Relationship between water content, shear deformation, and elastic wave velocity through unsaturated soil slope

摘要

This study aims to determine the relationship between water content, shear deformation, and elastic wave velocity of unsaturated soil slope. The individual influence of volumetric water content and tilt angle on the normalized wave velocity through unsaturated soil was investigated through a series of adjustable slope model tests. The relationship function between volumetric water content, tilt angle, and normalized wave velocity was established. To verify the proposed relationship function, fixed slope model tests were carried out. The relationship functions could be used to estimate the behaviors of wave velocity in rainfall-induced slope failure model tests. The applicability of proposed relationship function for wave velocity behaviors is also presented. It is found that the relationship function is highly consistent with the measurements for wave velocity behaviors through unsaturated soil slope. In addition, the effects of rainfall duration/initial water content, density, slope angle, and surface layer thickness seem to be small on the decrease rate of normalized wave velocity with volumetric water content and tilt angle.