Experimental Study on the Evolutionary Law of Transient Saturation Zones in a Red Mud Dam under Rainfall Conditions

Shiqi Chang, Xiaoqiang Dong (), Xiaofeng Liu (), Haoru Zhang and Yinhao Huang
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Shiqi Chang: College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Xiaoqiang Dong: College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Xiaofeng Liu: College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Haoru Zhang: College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Yinhao Huang: College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 10, 1-23

Abstract: Utilizing a laboratory model test, this study seeks to evaluate the distribution patterns of volumetric moisture content, soil pressure, and pore water pressure within the body of a red mud dam, given varying initial conditions of slope types and ratios, during continuous heavy rainfall. The objective is to investigate the failure mechanisms of a red mud dam under distinct operational conditions during rainfall, thereby offering insights for landslide prevention and ensuring dam construction quality. The results suggest that a stepped red mud dam acts as a buffer platform, altering the seepage direction within the dam and minimizing the water seepage path. When the slope ratio is 1:1, the transient saturated zone is located on the slope face of the dam’s body, near the top of the slope, with the saturation time at the first monitoring point occurring 300 s earlier than in a dam with a slope ratio of 1:2. Rainfall affects the distribution of internal forces in the red mud dam body. After rainfall, in the transient saturated zone of the stepped dam body, vertical soil pressure decreases 25% and horizontal soil pressure decreases 6.5%; in the transient saturated zone of the dam with a slope ratio of 1:1, vertical soil pressure decreases 14.8% and horizontal earth pressure decreases 29%; in the transient saturated zone of a dam with a slope ratio of 1:3, the change in soil pressure is small.

Keywords: red mud dam; transient saturated zone; volumetric moisture content; soil pressure; pore water pressure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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