Study of Slope Stabilization Techniques in Soil Slopes

Dr. Sandi Kumar Reddy1, Prajwal Rao 2, Sambit Parhi 2

1
Faculty, Dept. of Mining Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal,
575025
skreddy@nitk.edu.in
2
Student, Dept. of Mining Engineering, national Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal,
575025
sambit98.sp@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Slope stabilization plays an important part in maintaining the integrity of slopes and increasing
their factor of safety. Slope stabilization is an important consideration in management of many
types of civil and mining projects. Their assessment is important for safety and also for the
project to be economically viable. Failure of slopes may result in loss of life or additional costs
incurred to undo the damages. Hence, innovative slope stabilization techniques have come up
over the years to prevent such failures. This paper addresses different approaches to slope
stability problems in soil slopes, their application and limitations on each approach. These slope
stabilization techniques are studied extensively and the findings are presented in the paper.

Keywords: Slope Stabilization, Reinforcement, Civil and Mining Projects.

1 INTRODUCTION

Landslides, slips, slumps, mudflows, rock falls – these are just some of the terms which are
used to describe movements of soils and rocks under the influence of gravity. These movements
can at times be just inconvenient, but from time to time become seriously damaging or even
disastrous in their proportions and effects. Slopes in soils and rocks are found in nature and in
man-made structures. Highways, dams, canals and stockpiles are constructed by sloping the
lateral faces of the soil because slopes are generally less expensive than constructing a wall.
Natural forces such as wind and water change the topography, often creating unstable slopes.
Slope failures depend on the soil type, soil stratification, ground water seepage and slope
geometry and based on the impending type of failure, a reinforcement or stabilization technique
can be used. Each technique of slope stabilization has its own merits and demerits and
applicability. Most stabilization techniques are designed in such a way so as to cost effectively
increase the factor of safety of the slope. Sometimes combinations of techniques are used to
ensure slope stability. The 3 basic approaches used in stabilization of slopes are:
 Decrease Driving Force
 Increase Resisting Force
 Increase Strength of soil/slope.

Based on these 3 approaches some of the solutions to slope stabilization are discussed and their
effectiveness is studied.
Slopes can be stabilized by adding a surface cover to the slope, excavating and changing (or
regrading) the slope geometry, adding support structures to reinforce the slope or using
drainage to control the groundwater in slope material. Three site conditions should be
considered when choosing an appropriate method for stabilizing a slope:
 Type of slope failure
 Type of soil
 Presence of groundwater (poor drainage)

2 METHODOLOGY

The different techniques used for Slope stabilization are:

2.1 Geometrical Method

This is the most common method that has been used in residential areas in Perak. This method
is usually simple and less costly as shown in Figure 1. The changing of the slope angle from
steep slope to a gentler slope may increase the stabilization of slope and the angle is usually
supported by grass bonding together with soil. Residential areas were built on a wide area to
facilitate construction of remedial work. This conventional method of angle grading requires
some excavation. This type of method does not require heavy load resistance and naturally
stabilize the slope with the creepy grass surface.This method, however, may also be similar to
the Geometrical, Surface Drainage and Retaining Structure method.

The main advantage of this method is ease of installation. No specialty equipment is required.
Grass seed can be easily placed at low labor cost, and material is readily available. Placing
grass seed or other vegetation at the end of a slope repair project is common practice.
Vegetative cover also decreases runoff from roadways.
Each vegetated soil had shear strength greater than that of the soil without roots. Plant roots
remove water from the soil, limiting the effect of pore pressure and reducing the chance of
surficial failures. Roots also provide mechanical reinforcement at the surface.

Figure 1: Geometrical Method with Grass Bonding

2.2 Drainage Method

One of the slope failure factors is saturation and pore water pressure building up in the subsoil.
If drainage system had been provided, the chances of building up pore water pressure and
saturation of subsoil can be minimized. Drainage will both reduce the weight of the mass
tending to cause the landslide and increase the strength of the materials in the slope. This
method can be very effective. It is easy to maintain the surface drains, but it is difficult to
maintain the subsoil drains. Subsoil drain is mostly found in the retaining structure as weep
holes method and cut off drain as shown in Figure 2. In general, this method is used in
combination with other methods.

Figure 2: Surface Drainage Method

2.2.1 Surface Drains

Surface drain was used mostly with geometrical method while the sub soil drain is part of the
method combined with the retaining structure. Surface drain is capable of discharging more
water, especially during heavy rain to avoid the effects of large amounts of water absorption
by the slope. Surface drainage measures require minimal engineering design and offer positive
protection to slopes. Thus they are among the first approaches that should be considered in
preventing potential stability problems. Adequate surface drainage is necessary in new
excavations as well as in maintenance of constructed slopes where movement has already
occurred. The design of cut slopes should always take into consideration the natural drainage
patterns of the area and the effect that the constructed slope will have on these drainage
patterns.
Two conditions that should be evaluated are Surface water flowing across the face of the slope,
and Surface water seeping into or infiltrating into the head of the cut. Both of these conditions
cause erosion of the face and increase the tendency for localized failures on the slope face.
Diversion ditches and interceptor drains are widely used as erosion control measures, especially
in situations where large volumes of runoff are anticipated.
2.2.2 Sub-Surface Drains

Because seepage forces act to increase the driving force on a landslide, control of subsurface
water is of major importance. Lithe preliminary site investigation reveals the presence of
groundwater, if design studies predict potential downslope movements, and if positive
subsurface drainage can reduce failure potential, it is worth preparing a suitable design for cost
comparison with other alternatives. Figure 3 shows subsurface drains through horizontal pipes.
Subsurface drainage as a method of lowering the groundwater table within an unstable slope
has traditionally consisted of one or more of the following procedures:
 Drainage blankets and trenches;
 Drainage wells;
 Drainage galleries, adits, or tunnels;
 Sub horizontal (commonly called "horizontal") drains drilled either from the slope
surface or from drainage wells or galleries;
 Sub-vertical drains drilled upward from drainage galleries.

Figure 3: Sub- Surface Drainage Method with horizontal drains

2.3 Soil Nailing

Soil nails are a unique remedial technology in the geotechnical construction toolbox. These 6.1
meter, 3.8 cm diameter nails are installed in a single shot using a compressed air “cannon” at
velocities of up to 112 meter/second, and with installation rates that are approaching 250
nails/day. The nails reinforce an unstable or potentially unstable soil mass by transferring the
nail’s tensile and shear capacity into the surrounding soil. They are generally used with mesh
to hold the soil intact and prevent surface movement as shown in Figure 4.
 Figure 4: Soil Nailing along with Mesh Network

Their primary applications have been to stabilize shallow landslides, although the technology
has been used to stabilize failing sheet/H-pile walls, for temporary shoring, for pipeline
stabilization, and as micro pile foundation support for retaining walls. Launched soil nails have
been used in a variety of soil and slope conditions, especially in mountainous areas, where
rugged terrain limits construction options. They are primarily fired into sand, silt, clay, and
even soils with some cobbles or boulders. Launched nails are not suitable for sites with
large/frequent boulders or very hard, shallow bedrock, in very stiff clays, or in areas where
failure surfaces exceed 5.2 meter.
Advantages of Soil Nailing are:

 Incorporation of temporary support in final structure

 Reduction in cut excavation
 Potential reduction in right-of-way
 Rapid construction
 Large number of nails used
 Cost effective

Disadvantages of Soil Nailing are:

 Permanent underground easements may be required
 Difficult to construct wall with high groundwater
 Nail capacity may not be economical in highly plastic clays
 Ground displacements
 Durability of shotcrete with respect to freeze thaw
 Soil face must exhibit sufficient stand up time
2.4 Geotextiles and Geocomposites

Geosynthetic products can be used for drainage and slope stabilization in many of the situations
described above. The use of a geotextile filter is often cheaper and just as effective in situations
where graded granular filters are required. Just as with graded granular filters, the geotextile
filter should be designed for soil retention, system permeability, and long-term filtration
characteristics. Jute geotextiles are a common sight and are used extensively for erosion control
as shown in figure 5.

Figure 5: Jute Geotextiles used for Slope Erosion Control

Geocomposites are products consisting of a geotextile filter to protect the drain and keep it
free flowing throughout its service life and a plastic net or core that provides in-plane drainage.
Figure 6 shows the first stage of slope stabilization using Geocomposites. Geocomposites can
be installed in trenches on slopes, especially in areas where access is difficult, behind retaining
structures, and in other places where interception of seepage is desired. Geocomposites are
manufactured in sheets or strips, and thus are more easily and cheaply installed than
conventional granular filters and drains. When properly designed, they work as well as, or often
better than, conventional aggregate filters and drains.

Figure 6: Preliminary Treatment of Slopes Using Geocomposites

Geofoams are also used in slope stabilization because of ease of field placement and trimming
and the elimination of compaction or compaction control. Geofoam usually weighs less than
0.6 KN/m3 and can exhibit a high compressive strength if desired. This is evident by the use
of geofoam for roadway embankments. Figure 7 shows the use of geofoam in reconstruction
of the slope. The geofoam is usually placed to a point at least 0.3 to 0.46 m below the final
ground surface to prevent hydrostatic uplift and to help facilitate vegetation and/or landscaping
growth. Figure 6 shows usage of geofoam in road embankments.

Figure 7: Geofoam application in embankments

Advantages of using geofoam include:

 Low density/high strength: Geofoam is 1% to 2% the density of soil with equal
strength.
 Predictable behaviour: Geofoam allows engineers to be much more specific in the
design criteria. This is very different than other lightweight fillers, such as soil, that can
be very variable in composition.
 Inert: Geofoam will not break down, so it will not spread into surrounding soils. This
means that geofoam will not pollute the surrounding soil. Geofoam can also be dug up
and reused.
 Limited labour required for construction: Geofoam can be installed by hand using
simple hand tools. This eliminates the investment and operating cost of heavy
machinery.
 Decreases construction time: Geofoam is quick to install and can be installed during
any type of weather, day or night, resulting in faster installation time.

Disadvantages of using geofoam include:

 Fire hazards: Untreated geofoam is a fire hazard.
 Vulnerable to petroleum solvents: If geofoam comes in contact with a petroleum
solvent, it will immediately turn into a glue-type substance, making it unable to support
any load.
 Buoyancy: Forces developed because of buoyancy can result in a dangerous uplift
force.
2.5 Buttresses

The principle behind, the use of buttresses, counterweight fills, or toe berms are to provide
sufficient dead weight or restraint near the 'toe of the unstable mass to prevent slope movement.
In-other words, the buttress must be heavy enough to provide the additional component of
resistance near the toe of the slope required for stability. The basic design of a buttress is similar
to the design for external stability, of conventional gravity-retaining structures. The buttress
must be stable against Overturning, Sliding at or below its base, and Bearing failure of the
foundation. Figure 8 shows the method of slope stabilization using buttress walls.
Buttresses are commonly constructed of blasted quarry rock, boulders and cobbles, and coarse
gravel fills. These materials are also commonly used to repair small slope failures, or "pop-
outs," in highway cuts. Buttressing an expensive method but is used in steep slopes and gives
a considerable factor of safety once installation is complete.

Figure 8: Buttress wall

2.6 Retaining Walls

In situations where a buttress fill is not feasible because of geometry or cost or because it
encroaches on adjacent property, conventional retaining structures, piles, and reinforced-soil
slopes and walls may provide workable alternative solutions.
The purpose of a retaining wall is to decrease the severity and length of a slope, and to prevent
the toe of the slope from further encroachment. Retaining walls can be constructed from stone,
masonry, or in areas where soils are deep and not encumbered by high ground water, timber.
On sites with longer slopes the retaining wall can also be applied to create terraces. Retaining
walls provide an excellent landscaping opportunity when backfilled with amended soils and
planted with native or adapted plants. When properly constructed, maintenance should be
minimal requiring only an annual inspection and performing the necessary repairs.
 Figure 9: Reinforced Retaining Wall

As a preliminary inspection to ensure the basic stability of a slope, routine inspection is

recommended to carry out on a regular basis. The following elements should be observed
during the inspection:
1. Ensure the slope surface and its drainage channels are free from debris.
2. Damaged or cracked protective surfaces and drainage system should be repaired and
keep in good condition.
3. Unblock the weep holes and drains from time to time.
4. Remove over-grown vegetation that may crack the surface.
5. Observe any damage appears on the slope or other retaining structures
6. Observe any irregularity appears on or nearby the slope

Inspection should be carried out regularly to determine the conditions of a slope. These
inspections can be sub-divided into 3 levels/categories.
1. Routine inspection – by non-professional person bases on some general visual
guideline.
2. Engineer inspection – by qualified geotechnical engineer according to some
engineering indications and standards
3. Regular monitoring process – by a quality engineering firm with special expertise and
may involve the use of some monitoring devices or analysis
3 CONCLUSION

Slope is considered stable if the shear force in the soil acts as a force retainer against gravity
that caused high geostatic stress when earth surface is at certain angles. Geostatic stress consists
of vertical stress and horizontal stress or known as lateral stress. Imposed load includes soil
loading of structures that is right on sloping soil or loading happens at a nearby area. Soil is
still free to act and reduce the bonding force between each other. If the stress is more than the
soil shear force, landslide will occur. Other than that, development in upstream area will cause
water that flows downstream to increase, and will contribute to land failure.

From the methods used in this study, it is easier to analyze the type of failure that may occur
and the counter measures that need to be set up for preventing failure of soil slopes. As the
geotechnical industry has evolved over the past 50 years, many new tools and techniques have
been developed. The combinations demonstrated herein have proven effective for remediating
numerous types of geohazards including failing earth retention systems, for embankment
stabilization, and for rapid bridge construction methods. These methods have been widely
adopted in the highway, railroad, and energy industries, and have considerable application to
coal ash waste management as well as other areas of the power-generation and transmission
sectors. Stabilization of ash impoundment embankments, installation of horizontal drains, haul
road stabilization and bridge construction are a few of the potential applications for these
technologies.
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