Abstract
Heavy seismic damage tends to occur in slopes when groundwater is present. The main objectives of this paper are to determine the dynamic response and failure mode of sandy slope subjected simultaneously to seismic forces and variable groundwater conditions. This paper applies the finite element method, which is a fast and efficient design tool in modern engineering analysis, to evaluate dynamic response of the slope subjected simultaneously to seismic forces and variable groundwater conditions. Shaking table test is conducted to analyze the failure mode and verify the accuracy of the finite element method results. The research results show that dynamic response values of the slope have different variation rules under near and far field earthquakes. And the damage location and pattern of the slope are different in varying groundwater conditions. The destruction starts at the top of the slope when the slope is in no groundwater, which shows that the slope appears obvious whipping effect under the earthquake. The destruction starts at the toe of the slope when the slope is in the high groundwater levels. Meanwhile, the top of the slope shows obvious seismic subsidence phenomenon after earthquake. Furthermore, the existence of the groundwater has a certain effect of damping.
Highlights
The stability of the slope is one of the leading problems in practical engineering, and the slope related geo-hazards pose a great threat to human life, infrastructure and properties all over the world [1],[2],[3]
The slope should be strengthened to guarantee the stability in the high groundwater level
The effective stress of the slope toe drops with the increasing of groundwater level, which makes the displacement increase until the slope sliding
Summary
The stability of the slope is one of the leading problems in practical engineering, and the slope related geo-hazards pose a great threat to human life, infrastructure and properties all over the world [1],[2],[3]. It was presumed that the slope failures were caused mainly by high ground water levels in the slopes. Earthquake and groundwater are the common reasons of slope instability. It has received increasing attentions and become a hot topic in recent years[4],[5],[6],[7]. The dynamic response and failure mode of the slope subjected simultaneously to seismic forces and variable groundwater conditions still remain a difficult problem. The failure of the slope under earthquake or groundwater is a crucial issue for the slope stability [8],[9],[10]. The role of the mechanics in which earthquake loading and PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0142268 November 11, 2015
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