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Investigations of Unsaturated Slopes Subjected to Rainfall Infiltration Using Numerical Approaches—A Parametric Study and Comparative Review

Author

Listed:
  • Joram Wachira Mburu

    (Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan)

  • An-Jui Li

    (Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan)

  • Horn-Da Lin

    (Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan)

  • Chih-Wei Lu

    (Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan)

Abstract

In the past 30 years, research on rainfall-induced landslides has grown remarkably. The contribution of matric suction to soil strength and the physics of water flow in unsaturated soils are widely accepted phenomena among researchers. However, the adoption of unsaturated soil mechanics in geotechnical engineering practice has been relatively slow, in part due to the practicality of design solutions available to the engineer. This paper conducts a parametric study on unsaturated silty slopes under a vertical steady flow rate to identify the suitable slope and hydrologic conditions to incorporate unsaturated conditions for preliminary stability analysis. Notably, the contribution of suction is most significant for silt/clay slopes with a water table located below the mid-height of the slope. For slopes with slope height ≥20 m and a fairly high water table, the slope height is a primary controlling factor of slope stability. Two case studies based on distinct failure mechanisms are presented to review the application of common geotechnical software in rainfall seepage and stability analyses of unsaturated slopes. Focus is placed on the pre-failure and failure stages of each case study. The slip surface search method, failure mode, and coupling approach integrated into each computer program caused notable differences in output results.

Suggested Citation

  • Joram Wachira Mburu & An-Jui Li & Horn-Da Lin & Chih-Wei Lu, 2022. "Investigations of Unsaturated Slopes Subjected to Rainfall Infiltration Using Numerical Approaches—A Parametric Study and Comparative Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-37, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:21:p:14465-:d:962821
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jiangxin Liu & Lijian Wu & Kexin Yin & Changjun Song & Xiaolin Bian & Shengting Li, 2022. "Methods for Solving Finite Element Mesh-Dependency Problems in Geotechnical Engineering—A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-20, March.
    2. Sinhang Kang & Seung-Rae Lee & Sung-Eun Cho, 2020. "Slope Stability Analysis of Unsaturated Soil Slopes Based on the Site-Specific Characteristics: A Case Study of Hwangryeong Mountain, Busan, Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-21, April.
    3. Sangseom Jeong & Kwangwoo Lee & Junghwan Kim & Yongmin Kim, 2017. "Analysis of Rainfall-Induced Landslide on Unsaturated Soil Slopes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-20, July.
    4. Kuo-Shih Shao & An-Jui Li & Chee-Nan Chen & Chen-Hsien Chung & Ching-Fang Lee & Chih-Ping Kuo, 2021. "Investigations of a Weathered and Closely Jointed Rock Slope Failure Using Back Analyses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-19, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Katherin Rocio Cano Bezerra da Costa & Ana Paola do Nascimento Dantas & André Luís Brasil Cavalcante & André Pacheco de Assis, 2023. "Probabilistic Approach to Transient Unsaturated Slope Stability Associated with Precipitation Event," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-19, October.

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