Abstract
Sliding liquefaction is considered to be the cause of high-speed and long-distance sliding of some homogeneous loess landslides in western China. However, there is still a lack of necessary experimental research and analysis on the effects of sliding liquefaction on these landslides. In this work, the effects of sliding liquefaction on irrigation-induced, high-speed and long-distance loess landslides on the South Jingyang Tableland area in China are studied by performing large-scale ring shear tests and using the sled mode. The results are as follows. (1) There are two kinds of long-runout sliding modes of loess landslides on the South Jingyang Tableland: sliding along the terrace surface and sliding within the saturated terrace alluvium, which is associated with sliding liquefaction. Both sliding modes can lead to long-runout sliding. (2) There are some differences in the inclination of the sliding surface between the two sliding modes. Based on the inclination of the sliding surface, the corresponding sliding mode can be distinguished. (3) Under the two sliding modes, the large shear mechanical properties of the two-layer soil composed of loess and alluvial sandy silt show significant differences. The friction between the loess and dry terrace alluvium increases with increasing normal stress and shear rate, while the friction between the loess and saturated terrace alluvium presents the opposite trend. The results show that the sliding distances under different sliding modes present opposite trends with the change in sliding speed. (4) Based on the test results from the ring shear tests and the morphological characteristics of the sliding surface, the sliding mode and sliding distance of a loess landslide can be identified and predicted.
Highlights
Sliding liquefaction is considered to be the cause of high-speed and long-distance sliding of some homogeneous loess landslides in western China
(1) There are two kinds of long-runout sliding modes of loess landslides on the South Jingyang Tableland: sliding along the terrace surface and sliding within the saturated terrace alluvium, which is associated with sliding liquefaction
The friction between the loess and dry terrace alluvium increases with increasing normal stress and shear rate, while the friction between the loess and saturated terrace alluvium presents the opposite trend
Summary
Research on the mechanisms of loess landslides on the South Jingyang Tableland shows that the high and steep slopes, open free surfaces, unique physical and mechanical properties of the loess and rising groundwater levels are the main factors for the formation of landslides. For the loess landslide on the South Jingyang Tableland, the apparent friction angle along the sliding path can be approximately divided into two parts, namely, φ1 in the slope (shear in the case of dry Q2 loess) and φ2 generated during sliding along the terrace (undrained shear between loess masses with different water-bearing alluvial deposits). If the possible crack position of the sliding surface at the back edge of the slope top can be determined before the landslide occurs, the possible sliding mode of a loess landslide can be defined according to the inclination angle of the sliding surface, and the sliding distance of the landslide can be predicted according to the height of the sliding surface and the apparent friction angles along the sliding path
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