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Forming condition of transient saturated zone and its distribution in residual slope under rainfall conditions

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Abstract

Rainfall, as one of the most significant factors triggering the residual soil slope failure, leads to not only the reduction of soil shear strength, but also the increase of soil weight and the decrease of matric suction as well. All these modifications in soil properties have important influence on the slope stability. The water infiltration and redistribution inside the slope are the preconditions of the slope stability under rainfall conditions. Based on the numerical simulation via finite element method, the water infiltration process under rainfall conditions was studied in the present work. The emphases are the formation, distribution and dissipation of transient saturated zone. As for the calculation parameters, the SWCC and the saturated permeability have been determined by pressure plate test and variable head test respectively. The entire process (formation, development, dissipation) of the transient saturated zone was studied in detail. The variations of volumetric water content, matric suction and hydraulic gradient inside the slope, and the eventually raise of groundwater table were characterized and discussed, too. The results show that the major cause of the formation of transient saturated zone is ascribed to the fact that the exudation velocity of rainwater on the wetting front is less than the infiltration velocity of rainfall; as a result, the water content of the soil increases. On the other hand, the formation and extension of transient saturated zone have a close relationship with rainfall intensity and duration. The results can help the geotechnical engineers for the deeper understanding of the failure of residual slope under rainfall condition. It is also suggested that the proper drainage system in the slope may be the cost-effective slope failure mitigation method.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering Laboratory of Spatial Information Technology of Highway Geological Disaster Early Warning in Hunan Province, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, 410114, China

    Ling Zeng  (曾铃)

  2. School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha, 410114, China

    Ling Zeng  (曾铃) & Han-bing Bian  (卞汉兵)

  3. LEM3 UMR CNRS 7239, University of Lorraine, Metz, 57045, France

    Ling Zeng  (曾铃) & Han-bing Bian  (卞汉兵)

  4. School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Changsha University of Science & Technology, Changsha, 410114, China

    Zhen-ning Shi  (史振宁) & Zhong-ming He  (何忠明)

Authors
  1. Ling Zeng  (曾铃)
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  2. Han-bing Bian  (卞汉兵)
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  3. Zhen-ning Shi  (史振宁)
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  4. Zhong-ming He  (何忠明)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Han-bing Bian  (卞汉兵).

Additional information

Foundation item: Projects(51508040, 51578079, 51678074, 51678073) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Project(KFJ160601) supported by the Open Fund of Engineering Laboratory of Spatial Information Technology of Highway Geological Disaster Early Warning in Hunan Province (Changsha University of Science and Technology), China

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Zeng, L., Bian, Hb., Shi, Zn. et al. Forming condition of transient saturated zone and its distribution in residual slope under rainfall conditions. J. Cent. South Univ. 24, 1866–1880 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-017-3594-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-017-3594-6

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