D. G. Toll

Controlling parameters for rainfall-induced landslides

Slope instability due to rainfall is a common geotechnical problem in tropical and subtropical areas. The numerical analysis of this problem requires the definition of various hydrological characteristics of the soil in addition to the climatic information. This work attempts to identify the influence of some of those parameters on the stability of an unsaturated soil slope during rainfall. The results of the analysis show that the ratio between the saturated coefficient of permeability with respect to water and the rainfall patterns can significantly influence the seepage pattern within an unsaturated soil slope.

The effect of antecedent rainfall on slope stability

AbstractA case study is presented in order to identify the effect of antecedent rainfall on slope stability for Singapore. A storm in February 1995 (during which 95 mm of rain fell in 2

Soil suction monitoring for landslides and slopes

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A new procedure for the determination of soil-water retention curves by continuous drying using high-suction tensiometers

h) caused more than twenty shallow landslides on the Nanyang Technological University Campus. Details of the location, size and morphology of the landslides are presented. The antecedent rainfall during the five days preceding the event was significant in causing these landslides since other rainfall events of similar magnitude (but with less antecedent rainfall) did not cause landslides. To further understand the effect of antecedent rainfall, numerical modelling of one of the slope failures is presented. The changes in pore-water pressure due to different rainfall patterns were simulated and these were used to calculate the changes in factor of safety of the slope. The results demonstrate that antecedent rainfall does play an important role in slope stability.

Modified Triaxial Apparatus for Shearing-Infiltration Test

Cemented coarse-grained alluvium is present in a vast area of Tehran city, Iran including its suburbs. This deposit consists of gravely sand to sandy gravel with some cobbles and is dominantly cemented by carbonaceous materials. In order to understand the mechanical behaviour of this soil, a series of triaxial compression tests were performed on uncemented, artificially cemented and destructured samples. Hydrated lime was used as the cementation agent for sample preparation to model the Tehran deposit. The tests were performed on cemented samples after an appropriate time for curing. The tests on cemented samples show that a shear zone appears as the shear stress approaches the peak shear strength. During shearing these samples undergo dilation at confining stress lower than 1000 kPa. However, the uncemented and destructured samples show contraction during shearing. Peak shear strength is followed by strain softening for all cemented samples. The shear strength increases with increasing cement content but the influence of the cementation decreases as the confining stress increases. With increasing cementation the stress-strain behaviour of samples tend towards the behaviour expected of high-density soils. Test results indicate that the failure envelope for cemented samples is curved and not linear.

THE DEFINITION OF YIELD FOR BONDED MATERIALS

Abstract Rainfall is the most frequent triggering factor for landslides and the development of early warning systems has to take account of this. It is suggested that direct measurement of pore pressure gives the most reliable prediction of failure of a slope. The amount of rainfall can be only a crude indicator of failure as the processes that occur between rain falling on a slope and the resulting pore water pressure change are complex, highly non-linear and hysteretic. The paper describes high-capacity tensiometers developed within the EU-funded MUSE Research Training Network that have been used for measuring suctions in slopes. High-capacity tensiometers are capable of direct measurement of pore water pressure down to −2 MPa and are also able to record positive pore water pressures. Two methods of field installation are discussed; one developed by ENPC in France uses a single tensiometer per hole, and the second technique, developed by Durham University in the UK, allows multiple tensiometers to be used at different depths within a single borehole. Continuous monitoring of pore water pressure has been carried out over several months and shows the responses to climatic events.

A decision support system for geotechnical applications

Soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) is an important tool for determining the engineering properties of unsaturated soil. This depends on the size and distribution of pore structures which control the permeability and amount of volume change. Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry tests can be used to determine the size, amount and distribution of pore spaces of the soil in a shorter time period compared to the pressure plate test. A soil-air characteristic curve (SACC) can be determined using the volumetric air content as measured in the Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry test. In this paper, SACC parameters are introduced. There appears to be a relationship between the soil-air characteristic curve and the soil-water characteristic curve of a soil. Relations between the SACC and the SWCC parameters are analysed in the light of unsaturated soil mechanics. The results indicate that the pore size distribution of a residual soil varies with depth due to differing degrees of weathering.

Determination of the soil water retention curve with tensiometers

Soil-water retention curves (SWRCs) can be determined using high-suction tensiometers (HSTs) following two different procedures that involve either continuous or discrete measurement of suction. In the former case, suction measurements are taken while the sample is permanently exposed to the atmosphere and the soil is continuously drying. In the latter case, the drying or wetting process is halted at different stages to ensure equalization within the sample before measuring suction. Continuous drying has the advantage of being faster; however, it has the disadvantage that the accuracy of mass measurements (necessary for the determination of water content) is affected by the weight and stiffness of the cable connecting the HST to the logger. To overcome this problem, an alternative continuous drying procedure is presented in this paper in which two separate but nominally identical samples are used to obtain a single SWRC; one sample is used for the mass measurements, while a second sample is used for suction measurements. It is demonstrated that the new continuous drying procedure gives SWRCs that are similar to those obtained by discrete drying.