Phreatic Surface Calculation and Stability Analysis of Three-Dimensional Bank Slopes with Reservoir Drawdown
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24, Issue 2
Abstract
Among all factors affecting the stability of soil slopes, the effects of seepage, and especially drawdown, have long been a topic of study. This paper proposed a novel method for predicting the phreatic surface of three-dimensional (3D) slopes. Based on the solved phreatic surface, the normal stress expression of the slip surface under seepage force was deduced. A strict overall analysis method that combines the seepage force to analyze the stability of the bank slopes with reservoir drawdown was proposed. The credibility of the proposed method was verified by calculating different conditions set by a classic slope model. Finally, the change rules of the phreatic surface and the safety evolution with reservoir drawdown of a practical slope in the Three Gorges reservoir area were studied. The results demonstrated that the safety factor of the slope first decreases and then increases with reservoir drawdown and the most unfavorable water level is at the lower 1/3–1/4 of the total height of the slope.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, specifically, the data and models that determine the safety factor of bank slopes in the Three Gorges Reservoir area with reservoir drawdown.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11972043).
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24 • Issue 2 • February 2024
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 15, 2023
Accepted: Aug 8, 2023
Published online: Dec 8, 2023
Published in print: Feb 1, 2024
Discussion open until: May 8, 2024
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