Geomechanics of a snowmelt-induced slope failure in glacial till

Trandafir, Aurelian C.; Ertuğrul, Özgür L.; Giraud, Richard E.; McDonald, Greg N.

doi:10.1007/s12665-014-3658-y

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The geometry of the cutting slope model and the FE mesh used are presented in Figure 2. The profile consists of two soil layers, including a silty clay layer and a sandstone Moreover, the limited efforts focused on exploring the stability of soil slopes under the influence of snowmelt infiltration have relied typically on two-dimensional (2D) numerical analyses [3,5,7]. However, the slope stability in seasonally cold regions has been demonstrated to be affected by freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles as well [10].…”

Section: Three-dimensional Numerical Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Snowmelt infiltration affects the moisture content of soils in seasonally cold regions, and extensive infiltration due to continuous snowmelt over long periods of thawing may trigger landslides [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] (Figure 1, from a study on a snowmelt estimation method for road management), which can result in significant loss of life and damage to public and private property. Therefore, the influence of snowmelt infiltration on the soil slope stability in seasonally cold regions cannot be ignored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…the majority of studies have been restricted to investigating the stability of soil slopes subjected to rainfall [13][14][15][16][17] and those within permafrost regions [7,18]. Moreover, the limited efforts focused on exploring the stability of soil slopes under the influence of snowmelt infiltration have relied typically on two-dimensional (2D) numerical analyses [3,5,7]. However, the slope stability in seasonally cold regions has been demonstrated to be affected by freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles as well [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Three-Dimensional Numerical Investigation on the Seepage Field and Stability of Soil Slope Subjected to Snowmelt Infiltration

Cong

Tang

Ling

et al. 2021

Water

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Cutting slope failures occur frequently along the high-speed railways in Northeast China during the construction due to snowmelt infiltration. This study addresses this issue by applying a three-dimensional numerical model. The influence of the depth of accumulated snow (ds), daily temperature variation (ΔT), and freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles on the seepage field and stability of cutting slopes is discussed. The results demonstrate that water seepage due to snowmelt infiltration primarily extends through the ground surface by about 10 m. The deep-seated instability is likely to occur under a prolonged and highly accumulated infiltration, while shallow failure is associated with intense, short-duration snowmelt infiltration. The maximum degree of saturation (Sr) and pore-water pressure (PWP) values are observed at the slope toe. Increasing ds and ΔT increase the Sr and PWP due to snowmelt infiltration and thereby decreases cutting slope stability. Compared to the ds and ΔT, the F-T cycle is more likely to cause slope failure. In addition, the F-T cycle also induces the reduction of soil strength and the crack propagation. Overall, the conducted study provided useful help toward the process of safer design for cutting slope along the high-speed railway in seasonally cold regions.

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