Abstract
The reservoir water level fluctuation is an important factor inducing the reaction of pore-water pressure, seepage and at last resulting in instability and failure of the slope. A typical homogeneous slope is conducted as an example in this paper, the seepage and stress coupling effect is considered, and the slope stability calculation and analysis are carried out by using the finite element stress method. The results demonstrate that the factor of safety increases with the reservoir water level rises, and then gradually changes from decrease to stabilization. It should be noted that the factor of safety decreases slightly during the initial stage of water level rising at the speed of 0.2 m/d, which the slope will probably lose its stability. On the other, the factor of safety changes from decrease to increase along with the reservoir water level drawdown, and then gradually tends to stabilization. There is a minimum factor of safety when the water level is at about 1/4 of the slope height, and the minimum factor of safety decreases with increasing drawdown speed, just as the factor of safety decreases from 0.83 to 0.73 when the drawdown speed is increased from 0.20 m/d to 5.0 m/d.
Highlights
According to the 2019 Statistic Bulletin on China Water Activities, by the end of 2019, the number of reservoirs in China reached 98112, with a total storage capacity of 898.3 billion m3
The reservoir water level fluctuation is noted as the main factor resulting in instability and failure of the slope, and the accurate slope stability analysis under different water level fluctuation is meaningful for ensuring safety of the reservoir projects[13]
Ding et al analyzed the deformation trends and the failure process of Nanqiaotou landslide in Three Gorges Reservoir area, and found that the deformation of the slope above the water level gradually increases with respect to the reservoir water level rises, and the direction and magnitude of the deformation were determined by the water pressures jointly coming from the outside and inside slope[4]
Summary
According to the 2019 Statistic Bulletin on China Water Activities, by the end of 2019, the number of reservoirs in China reached 98112, with a total storage capacity of 898.3 billion m3. Lin et al considered the seepage field of landslide to investigate the stability of Sanmendong landslide under different fluctuation speeds of reservoir water, and found the maximum slope stability increased with the increased reservoir water rise speed[7]. As can be seen from the above discussion, the preliminary relationship between the slope stability and reservoir water level rise or drawdown were obtained. It needs further study quantitative relationship between the slope stability and reservoir water level fluctuation. The present study considered the seepage and stress coupling effect, and the slope stability calculation and analysis under different water level fluctuation are carried out by using the finite element stress method
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