Slope Instability

Ten papers address both empirical and analytical aspects of clay and shale slope instability. Among the topics discussed in detail are: limit equilibrium stability analysis, shear strength of clay and clayey colluvium, use of triaxial test data to evaluate viscoplastic slope movements, numerical modeling of pore pressure distribution in heterogeneous soils, rational analysis of rainfall and landslide movement patterns, the effects of hydrothermal alteration on slope stability, mudrock durability and stability considerations, and regional clay and shale slope stability problems in Italy.

This volume draws on the experience and extensive research of an international authorship to bring together details on slope stability, causes of landslides, landslide prevention, new techniques for assessing and predicting stability, new methods for stabilising slopes and the special considerations for coastal situations.

Deals with the methods of assessing the stability of rock slopes and the techniques of improving the stability conditions of natural and artificial slopes which are at risk. It also describes survey and measurement methods to model the behaviour of rock masses.

This book aims to assist in choosing ecotechnological solutions for slopes that are prone to a variety of mass movements e.g. shallow failure or erosion. The book reviews the types of problematic slopes that may occur and describes briefly the nature of mass movements and the causes of these movements. There is focus on the use of vegetation to stabilize soil on slopes prone to mass movements. The book also introduces new ecotechnological methods, and case studies are discussed.

Rainfall-induced landslides are common around the world. With global climate change, their frequency is increasing and the consequences are becoming greater. Previous studies assess them mostly from the perspective of a single discipline—correlating landslides with rainstorms, geomorphology and hydrology in order to establish a threshold prediction value for rainfall-induced landslides; analyzing the slope’s stability using a geomechanical approach; or assessing the risk from field records. Rainfall Induced Soil Slope Failure: Stability Analysis and Probabilistic Assessment integrates probabilistic approaches with the geotechnical modeling of slope failures under rainfall conditions with unsaturated soil. It covers theoretical models of rainfall infiltration and stability analysis, reliability analysis based on coupled hydro-mechanical modelling, stability of slopes with cracks, gravels and spatial heterogenous soils, and probabilistic model calibration based on measurement. It focuses on the uncertainties involved with rainfall-induced landslides and presents state-of-the art techniques and methods which characterize the uncertainties and quantify the probabilities and risk of rainfall-induced landslide hazards. Additionally, the authors cover: The failure mechanisms of rainfall-induced slope failure Commonly used infiltration and stability methods The infiltration and stability of natural soil slopes with cracks and colluvium materials Stability evaluation methods based on probabilistic approaches The effect of spatial variability on unsaturated soil slopes and more

Guidelines for Evaluating Water in Pit Slope Stability is a comprehensive account of the hydrogeological procedures that should be followed when performing open pit slope stability design studies. Created as an outcome of the Large Open Pit (LOP) project, an international research and technology transfer project on the stability of rock slopes in open pit mines, this book expands on the hydrogeological model chapter in the LOP project's previous book Guidelines for Open Pit Slope Design (Read & Stacey, 2009; CSIRO PUBLISHING). The book comprises six sections which outline the latest technology and best practice procedures for hydrogeological investigations. The sections cover: the framework used to assess the effect of water in slope stability; how water pressures are measured and tested in the field; how a conceptual hydrogeological model is prepared; how water pressures are modelled numerically; how slope depressurisation systems are implemented; and how the performance of a slope depressurisation program is monitored and reconciled with the design. Guidelines for Evaluating Water in Pit Slope Stability offers slope design practitioners a road map that will help them decide how to investigate and treat water pressures in pit slopes. It provides guidance and essential information for mining and civil engineers, geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists and hydrogeologists involved in the investigation, design and construction of stable rock slopes.

A number of methods currently exist for the analysis and design of slopes. This book provides a critical review of these and offers several more appropriate approaches for overcoming numerical convergence and the location of critical failure surfaces in two-dimensional and three-dimensional cases. New concepts in three-dimensional stability analysis, finite element analysis and the extension of slope stability problems to lateral earth pressure problems are also addressed. It gives helpful practical advice and design resources in the form of recommendations for good analysis and design practice, design charts and tables for the engineer. Limitations are detailed of both limit equilibrium and the finite element method in the assessment of the stability of a slope, and guidance is provided for assessing the fundamental assumptions and limitations of stability analysis methods and computer modelling. The book provides ample examples to illustrate how this range of problems should be dealt with. The final chapter touches on design and its implementation on site. The emphasis is on the transfer of the design to its physical implementation on site in a holistic way, taking full account of the latest developments in construction technology. Engineering and construction problems tend to be pigeonholed into different classes of problem such as slope stability, bearing capacity and earth pressure behind retaining structures. This is quite unnecessary. This book offers a unified approach, which is conceptually, practically and philosophically more satisfying.