Abstract
Slope instability may be a result of change in stress conditions, rise in groundwater table and rainfall. Similarly, many slopes that have been stable for several years can abruptly fail due to changes in geometry, weak soil shear strength or as the effect of an external force. Debris flows (i.e. slope failures) take place without any warning and can have devastating results. So, it is vital to understand the slope failure mechanism and adopt safety prevention measures. Soil nailing is one of the widely used stabilization techniques for soil slopes. In this study, soil nail technique is proposed to upgrade the existing slope in clay. A parametric study was conducted to understand the effects of different nail diameter (i.e. 25mm and 40mm) and nail inclination (i.e. 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400) on slope stability. Morgenstern-Price (i.e. limit equilibrium) method was used to determine the factor of safety of the slope. It was found that the factor of safety of the existing slope improved significantly with three rows of 40mm diameter nail at an inclination of 400.
Highlights
Slope instability problems in natural and man-made slopes constitute some the most usual challenges for civil engineers
Slope instability may be the result of changes in stress conditions, rise in groundwater table, or rainfall
Many slopes that were stable for several years can abruptly fail due to changes in the slope geometry, weak soil shear strength, and external forces effect [1]
Summary
Slope instability problems in natural and man-made slopes constitute some the most usual challenges for civil engineers. Many slopes that were stable for several years can abruptly fail due to changes in the slope geometry, weak soil shear strength, and external forces effect [1]. Long-run slope stability is associated with the chemical and weathering action that can reduce the soil’s shear strength and produce tensional cracks. In these conditions, it is necessary to conduct slope stability analysis. If the FOS is greater than 1 the resisting force due to shear strength of soil is higher than the driving force due to self-weight of the sloping ground and vice versa [2]. It is important that the interaction mechanism between soil and nails is understood, and the effects of the interaction on improving the slope stability are fully clarified. It is widely known that the nail force, by friction or bond to surrounding soil, can decrease the principal strain in soil and improve the stability and decrease displacements
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