Computer-Aided Slope Stability Analysis of a Landslide—A Case Study of Jhika Gali Landslide in Pakistan

Muhammad Nasir Amin (), Muhammad Umair Ashfaq (), Hassan Mujtaba, Saqib Ehsan, Kaffayatullah Khan and Muhammad Iftikhar Faraz
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Muhammad Nasir Amin: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Umair Ashfaq: Department of Civil Engineering, NFC Institute of Engineering and Fertilizer Research, Faisalabad 38090, Pakistan
Hassan Mujtaba: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Saqib Ehsan: Department of Civil Engineering, NFC Institute of Engineering and Fertilizer Research, Faisalabad 38090, Pakistan
Kaffayatullah Khan: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Iftikhar Faraz: Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 20, 1-16

Abstract: The present research study has been undertaken to carry out slope stability evaluation of the Jhika Gali landslide in Pakistan using GeoStudio. For this purpose, the site geometry of the existing slope adjacent to the slided one was measured and samples were collected from the site. The in-situ moisture content was 14% and dry unit weight was 18.63 kN/m 3 . Unconfined compression tests and unconsolidated-undrained (UU) triaxial tests were performed on samples reconstituted at in-situ dry unit weight, standard Proctor and modified Proctor maximum dry unit weights. The test results show that the shear strength and deformation parameters, i.e., undrained shear strength, angle of internal friction and deformation modulus decreased from 200 kPa to 90 kPa, 23° to 12° and 51 MPa to 32 MPa, respectively, with an increase in the percentage of saturation from 35% to 95% at a specific dry unit weight. The slope was also modeled in GeoStudio for limit equilibrium analysis, and slope stability analysis was performed using the values of undrained shear strength and the angle of internal friction as determined in the laboratory at varying degrees of saturation. The limit equilibrium analysis showed that the factor of safety reduces from 1.854 to 0.866 as the saturation of material increases from 35% to 95%. The results also suggest that, as the percentage of saturation increases above 85%, the soil loses its shear strength significantly and gains in bulk unit weight, so at this stage the material starts sliding. Additionally, slope stability analysis was carried out by changing the slope geometry in three different ways, i.e., by reducing the height of the slope, adding a counterweight at the toe of the slope and by making benches on the slope. The results of GeoStudio analysis showed that the slope will be stable even above 85% degree of saturation.

Keywords: landslide; degree of saturation; GeoStudio; undrained shear strength (c u ); limit equilibrium analysis; angle of internal friction ( ϕ ) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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