The behaviour of natural and artificial slopes is controlled by their thermo-hydro-mechanical conditions and by soil–vegetation–atmosphere interaction. Porewater pressure changes within a slope related to variable meteorological settings have been shown to be able to induce soil erosion, shrinkage–swelling and cracking, thus leading to an overall decrease of the available soil strength with depth and, ultimately, to a progressive slope collapse. In terms of numerical modelling, the stability analysis of partially saturated slopes is a complex problem and a wide range of approaches from simple limit equilibrium solutions to advanced numerical analyses have been proposed in the literature. The more advanced approaches, although more rigorous, require input data such as the soil water retention curve and the hydraulic conductivity function, which are difficult to obtain in some cases. The quantification of the effects of future climate scenarios represents an additional challenge in forecasting slope–atmosphere interaction processes. This paper presents a review of real and ideal case histories regarding the numerical analysis of natural and artificial slopes subjected to different types of climatic perturbations. The limits and benefits of the different numerical approaches adopted are discussed and some general modelling recommendations are addressed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

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Thermoactive piles ensure a dual function: they support mechanically the superstructure and at the same time they are used as heat exchanger elements. In comparison to standard design practice, this requires considering the associated thermal loadings from the operation of the heat exchange system. To assess the thermal effects on the mechanical behaviour, different design assumptions and modelling approaches can be used. Therefore, within the framework of European Cooperation in Science and Technology Action TU1405 ‘Geothermal Applications for Buildings and Infrastructures’, benchmarking of a single geothermal pile has been performed. Hence, both heating and cooling of the pile were considered while different rigidities (representing the upper structure) on the pile head were assumed. The results show that a broad range of design assumptions could be used, which unfortunately lead to noticeable differences. Although the main focus was on the methods and assumptions employed, the exercise also opens questions about the influence of transient effects, thermal strains in the ground, temperature cycles and so on. Owing to the complexity of the topic, some of them were just mentioned, while others were addressed in greater detail. In general, the findings emphasise the need for further practice-oriented guidance to be presented in design guidelines and standards.

The paper presents a small-scale physical and numerical modeling of slope stability. The aim is to define the critical angle at which slope failure occurs. The slope material used is uniform sandy material used in Topolnica tailing dam construction. An extensive laboratory tests have been made to determine the physical and mechanical properties of the soil. In this study two physical experiments were performed, in addition to which also two numerical models, Finite element method and Limit equilibrium method, were calculated. The first experimental model refers to slope angle of 45 degrees with increasing load on the top is simulating an upslope extension until the failure occurs. The second experimental model has a different mechanism which instead of changing load a raising upward motion is used to increase the slope angle until failure. The results show that the first slope fails when 13 kPa external load was applied. In the second case the failure occurs at slope angle of 62 degrees. A shallow slope failure occurs in both cases. Finally, the experimental results are validated with two numerical models, the first one presenting a safety factor while the other a stress-deformation distribution. The results from the physical and numerical modeling are in perfect agreement

This paper describes the investigation process of the hydro‐mechanical properties of a material used in 134.0 m high tailings dam construction. The grain size analysis classifies the soil as silty sand – by product from the mining process. The soil water retention curve was determined for wetting cycle using direct measurements of suction and volumetric water content. To describe the relationship between these two variables, the Van Genuchten hydraulic model was used. The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was obtained with Mini Disk Infiltrometer. These results will be used for physical and numerical modelling of the tailings dam Topolnica. The study analyzes the slope stability of unsaturated soil triggered by high intensity rainfalls.