Failures in embankments and natural slopes usually occur as a result of heavy rainfall. In order to investigate this problem, constant shear stress drained triaxial tests were performed to simulate the initiation and mobilization of landslides due to rainwater infiltration. The triaxial tests were supplemented with experiments on model slopes subjected to rainwater seepage. The results of both element and model tests showed that failure initiation in sandy slopes depends on the progress of saturation front and the rise in water level at critical locations within the slope which are associated with increase in pore-water pressure. In addition, relations between the development of soil deformation during the course of water infiltration and the change in moisture content within the slope for various initial conditions were established.
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