Experimental tests of slope failure due to rainfalls using 1g physical slope models

Abstract

In order to mitigate the damage due to sediment disasters, knowledge about how slopes fail due to rainfall is indispensable. The main objectives of this paper were to investigate experimentally the effects of surface sand layer density and rainfall intensity on the slop failures due to rainfalls. We conducted a series of experimental tests using 1g physical slope models constructed of Kasumigaura sand and a silt soil named DL clay for the permeable residual surface layer and the firm rock foundation, respectively. A total of nine cases with different combinations of surface sand layer densities and rainfall intensities was tested. Two types of failure: surface slide failure and retrogressive failure, were observed depending on the rainfall intensity and the surface sand layer density. The following mechanism of failure was accounted. At first some sands, which contained a lot of accumulated rainwater, flowed out (flowslide) at the slope toes. The flow slides may be due to the reductions of effective stresses as a result. When a surface slide failure occurred, most of the PWP (pore water pressure) values were still negative but the whole sand layers were almost at the saturation condition. In the case of retrogressive failures, seepage surfaces rose up to higher positions and excess PWPs appeared under the seepage surfaces. This difference of generation mechanism of PWP values may be the deciding factor in the difference in the type of failure.