Dynamic response characteristics and failure mode of slopes on the loess tableland using a shaking-table model test

Abstract

Loess tablelands are widely distributed in the center of the Loess Plateau. The percentage of the Loess Plateau area that experiences seismic intensities greater than or equal to level VII is 54.21%. Because of the gravity of the loess slope and a large number of vertical pores, the fissures are mostly developed in the Loess Plateau. The fissures can easily cause slope instability subjected to earthquakes. Considering the structural characteristics of loess tableland slopes and earthquakes, a shaking-table test on slope models with and without fissures is conducted to study the dynamic response characteristics and the law of deformation and instability of the slopes under seismic action. The results indicate that the amplification factors of peak ground acceleration (PGA) in the vicinity of the fissures in the loess slope are significantly higher than those in the non-fissure slope, which reaches a maximum value of 3.6 at the shoulder of slope (measuring point A15). Dynamic earth pressures have stress concentration in the middle and upper part (0.7 times slope height) near the fissure, which affects the variation law of slope earth pressure. The failure mode of the fissure slope is as follows: fissure development, fissure expansion, soil collapse at the slope shoulder, shear failure at high-position on the slope, shear failure at low-position on the slope, and formation of new fissures at the edge of the tableland.