Gbétoglo Charles Komadja, Sarada Prasad Pradhan, Afolayan David Oluwasegun, Amulya

Ratna Roul, Tido Tiwa Stanislas, Raoul Adéniyi Laïbi, Babatunde Adebayo, Azikiwe
Peter Onwualu,
Geotechnical and geological investigation of slope stability of a section of road
cut debris-slopes along NH-7, Uttarakhand, India,
Results in Engineering,
Volume 10,
2021,
100227,
ISSN 2590-1230,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2021.100227.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123021000281)
Abstract: Slope stability is of significant importance for sustainable development
in mining, civil-engineering, and urban planning. This paper attempted to assess
the stability conditions of road cut debris slopes along the National Highway-7
(NH-7), Uttarakhand, India. The engineering parameters of the slope forming
materials and other inputs used for slope stability analysis were evaluated based
on different geotechnical tests such as direct shear strength, density analysis
test, rock hardness tests, particle size analysis, Atterberg limits, and XRD
analysis for the finer fraction of the slope materials. The slope stability was
evaluated based on the limit equilibrium method (LEM) and finite-element methods
based on strength reduction factor (FEM-SRF). The results showed that the slope
materials are mainly comprised of well-graded sands, gravelly sands, with little or
no plasticity and display no clay activity along with moderate cohesion (19.4–31.5 
kPa) and internal friction angle (26.23° to 38.44°). The slope stability conditions
based on LEM were consistent with the SRF-FEM and revealed that the slopes with the
highest height and dip angle (L4 and L6) are critically stable with a strength
reduction factor less than 1. Based on the above results, it is inferred that the
slope geometry (overall slope angle and height) has the greatest effect on the
stability conditions of the studied slopes rather than the activity of swelling
clay minerals. Excavation at the crown part of the slope, installation of retaining
and gabion walls along the toe and grass planting on the slope surface are possible
stabilization measures to increase the stability of the slopes.
Keywords: Geological investigation; Geotechnical characteristics; Mineral
composition; Slope stability; Numerical modelling; Slope stabilization