A method for determining unsaturated strength parameters in stability analysis of loess slope

Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Safety and Durability of Concrete Structures, Xijing University, 1 Xijing Road, Xi’an 710123, China.

^a Corresponding author: 20190015@xijing.edu.cn

Abstract

In recent years, with the rapid development of social economy and progress of human activities in loess area, the Loess Plateau become one of the areas with the most serious soil erosion and the most frequent occurrence of geological disasters in the world. Landslide, collapse, debris flow and ground subsidence are common geological disasters in the Loess Plateau, resulting in a more fragile ecological environment. Therefore, it is very important to accurately predict the stability of loess slope for engineering safety and ecological protection in loess region. But loess is a typical unsaturated soil. the formula of unsaturated strength is seldom used in practical applications. The reason is that the matric suction is difficult to measure. And it cannot be applied in engineering practice. In this paper, based on unsaturated soil shear strength formula of Fredlund, the direct shear test under different moisture content is conducted with the samples of Q1 loess. The effective cohesion and the effective internal friction angle are obtained. Through the matric suction test, the soil-water characteristic curve is plotted. Combined cohesion and matric suction, the strength parameters of unsaturated loess in formula of Fredlund can be informed.