modeling was performed to investigate the hydraulic processes leading to slope failure during rainfall. Through a laboratory landslide test in which artificial rainfall was applied to a homogeneous sandy slope, the timing and configurations of multiple slides were identified. In addition, volumetric water content was measured in real time through the use of monitoring sensors. The measured volumetric water content data were then used to validate the relevance of the numerical modeling results. The validated numerical modeling of the laboratory-scale slope failures provided insight into the hydraulic conditions that trigger landslides. According to the numerical modeling results, the miniaturized slope in the laboratory test was saturated in a manner so that the wetting front initially progresses downward and then the accumulated rainwater at the toe of the slope creates a water table that advances toward the crest. Furthermore, each of the five sequential failures that occurred during this experiment created slip surfaces where the pore-water pressure had achieved full saturation and an excessive pore-water pressure state. The findings of this study are expected to help understand the hydraulic prerequisites of landslide phenomena.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document