Precipitation impact assessment on fill staibility

This thesis centers on investigating the intricate interplay among rainfall intensity, soil types, and embankment slopes, and how these factors collectively influence the stability of embankments. A physical model served as the primary tool for quantifying and visually depicting the failure mechanisms associated with embankment destabilization. A comprehensive series of twenty-seven laboratory experiments were meticulously conducted, categorized into nine distinct models, each representing a unique experimental group. The initial three experimental groups corresponded to embankment models characterized by varying slope ratios: 1:3, 1:2.25, and 1:1.5. Within each of these groups, a triad of distinct rainfall intensities (34 mm/hr, 42 mm/hr, and 53 mm/hr) were considered. Simultaneously, three different soil types—namely, poorly graded sand, clayey sand, and poorly graded sand with silt—were incorporated in a sequential manner, aligning with the nine experimental configurations. To corroborate the empirical findings, a numerical simulation was crafted utilizing the finite element method. The SEEP/W and SLOPE/W programs were employed to validate and compare the experimental outcomes against the simulated results. Impressively, the laboratory findings and the simulation data exhibited a commendable degree of concurrence, affirming the robustness of the experimental approach and its compatibility with numerical modeling techniques. The discerned patterns from the amalgamation of experimental and numerical results underscore the pivotal role of rainfall intensity. Specifically, the outcomes underscore that lower rainfall intensities yield diminished seepage across various slopes. Moreover, such conditions are conducive to the attainment of higher factors of safety across diverse soil types and embankment slopes. Detailed insights from the results highlight intriguing trends within the specific slope ratios of 1:3 and 1:2.25. It is evident that the poorly graded sand soil type exhibits the most substantial variance in factor of safety values when compared with the other soil types. The discrepancies are particularly pronounced, with a divergence of 7.57% and 32.52% for section one, and 2.94% and 29.12% for section two, respectively. Moving forward to the 1:1.5 slope ratio, the soil type characterized as poorly graded sand with silt manifests the most significant variation when juxtaposed with the remaining soil types, demonstrating differences of 26.46% and 1.03%, correspondingly. The zenith of stability, as expressed through the factor of safety, was conspicuously observed in the context of the 1:1.5 slope ratio. Within this configuration, the soil type designated as "sp" yielded the maximal factor of safety value, reaching an appreciable value of 0.449. This research delves deeply into the intricate factors governing embankment stability, effectively illustrating the interdependence of rainfall intensity, soil types, and embankment slopes. The synergy of empirical experimentation and numerical simulation lends robustness to the findings, offering valuable insights into designing embankments for optimal stability under various conditions.