Analysis of failed slopes in saturated soft soils: A case study

摘要

The analysis of failed slopes due to saturation of clayey-marl soils consisting the slopes after rainfall is carried out in this paper. The area in which the failures occurred is located in Chaharmohal and Bakhtiari Province, south west of Iran. The details of failures were given in a companion paper by the authors. The slope failures under analysis are located along a part of very important, strategic, and 350 kilometers long road connecting central parts of Iran to the west parts. This part is situated between Behesht-Abad village and Sasami village with a length of 50 kilometers. The main reason for the slope failure in this part is attributable to softening of clayey-marl soils due to saturation after rainfall. Such soils are distributed extensively in the area. In the present study, analysis of the failed slopes is carried out and the results will be described. The geotechnical parameters involved in the analysis have been obtained mainly from the field observation and laboratory tests. The analysis is particularly useful for the assessment of the factor of safety of existing slopes and the conditions under which other similar slopes in the area may fail. These results may be useful for governmental departments to find appropriate solutions for stabilising the slopes in the area.