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The vibration deterioration of discontinuities with different joint wall material (DDJM) plays a vital role in the seismic behavior of soft and hard interbedded rock slopes under earthquake; however, too little work has been devoted to the subject due to lack of attention. In the present study, the seismic behavior of soft and hard interbedded rock slopes considering the vibration deterioration of DDJM was studied by taking the Shaba slope in China as a study case. A mathematical model quantitatively describing the strength deterioration of DDJM under strong earthquakes was established based on the results of the cyclic shear test, and the deterioration process was implemented by the FISH programming language in numerical software 3DEC. The deformation characteristics and supporting effects of the Shaba slope with the deterioration model were analyzed under seismic loads with different intensities. The results show that the maximum permanent displacements of the Shaba slope without supports obviously rise with the enlargement of seismic loads. Compared with results without considering the vibration deterioration of DDJM, the difference of maximum permanent displacements increases from 15 to 39.7% under seismic loads with intensities from VI to VIII degree. The existing supporting measures on the Shaba slope can not withstand the seismic load with intensities above VI degree and need to be optimized to prevent earthquake-induced disasters in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations of reservoir water level and seasonal precipitation have reactivated or accelerated many reservoir landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir area since impoundment in 2003. Updated daily monitoring data since 2017 reveals details about the step-like pattern of annual movement of the Baijiabao landslide, a large creeping landslide with a maximal cumulative surface displacement of 0.2 m over this 2-year period. The spatiotemporal deformation characteristics show that mass movement was greatest in 2017 and boundary cracks exhibit more frequent steps and are more sensitive to hydraulic factors than surface displacement. Acceleration periods are triggered when the reservoir water level falls below 153 m above mean sea level, with most annual movement occurring before the reservoir rises back to that critical level. The rate of daily surface movement is controlled by the daily variation of reservoir water level and by cumulative rainfall during the previous 1 to 7 days. The movement responses vary from different years and movement periods, but the one-factor critical-level model can effectively predict surface movement. The correlation between surface displacement rate and reservoir water level also comprehensively indicates the association between landslide movement and hydraulic factors including rainfall and variation of reservoir water level. Low reservoir level and its drawdown, and heavy or continuous rainfall, increase hydraulic gradients and change stress conditions, which destabilize the Baijiabao landslide and accelerate its surface movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stabilizing piles are commonly used to effectively reinforce landslides and unstable slopes. However, the reinforcement mechanism of stabilizing piles, especially portal double-row (PDR) piles, remains poorly understood. The deformation characteristics and stabilizing mechanism of PDR piles were examined through physical model tests and numerical modeling by considering various embedded depths and interbedded weak and hard bedrock combinations. First, physical model tests were performed to study the effects of interbedded bedrock, orthogonal joints in the upper hard stratum, and embedded depths on the stabilizing mechanism. Second, six groups of numerical models based on the physical models were developed using the distinct element method. The results show that the bending moment and horizontal displacement of PDR piles increase in the presence of orthogonal joints and decrease with increasing embedded depth. The effects of crossbeam and hard bedrock percentage on the PDR pile deformation mechanism were then assessed. The results show that the crossbeam significantly affects the stabilizing PDR pile mechanism, while the effect of hard bedrock percentage is relevant to the embedded depth of PDR piles. The study provides some theoretical information for landslide prevention in areas with interbedded weak and hard bedrock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Green-Ampt (GA) model is one of the most widely used analytical methods of slope stability under rainfall. However, it may overestimate the soil water content above the wetting front. In this study, a novel approach to evaluate the time-dependent slope stability during intense rainfall based on a modified GA model is presented, and is known as the stratified Green-Ampt (SGA) model. By considering the stratified soil water content above the wetting front, the soil above the wetting front can be divided into saturated and transitional layers, and the SGA model is used to analyze the infiltration process of intense rainfall into slopes. Thereafter, safety factors (Fs) of infinite and finite slopes are derived using the SGA model. In the analysis of an infinite slope, the conventional limit equilibrium method is adopted to calculate the safety factor; as for a finite slope, the residual thrust method is introduced to obtain the safety factor with sliding mass divided into multiple soil slices. The performance of the SGA model is illustrated in two cases: an infinite slope and the Majiagou landslide as a finite slope. The results indicate that compared to the GA model, the calculated wetting front based upon the SGA model moves faster, and the wetting front depth shows a positive correlation with the slope surface angle and rainfall intensity. The evolution of the safety factor above the sliding surface can be divided into three phases, while the evolution of the safety factor above the wetting front can be divided into two phases. The critical time of the slope reaching a less stable state (safety factor is 1.05) or unstable state (safety factor is 1.00) decreases exponentially with an increase in rainfall intensity. In addition, the rainfall has a significant influence on the design of stabilizing piles for the Majiagou landslide. The presented SGA model appears to be accurate to investigate slope stability during intense rainfall events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new framework for characterizing landslide deformation. Here, the deformation of a landslide is interpreted as a summation of three components: rigid deformation, within-mass deformation, and residual deformation. On the basis of the monitored data of the landslide deformation, these three components may be characterized separately: the rigid deformation is simulated by a summation of a trend term and a periodic term, the within-mass deformation is simulated by a high-order polynomial model, and the residual deformation is simulated by a conditional random field model. In particular, the characterization of the residual deformation, the third component of the landslide deformation, with the random field allows for a probabilistic assessment of the landslide deformation in the face of geological uncertainties. With the proposed framework, the evolution of landslide deformation in both geometric and time domains may be established, which allows for an assessment of the sliding mechanism of the landslide. Further, evolution in the geometric domain may allow for an assessment of the serviceability of infrastructures in the landslide area. To illustrate this new landslide deformation characterization framework, a case study of the Yu-Kai highway landslide in Guizhou, China is presented, through which the effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several colluvial landslides have developed in the Jurassic strata region of Zigui County, a major landslide-prone region in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of China. The bedrock in which stabilizing piles are placed in the landslide-prone Zigui region can be generally characterized as upper sandstone and lower silty mudstone. A site investigation of the Majiagou No. 1 landslide indicated that the pile heads were displaced horizontally by approximately 15.0 cm. This paper presents a novel model for determining the reasonable embedded length for stabilizing piles in colluvial landslides with upper hard and lower weak bedrock based on the deformation control principle. A negative power function relationship between the horizontal displacement of the pile head and the reasonable embedded ratio for stabilizing piles is proposed on the basis of the allowable pile deformation according to industrial standards. Furthermore, the lower limit on the horizontal displacement of the pile head is deduced to obtain the maximum reasonable embedded ratio of stabilizing piles. Reasonable embedded length ratio models of stabilizing piles are analyzed based on various influencing factors. The results show that (1) increasing the embedded length of the piles can significantly reduce both the horizontal displacement and the maximum absolute value of the shear force on the piles, (2) the increase in the maximum bending moment of the pile with increasing embedded pile length is insignificant, and (3) increasing the thickness of the upper hard rock and the coefficients of subgrade reaction of the upper hard and lower weak rock and reducing the driving force of the landslide help to reduce the reasonable embedded length of the piles. Consequently, it is suggested that stabilizing piles should be set in stronger and thicker upper hard rock in regions with low landslide driving force in order to minimize the reasonable embedded length of the piles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an optimization study on the layout and length of anchor cables for stabilizing rock wedges from the perspective of their three-dimensional geological characteristics. On the basis of the generalized geometry model for rock wedges, the expression of driving force of slope at the arbitrary longitudinal section can be deduced by employing the hyperbolic model between driving force and scale factor of rock wedges. Due to the remarkable parabolic characteristics of the driving force expression of rock wedges, a corresponding non-uniform layout principle of anchor cables was proposed, with closer layout in the central part and sparse layout near the side boundaries. The rational length of anchor cables was quantified on the basis of specification and the three-dimensional spatial characteristics of rock wedges. Furthermore, the upper limit spacing of anchor cables was determined by the spacing threshold caused by the parabolic distributed driving force. The spacing distribution of the optimized anchor cables was verified as a parabolic distribution according to a case study on the Shuige rock wedge in Lishui City, China. Compared with the conventional uniform spacing and length design scheme, the adjusted optimal non-uniform scheme can reduce the anchor cables by 16.9 % and 18.9 % in number and in total length, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Huangtupo landslide is the volumetrically largest, most complex, and economically most significant landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region. Detailed information about the character and dynamics of this tractive landslide is available because of access provided by a unique, 908-meter in situ research tunnel, augmented by long-term data provided by an extensive monitoring system for ground water levels, rainfall, and in situ deformation. Three major rupture surfaces plus 12 interlayer sliding zones (weak layers) were recognized during tunnel excavation, which also provided access and samples that establish a complex, multistage deformation history. Data from the in situ monitoring system shows that the toe of the landslide is creeping at a steady annual rate of about 25-30 mm, but at a slower rate of about 12 mm/year near the crown. However, the monthly creep rates are variable, being highest during May-August when rainfall is heavy and reservoir levels are low. Displacement-depth curves in the HZ6 borehole inclinometer establish that the creep of Slump Mass I# is most rapid above a depth of 37 m, where a major rupture zone occurs immediately above bedrock. Engineered defense structures along the toe of Huangtupo landslide can improve its stability to some extent. The effect of rapid changes of the reservoir level on landslide stability should be considered in reservoir management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]