Numerical Study on Sheet Pile Walls as Landslide Barrier

Landslides are one of the most challenging natural disasters occurring worldwide. In this regard, complete protection from a sliding soil mass may not be possible. However, various techniques are being used to hold back the failing soil long enough to evacuate. Flexible retaining walls are one among them. This study aims to numerically analyze and evaluate the use of sheet pile walls as a potential landslide barrier. An unconventional slope stabilization technique using parallelly oriented sheet pile walls, commonly known as Hardy Ribs, is adopted for this study. The effect of sheet piles on the slope displacement is studied in detail. The study is conducted using the Finite Element Method (FEM) with the employment of soil profile from a real landslide site. The soil was considered elastoplastic, obeying Mohr–Coulomb’s yield criteria, while the sheet pile was assumed linear elastic material by substituting properties of steel. The analysis was conducted with and without sheet pile and the results were compared. The study outcomes suggested that the sheet piles can effectively reduce soil’s lateral flow and further improve slope stability.