Engineering Geology最新文献

Landslide disasters pose significant threats to human life and infrastructure. The instability of a bedding landslide with locked segments results from sudden brittle failure of the locked segments. To mitigate potential threats to life and property, it is crucial to reveal the failure mechanism and identify precursor information. In this study, physical model experiments of bedding landslides with different structures were conducted, and detailed recordings were made of the high-frequency acoustic emission (AE) signals and low-frequency microseismic (MS) signals generated during failure. The dominant frequency, energy, amplitude, the phenomenon of critical slowing down of AE signals and multifractal characteristics of MS signals were analyzed. Results reveal that the failure mode of a bedding rockslide with locked segments is determined by the strength of the rock mass. High-strength landslide fails in the form of bending, whereas rockslide with low strength experience shearing failure. MS events with low dominant frequencies are less numerous but contribute a significant portion of the total energy, but events with high dominant frequencies are more numerous yet contribute only a small fraction of the energy. Furthermore, the study reveals the multifractal characteristics of the evolution process of MS signals and the critical slowing characteristics of AE signals. Based on these findings, a precursory information chain for the failure of bedding landslides with locked segments is proposed, which includes deformation displacement, multifractal characteristics of MS signals, and AE energy variance. These results may contribute to a better understanding of the failure mechanism and can help predict the final failure of bedding landslide with locked segments.

Benched rock slopes are prevalent in extensive engineering endeavors such as mining and road construction. This research investigates the dynamic response patterns and failure mechanisms of dip and anti-dip rock slopes through shaking table tests. The adopted approach involves utilizing the acceleration amplification factor (AAF) to compare the amplification effects on both slope types under varying excitation amplitudes. Fourier spectrum analysis of acceleration is conducted to explore the relationship between seismic wave frequency and slope response. The Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) method is employed to analyze the differences in seismic response between dip and anti-dip slopes. The results reveal that anti-dip slope exhibits superior stability compared to dip slope, as the latter experiences earlier failure. The study also identifies the critical excitation intensity value (“threshold point”), indicating the evolution of benched slope dynamic response. The findings demonstrate that dip slopes are more significantly affected by seismic motion, exhibiting higher energy concentration and release. The seismic wave propagation in dip slope also shows a greater energy release compared to anti-dip slope. These outcomes should provide valuable insights for the design and seismic disaster risk assessment of benched slope engineering in regions with high seismic activity. The findings highlight the increased risk of slope failure in dip slopes and emphasize the importance of considering slope stability in engineering projects. The approach proposed in this study, along with the identified critical excitation intensity value, can aid in understanding and mitigating the potential risks associated with benched slope engineering.

Subsurface voids pose significant geohazards, underscoring the need for their timely detection in order to mitigate the associated hazard. We report on a field study aimed at the comparative assessment of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), seismic refraction tomography (SRT), and the multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) for void mapping in karstic regions. The field surveys were conducted at a site in central Texas, of typical karstic geomorphology, and involved the co-located deployment of ERT, SRT and MASW arrays. Post-surveying, boreholes were drilled at select locations for verification purposes. It is shown that MASW demonstrated limited ability to resolve voids due to its inherent theoretical limitations. In contrast, ERT revealed high-resistivity air-filled zones, and low-resistivity soil-filled regions, which aligned well with post-survey borehole logs, although deeper voids remained largely undetected. SRT clearly delineated voids through velocity reductions, but smoothing effects overestimated void velocities. Using ERT and SRT jointly provided improved void characterization compared to single-method-based interpretations, with ERT determining void type and SRT delineating boundaries. Despite the relative success of the joint ERT-SRT application, it is evident that without the corroboration provided by invasive testing, definitive void localization and characterization under arbitrary site conditions remains elusive.

Ubiquitous and complex avalanche–substrate interactions during rock avalanche emplacement have attracted widespread attention in recent years and are regarded as vital processes influencing mobility and damage potential through rapid changes in avalanche mechanical properties. However, the fundamental interaction mechanisms of avalanche mass on substrate and the resultant effect on mobility have yet to be elucidated for natural events. To better understand the mechanics of avalanche–substrate interactions, we present a detailed study on the spectacular synsedimentary deformation structures at the bottom of the gigantic Iymek rock avalanche deposit, including undulose structures, flame structures, mixed textures, clastic dikes, and cracked gravels. The cracked gravels demonstrate that the overriding avalanche mass exited high-energy shearing on the avalanche–substrate interface, where the stress in substrate far exceeded the overburden from the avalanche mass during the avalanche–substrate interaction. Along with high-energy shearing, two different interaction modes with the change of substrate materials are identified, i.e., the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI) characterized by undulose-to-flame structure transitions, and the Raleigh–Taylor instability (RTI) characterized by the formation of clastic dikes. The KHI is interpreted as a result of the growth of shear instabilities induced by high-energy shearing along the avalanche–substrate interface. The RTI is associated with local liquefaction of the water-bearing sandy substrate and was mainly induced by the high-frequency ground vibrations generated by high-energy shearing. Therefore, we propose that the overriding avalanche mass exited high-energy shearing on the substrate during the avalanche–substrate interaction, which motivated two predominant physical processes of the KHI and RTI along the avalanche–substrate interface. The shear-induced KHI is a potential mechanism of erosion and entrainment in rock avalanches and is responsible for promoting the incorporation of substrate materials into moving avalanche mass. These results not only yield profound insights into the interaction behaviours between rock avalanches and substrates but also provide a fundamental geological prototype to motivate further modelling work to elucidate rock avalanche dynamics.

The temporal variation in subsurface structure of a landslide area was monitored using spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) as a simple and robust seismic observational method. The SPAC method is often used in civil engineering to estimate one-dimensional (1D) subsurface structures. However, in this study, we monitor the temporal variation in the SPAC coefficient deviation to evaluate environmental change effects and changes in the subsurface velocity structure. We used a seismic array comprising 10 seismometers in a landslide-prone area in Morimachi Town, western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and continuous observations were performed from October 2020 – May 2022. We obtained a 1D velocity structural model as a reference using the multi-mode SPAC (MMSPAC) method with the averaged SPAC coefficients at different distances for all observation periods. We calculated the daily variation in SPAC coefficient relative to the average for all observation periods. We then applied cluster analysis to the SPAC coefficient deviation, which revealed weekly changes likely due to human activity and the effect of stream surges on nearby streams. After removing stream surge clusters and correcting for the weekly change, we reapplied cluster analysis to identify two major clusters. The differences between the two clusters can be attributed to structural changes in the very near surface (∼5 m) and deeper parts (∼20 m), likely influenced by shallow groundwater due to rainfall. By investigating the location of the landslide mass near the observation site, we suggest that structural changes around 20 m deep may correspond to the depth of potential slip surfaces.

Oblique terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) enables topographic change detection at scales (10⁻¹ –10⁰ cm) that are appropriate for coastal cliff erosion monitoring. Despite this, published applications of TLS on cliff are limited to a small number of sites around the world. Here we report new TLS point cloud datasets from 9 years of monitoring (2014–2023) at Rothesay Bay within the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, which has relatively low wave energy and a meso-tidal range. The 120 m-length scan area includes cliffs of 10–30 m height, formed of horizontally bedded soft sedimentary flysch rock. The cliffs are fronted by an 140 m wide near-horizontal shore platform that terminates in an abrupt seaward edge. Previous research at this site has estimated long-term cliff erosion rates within a range of 1.4 ± 0.1 to 14.3 ± 0.1 mm/year on the basis of measured shore platform width, assuming that the shore platform has widened over time over 6000 years of stable Holocene sea level, and that the seaward edge of the shore platform has not retreated. Volumetric cliff-face erosion rates were detected through 17 scans over a 9-year window (2014–2023), including intensive monthly TLS scanning between July 2021 and July 2022. Results show that the average cliff recession rate over the past decade has been 41 ± 2 mm/year, and monthly scans show a range in erosion rates of 30 to 288 mm/year. The cliff recession rate detected with TLS is 3 to 30 times higher than erosion rates derived based on the shore platform width. If erosion had been constant at this rate over approximately 6000 years, a total cliff retreat of >245 m would be expected, whereas the contemporary shore platform is only 140 m wide. We discuss two possible hypotheses for the confounding width of the modern shore platform: 1) that modern cliff retreat rates are faster than past erosion rates; 2) that the seaward edge of the shore platform does not reliably demarcate Holocene cliff recession. We present new bathymetric survey mapping seaward of the shore platform edge that reveals multiple rocky features that are distinguished by steep slope breaks and planar surfaces. Understanding the evolution of the intertidal shore platforms during the Holocene era may necessitate new insights on how cliffs formed toward the end of the last marine transgression. This could potentially be investigated through the study of subtidal marine bathymetry.

Landslide dams composed of unconsolidated, noncohesive soil are easily affected by seepage. As seepage develops, the dam's characteristics change dynamically, indirectly affecting its stability. However, previous studies on dam failure have mostly assumed that the dam characteristics remain constant before failure, often overlooking these changes and their effects on stability. In this study, 48 sets of flume experiments were conducted to quantify the impact of seepage under varying upstream inflow rates, dam heights, downstream slope angles, and particle size distributions. During the storage phase, the rise rate of the water level is closely linked to the seepage's diversion capacity. The diversion rate of inflow reached as high as 0.747 in this study, but decreased to 0.230 as inflow increased. Furthermore, changes in the internal stress distribution within the dam, driven by seepage, contributed to dam settlement and the sliding of the downstream slope. Notably, dam settlement exhibited both non-uniform spatial distribution and temporal stage development. The maximum settlement ratio between the point in the upstream breach and the point in the downstream breach reached as high as 2.79. Regarding the soil changes within the dam, after the seepage channel became connected, the primary soil loss involved silt particles ranging from 10 to 20 μm in size. This result reflects the increasing non-uniformity within the dam caused by seepage. Finally, Considering the changes in dam characteristics under the influence of seepage, in this study, a logistic regression model was established to assess dam stability. Overall, this study enhances the understanding of how seepage affects dam stability by examining various dam properties and presenting a model for stability assessment.

Rockfall fragmentation can play an important role in hazard studies and the design of protective measures. However, the current lack of modeling tools that incorporate rock fragmentation mechanics is a limitation to enhancing studies and design. This research investigates the fragmentation patterns of rockfalls and analyzes the resulting distribution of fragment sizes within corresponding rockfall deposits. We focus on small rock fragments, which provide insights into the dynamics of the rockfall event and can be used as input for numerical modeling. We analyzed multiple rockfall events from locations worldwide, each exhibiting different degrees of fragmentation. Using image analysis techniques, we mapped all visible blocks, determined their volumes, and measured the distances they travelled from the initial point of impact. A key finding is the identification of three indicators of fragmentation. First, in cases where fragmentation was largely absent, we observed a trend of increasing block size with distance from the impact point or source area, which aligns with previously published findings. However, for energetic rockfall events characterized by intense fragmentation, we observed that small fragments exhibited longer travel distances compared to larger fragments. This distinction allowed us to differentiate blocks primarily resulting from the disaggregation process from those primarily resulting from dynamic fragmentation, with implications for rockfall mobility. Second, although the size distribution of rockfall deposits exhibits a power-law scaling for volumes larger than a minimum size threshold corresponding to a rollover of the distribution, in some case studies a deviation from power-law scaling is observed, indicating a process of larger block comminution due to fragmentation. Third, we found that rockfalls with fragmentation experience reduced mobility, indicated by higher reach angles, and higher lateral dispersion showing a wider distribution of trajectories. We interpret these findings as being directly related to the energy-consuming nature of fragmentation, which prevents farther deposition of fragmented rock blocks.

Developing a robust numerical method to model earthquake-induced landslides has long been a persistent challenge in the field of computational geotechnical engineering. Recently, the meshless methods based on nonlocal theory have piqued the interest of researchers. However, the application of nonlocal theory in seismic analysis is currently limited. This paper proposed a numerical framework based on the updated Lagrangian nonlocal general particle dynamics (UL-NGPD) method to analyze earthquake-induced landslide problems. The UL-NGPD method benefiting from the update support domain can capture the whole process of slope run-out induced by earthquakes. To enhance the numerical stability of the proposed method, several optimizing strategies are proposed. In the current framework, the seismic waves are input through the proposed boundary treatments of nonlocal form. Besides, a nonlocal friction model with velocity-weakening is proposed to accurately simulate the movement process of soils on a rocky sliding bed. The proposed framework is validated by the simulations of several classic problems, including the collapse of sand and the shake table test. The performance of the proposed approach is further demonstrated through simulating the landslides induced by earthquakes. The numerical results consistent with recorded data indicate that the UL-NGPD method has an excellent capacity to deal with earthquake-induced landslide problems.

This study introduces the Energy Method Upper-bound (abbreviated as EMU), originally proposed by Donald and Chen (1997), for calculating bearing capacities with a focus on earthquake loadings affecting layered geological strata. The theoretical components of this study consist of (1) an extension of Prandtl's solution for bearing capacity analysis to inclined surface loads, (2) a mathematical demonstration of the theoretical congruence between EMU and the Prandtl-Reissner solution, and (3) a validation of the numerical outcomes through four illustrative bearing capacity examples with known closed-form solutions. This innovative approach eliminates the semi-empirical coefficients typically required in conventional bearing capacity evaluations, thus enhancing its relevance to seismic analysis for stratified geological formation that can hardly be evaluated with empirical coefficients accurately. The study also discusses various technical aspects such as seismic load determination, the use of undrained shear strength, and specifications for allowable safety factors under seismic conditions. With these methodologies, the paper assesses the seismic bearing capacities of two different buildings, with different scales and footing types. Additionally, a computer program, BEARING-IWHR, featuring an Excel interface and open-source coding, is available online. This method provides a theoretically sound and practically feasible framework for addressing seismic bearing capacity on stratified foundations.