Effects of Water on Slope Stability
Courses > Soil Mechanics > Slope Stability > Effects of Water on Slope Stability
Introduction
Very soft, saturated foundation soils or ground water generally play a prominent role in geotechnical failures in general. They are certainly major factors in cut slope stability and in the stability of fill slopes involving both “internal” and “external” slope failures. The effect of water on cut and fill slope stability is briefly discussed below.
Concepts and Formulas
Importance of Water:
Next to gravity, water is the most important factor in slope stability. The effect of gravity is known, therefore, water is the key factor in assessing slope stability.
Effect of Water on Cohesionless Soils:
In cohesionless soils, water does not affect the angle of internal friction (φ). The effect of water on cohesionless soils below the water table is to decrease the intergranular (effective) stress between soil grains (σ'n), which decreases the frictional shearing resistance (τ').
Effect of Water on Cohesive Soils:
Routine seasonal fluctuations in the ground water table do not usually influence either the amount of water in the pore spaces between soil grains or the cohesion. The attractive forces between soil particles prevent water absorption unless external forces such as pile driving, disrupt the grain structure. However, certain clay minerals do react to the presence of water and cause volume changes of the clay mass.
An increase in absorbed moisture is a major factor in the decrease in strength of cohesive soils as shown schematically in Figure below. Water absorbed by clay minerals causes increased water contents that decrease the cohesion of clayey soils. These effects are amplified if the clay mineral happens to be expansive, e.g., montmorillonite.
Fills on Clays:
Excess pore water pressures are created when fills are placed on clay or silt. Provided the applied loads do not cause the undrained shear strength of the clay or silt to be exceeded, as the excess pore water pressure dissipates consolidation occurs, and the shear strength of the clay or silt increases with time. For this reason, the factor of safety increases with time under the load of the fill.
Cuts in Clay:
As a cut is made in clay the effective stress is reduced. This reduction will allow the clay to expand and absorb water, which will lead to a decrease in the clay strength with time. For this reason, the factor of safety of a cut slope in clay may decrease with time. Cut slopes in clay should be designed by using effective strength parameters and the effective stresses that will exist in the soil after the cut is made.
Slaking - Shales, Claystones, Siltstones, etc.:
Sudden moisture increase in weak rocks can produce a pore pressure increase in trapped pore air accompanied by local expansion and strength decrease. The "slaking" or sudden disintegration of hard shales, claystones, and siltstones results from this mechanism. If placed as rock fill, these materials will tend to disintegrate into a clay soil if water is allowed to percolate through the fill. This transformation from rock to clay often leads to settlement and/or shear failure of the fill.
Watch Videos
No videos available for this topic. 
Solved sample problems
Download Files
Read also
- Critical Failure Surface
- Top software for Geotechnical Engineers
- Infinite Slope Analysis
- Overview of Culverts: shapes, materials and inlets
- Solved Example: Design of A Steel Moment Frame by Direct Analysis Method Per AISC (ASD & LRFD)
Share
