Experimental and Numerical Studies on the Effect of Rainfall on Triggering Shallow Landslides

Rainfall is considered one of the major triggering factors for shallow landslides. The effect of rainfall in causing landslides depends on the intensity and duration of rainfall, the type of soil, the inclination of the slope, and ground water conditions. The majority of slope stability problems in shallow slides involve partially saturated soils. Although experimental modelling of slopes subjected to various intensities and durations of rainfall are ideal to evaluate the effect of rainfall on slope stability, it is time consuming and expensive. Numerical simulation of such experimental modelling can save a great deal of time and cost. In this study, slope models were prepared at angles of inclination of 30° and 45° with double washed construction sand, at a void ratio of 0.7. The slopes were subjected to 30 mm/h of rainfall for 3 h. Spatial variation of suction during the rainfall and depth of water front with time were measured for the entire rainfall period. The depth of water front and spatial variation of suction were also calculated through the finite element model (FEM) that was developed based on a hydro-mechanical model developed for the partially saturated soil. The numerical and experimental results provided identical results. The numerical result was extended to predict the spatial variation of suction, depth of water front and deformation of slope subjected to higher intensity of rainfall.