Stability analysis of unsaturated soil slope considering softening and non-softening approach

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, 161 Louis-Pasteur St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

^* Corresponding author: vanapall@eng.uottawa.ca

Abstract

In conventional geotechnical engineering practice, peak shear strength parameters are widely used in the design of geo-structures constructed with or within unsaturated soils. However, a reduction inshear strength from the peak to the residual value is typically observed during the shear deformation in typical fine-grained unsaturated soils. Several geo-structures in unsaturated soils undergo a large shear deformation prior to reaching the failure condition. Thus, the factor of safety of such geo-structures will gradually but significantly decrease with the development of the shear deformation. For this reason, the strain-softening behaviour of unsaturated soils should be considered for reliable design of the geo-structuresin unsaturated soils. In this study, an unsaturated clay slope under 10 years rainfall infiltration were modelled using softening and non-softening approach using commercial finite element software SIGMA/W. The responses of the studied slope to the long-term rainfall infiltration were analysed. The results of the softening and non-softening analysis were compared. This study provides valuable information with respect to the significance of the strain-softening that are useful in the rational design of slopes in unsaturated soils.