SLOPE FAILURE IN WEATHERED CLAYSTONE AND SILTSTONE
This paper describes the failure of an 8.5-m-high fill slope constructed over weathered claystone and siltstone in Martinez, Contra Costa County, in northern California. The failure occurred about 5 months after construction. Several piezometers and inclinometers were installed to measure the pore pressures and the location of the failure surfaces, respectively. The failure surface was observed just below the interface between the fill and the natural materials. Factors of safety of the failed slope calculated using laboratory-derived effective shear strength parameters were on the order of 1.581.95. Reduction factors were necessary to reduce the shear strength values and to obtain reasonable agreements with the field observations. A class C prediction of the location failure surface and the factor of safety using the reduced shear strength values indicated results that were consistent with the field observations. This paper highlights the importance of exercising extreme caution when evaluating the stability of slopes in plastic natural clays.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/3519342
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Corporate Authors:
American Society of Civil Engineers
1801 Alexander Bell Drive
Reston, VA United States 20191-4400 -
Authors:
- Adib, M E
- Publication Date: 2000-9
Language
- English
Media Info
- Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
- Pagination: p. 787-797
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Serial:
- Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- Volume: 126
- Issue Number: 9
- Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
- ISSN: 1090-0241
- Serial URL: http://ojps.aip.org/gto
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Clay soils; Failure analysis; Field tests; Fills; Geotechnical engineering; Inclinometers; Interfaces; Laboratory tests; Monitoring; Piezometers; Plastic soils; Pore pressure; Safety factors; Shear strength; Siltstones; Slope failure; Slope stability
- Geographic Terms: Martinez (California)
- Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I42: Soil Mechanics;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00798451
- Record Type: Publication
- Contract Numbers: CRC96/99.EG04, CMS 9115316, CES 8711764
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Sep 18 2000 12:00AM