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This paper took the Fengmaoding slope, typically found in the mountainous areas of central Shanxi province, as its research area. The stratum structure of the Fengmaoding slope is a typical coal measures stratum covered by a layer of loess. There are communication towers on the slope mass and top of the slope; railways, roads, and rivers at the foot of the slope. There are many villages across from the slope, therefore, the buildings and structures nearby, even the lives of the villagers are threatened by the damages caused by the deformation of the slope. Tectonic development and mining activities have very profound effects on the stability of the slope. Considering the above, this paper analyzed the effects of the fault in controlling the deformation features of the destabilized slope during underground mining by adopting the method of numerical simulation from these perspectives including displacement, stress, strain, among others. under different circumstances (the faulted and unfaulted) so as to provide guidance for future studies about landslides of the same type and give preventive proposals for reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the recent devastating landslide of Kotrupi, Himachal Pradesh in India which had claimed many human lives and properties along its course on 13 August 2017. This event was the third reactivation of the slide as per data available. The study for this landslide involves a preliminary investigation of the site and comparison of pre- and post-event slope stability analysis. Other than rainfall, the combined effect of differential weathering rate of the debris and soil layers, low material strength, and the presence of a fault zone was found to be the primary cause of instability. The analysis was carried out with the geotechnical investigation and numerical modeling with the help of finite element model-based Phase 2 simulator. The significant findings of this paper include numerical simulation of pre- and post-event slide as stated under unsaturated and saturated condition. The study finds a low factor of safety of the present slope. The unstable condition of the slope may trigger another event of the same intensity shortly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Root reinforcement is an interesting and environmentally favorable measure for soil stabilization. When properly applied, it can improve soil strength significantly. The paper presents a simulation of a series of drained triaxial tests on soil samples with different levels of root reinforcement in a form of three 5-mm-thick layers, located on different heights. Modified Cam-clay extended for unsaturated soils containing plant roots is used in calculations. The tests are modeled numerically and the results are compared with experimental results from the literature. Missing soil and root parameters are obtained based on the model calibration and further applied in the calculations of the stability of the vegetated slope subjected to rainfall. The influence of the initial root mass in the reinforcing superficial soil layer on the time after which a landslide occurs is investigated. The results suggest that even a minor level of root reinforcement may postpone the development of a rainfall-induced landslide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed surface topography is important when analyzing the stability of slopes. Recent advances in new technologies such as interferometric synthetic aperture radar and light detection and ranging have allowed us to obtain high-precision profiles of distant landscapes and objects including detailed slope information for three-dimensional (3D) slope stability analysis. However, techniques of reconstructing 3D numerical models from scanned data of slope geometry have not been well investigated or tested. This paper proposes a comprehensive approach that integrates laser scanning and finite element method for slope stability analysis, particularly failure prediction under precipitation scenarios. The methodology is applied to a slope in the Wenchuan earthquake-stricken mountainous region that failed in 2013, triggered by severe rainfall. The modelling results show that the surface sampling resolution can affect the prediction accuracy of the potential failure zones. When constructing the slope model, the selected surface grid should be fine enough to capture the important topographic features of the slope while minimizing computation demand. This paper confirms that the proposed method can be successfully used to identify the potential failure zones of the investigated slope under severe rainfall conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper is aimed at creating an empirical model for assessing failure potential of highway slopes, with a special attention to the failure characteristics of the highway slopes in the Alishan, Taiwan area prior to, and post, the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake. The basis of the study is a large database of 955 slope records from four highways in the Alishan area. Artificial neural network (ANN) is utilized to “learn” from this database. The developed ANN model is then used to study the effect of the Chi-Chi earthquake on the slope failure characteristics in the Alishan area. Significant changes in the degrees of influence of several factors (variables) are found and possible reasons for such changes are discussed. The novelty of this paper lies in the fact that the developed ANN models are used as a tool to investigate the slope failure characteristics before and after the Chi-Chi earthquake. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes advanced finite-element simulations of a geologically active and periodically unstable 700 m high underwater escarpment located in the Gulf of Mexico that has been created by uplifting salt diapirs combined with sediment deposition. The site's geological history, soil permeability and clay shear strength characteristics govern current slope stability, and determine the timing of any future failure. The geological and geotechnical conditions are reported before presenting fully coupled, large-displacement numerical simulations employing critical state formulations of the slope's evolution over the last 600 000 years. The latter form the basis for strain-softening analyses of the pore pressure equalisation and progressive failure processes that control current slope stability. The analyses also address the ground movement patterns that precede instability, giving useful information for geohazard risk assessment and early warning monitoring system design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]