Examining the Effects of Suction and Nonlinear Strength Envelopes on the Stability of a High Plasticity Clay Slope

Slope failures in high plasticity clay deposits are common occurrences in many parts of the world. In western and central Alabama, expansive Prairie clays are commonly found, and shallow slope failures have occurred in both fill and cut slopes containing these high plasticity clays. The objective of...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Mengwei Xuan, Jack Montgomery, J. Brian Anderson
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: MDPI AG 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/ce6f476312ed4141a7dd997e28142a2b
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
Descripción
Sumario:Slope failures in high plasticity clay deposits are common occurrences in many parts of the world. In western and central Alabama, expansive Prairie clays are commonly found, and shallow slope failures have occurred in both fill and cut slopes containing these high plasticity clays. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of suction and the use of nonlinear strength envelopes on the embankment stability of a section of highway AL-5. The testing program consisted of fifteen ring shear tests performed using a Bromhead Ring Shear Device. The results of the tests were used to develop both linear and nonlinear fully softened and residual strength envelopes. The saturated strength envelopes are then used in a limit equilibrium slope stability analysis with and without the effects of suction. The results show stability (factor of safety >1) for all cases except the residual friction angle without suction. Given these results, large slope failures are unlikely to occur in this area, but surficial failures and deformations due to creep may be possible. These results demonstrate the importance of considering the effects of suction and nonlinear strength envelopes when examining the potential for shallow slope failures in high plasticity clays.