The effect of stress-dependent SWRC on the load carrying capacity of the slope subjected to the drying-wetting path

¹ Reseach Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, 208016
² Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
³ Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, GITAM School of Technology, GITAM University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 562163

^* Corresponding author: cmjadar@iitk.ac.in

Abstract

The stability and load capacity of structures resting on compacted soil slopes is one of the major concerns in Geotechnical Engineering practice. The mechanically compacted earthen slopes are prone to the dynamic exchange of flux flow, resulting in varying saturation levels across their entire configuration. The soil water retention curve (SWRC) is a property which significantly controls the stability and load capacityof structures resting on these compacted soil slopes. The parameters of a typical SWRC are affected by net stress and climatic changes in field conditions, adding more complexity in evaluating the load capacity and stability of structures resting on these compacted soil slopes. To analyze this issue critically, the load capacity of a footing resting on an unsaturated compacted soil slope under year-long arid climatic conditions has been evaluated numerically in the present study. The effect of net stress has been considered by assessing the stress-dependent SWRC of chosen soil under the wetting and drying cycle at various net confinementsof 10 kPa, 100 kPa, and 200 kPa in the laboratory. Key parameters of the SWRCs under drying and wetting cycles were incorporated to evaluate the load capacity of the footing resting on the unsaturated soil slope.