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Investigation on soil-rock interface in bedding landslides

Project Leader

Wu Wei, Project Leader

Duration:

01.03.2023-28.02.2026

Programme:

ESPRIT

Type of Research

Applied Research

Staff

BOKU Research Units

Institute of Geotechnical Engineering

Funded by

Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF) , Sensengasse 1, 1090 Wien, Austria

Abstract

Wider research context/theoretical framework: Bedding landslides are widely distributed in sediments with inclined structures. They may undergo catastrophic failure, posing considerable threats to society. The localized deformation at the interface between the sliding mass and the bedrock of bedding landslides normally accounted for the majority of sliding movement. Thus, the mobilization of such slides is intimately related to the mechanical behaviour of the interface at the basal shear zone. As a result, a comprehensive investigation on soil-rock interface in bedding landslides are necessary to improve our understanding of the origin of catastrophic failure and to help develop robust numerical models for predicting bedding landslides and similar geohazards.
Hypotheses/research questions/objectives: In this project, we will explore the mechanical behaviour of soil-rock interface by employing laboratory experiments and advancing a numerical model to simulate the failure process of bedding landslides along soil-rock interfaces.
Approach/methods: This proposal combines innovative experiments and numerical simulations. A well-document bedding landslide occurred in the Three Gorges Reservoir area in China will be chosen to study the mechanical behaviour of soil-rock interfaces. Laboratory tests will be conducted for studying the shearing behaviour of shear-zone soil and soil-rock interface from elementary to model scale; An advanced hypoplastic model will be proposed considering the stress history of soil and the surface properties of the interface; A numerical model with the advanced constitutive model will be developed to mimic the post-failure process of the bedding landslide.
Level of originality/innovation: A comprehensive experimental investigation on the shearing behaviour of soil-rock interfaces for bedding landslides is the first time in the discipline of engineering geology; The proposed interface hypoplastic model is for the first time considering the surface properties. The SPFEM simulation with hypoplastic framework is novel for mimicking the post- failure of bedding landslides with soil-rock interfaces.
Primary researchers involved: Xuan Kang, as a Ph.D. student at the China University of Geoscience Wuhan, is the PI for this project. Her research focused on landslide stability, in-situ and laboratory tests on landslide materials. During her Ph.D., she has published 4 peer-reviewed papers in high impact journals. Prof. Wei Wu, as the director of the Institute of Geological Engineering, is the mentor for this project. He has made pioneering contributions in the field of constitutive modelling and numerical simulation.

Keywords

Geotechnics;

bedding landslides; soil-rock inface;