Monitoring the Performance of Unsaturated Soil Slopes

• Published in: Geotechnical and geological engineering Vol. 26; no. 6; pp. 799 - 816
• Main Authors: Ng, Charles W. W., Springman, Sarah M., Alonso, Eduardo E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.12.2008; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Centrifuge model; Centrifuges; Civil Engineering; Computer simulation; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Environmental monitoring; Geotechnical engineering; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Geotechnics; Groundwater; Groundwater levels; Groundwater table; Hydrogeology; Infiltration; Mathematical models; Model testing; Monitoring; Original Paper; Rain; Rainfall; Rainfall infiltration; Slope; Slopes; Soil; Soil (material); Soil analysis; Soil engineering; Soil suction; Terrestrial Pollution; Unsaturated; Unsaturated soils; Waste Management/Waste Technology; Water table; Centrifuge; Field monitoring; Unsaturated; Slope
• ISSN: 0960-3182; 1573-1529
• DOI: 10.1007/s10706-008-9203-6

Field monitoring is necessary for the geotechnical engineer to verify design assumptions. More importantly, the field data may also be assembled into a comprehensive case record that is available for use when checking validity of any analytical and numerical models. The ongoing process of back-analysis in unsaturated soil engineering can help to refine and improve our understanding, providing guidance for future designs, where the effects of soil suction and hydraulic hysteresis are still being explored. A range of recent field studies of the mechanisms of rainfall infiltration into slopes is presented. In addition, some physical simulations of unsaturated soil slopes subjected to rainfall, rising ground water table and changes of moisture in centrifuge model tests are reported.