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Failure processes in a full-scale landslide experiment using a rainfall simulator

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Abstract

A full-scale landslide experiment was conducted to clarify the failure process of a landslide triggered by rainfall, using a loose sandy soil. The experiment used a 23-m long and about 8-m high flume, consisting of three parts: an upper 30° slope section, a lower 10° slope section, and a horizontal section at the foot of the slope. The flume was sprinkled at a constant intensity of 100 mm/h. The landslide occurred first in the upper slope about 154 min after the sprinkling started, following a creep movement within 41 min. The sliding mass slid to a stop in about 5 s, compressing soils in the lower gentle slope and horizontal sections. The dynamic process related to slide movement and the fluctuation of subsurface water pressures during failure were measured and analyzed. Sequential visual observations provided a clear record of the slip surface during failure. The rapid increase of subsurface water pressure in the slope and horizontal soil layers was also recorded during failure. It was inferred that the increased water pressures in the upper slope resulted from collapse of loose soil structure during shearing in the translational slide, whereas those in the lower portion of the slope and horizontal sections resulted from a mix of soil compression and shearing by the sliding mass.

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Acknowledgements

The first author would like to thank Mr Sasaki Y and Mr Kogure T, graduate students of the University of Tsukuba, for their help in conducting these experiments and for processing the data. The APERIF Project of the Outlays for Promoting Science and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) supported this research. Dr R.M. Iverson and Dr M.E Reid, US Geological Survey, are greatly thanked for their constructive comments that helped sharpen this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0006, Japan

    H. Moriwaki, T. Inokuchi & T. Hattanji

  2. Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Uji, 611-0011, Kyoto, Japan

    K. Sassa & G. Wang

  3. Forestry and Forest Product Institute, Japan

    H. Ochiai

Authors
  1. H. Moriwaki
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  2. T. Inokuchi
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  3. T. Hattanji
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  4. K. Sassa
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  5. H. Ochiai
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  6. G. Wang
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Correspondence to H. Moriwaki.

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Moriwaki, H., Inokuchi, T., Hattanji, T. et al. Failure processes in a full-scale landslide experiment using a rainfall simulator. Landslides 1, 277–288 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-004-0034-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-004-0034-0

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