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Sustainable Approach for Slope Stabilization against Changes in Climatic Conditions

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 8579

Special Issue Editors

School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
Interests: principles of unsaturated soil mechanics: soil–water characteristic curve; hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soil; shear strength of unsaturated soil; volume change of unsaturated soil; foundation engineering: analysis of the complex foundation system; shallow foundation in unsaturated soil zone; analysis and design of piles in loess soils; retaining structure: design of the retaining wall in unsaturated zone; safety evaluation for the excavation in urban area; program development: development of mini program to calculate the hydro-mechanical properties of unsaturated soil; development of a soil database for geotechnical engineering
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Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Interests: sustainable construction; geographical information system; IoT-sensing system; unsaturated soil mechanics; finite element analyses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Interests: slope stability; soil dynamics; expansive soils; geodisaster prevention; pavement engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Surbana Jurong Consultants Ptd Ltd, 168 Jalan Bukit Merah, #01-01 Connection One, Singapore 150168, Singapore
Interests: unsaturated soil machanics; soil improvement for soft marine clay; deep exacation and numerical modelling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global warming, exacerbated by human activities, has led to changing weather patterns such as a higher rate of precipitation. Rainfall infiltration has been identified as one of the main triggering factors of landslides in many parts of the world. Many landslides result in socio-economic problems caused by the damage and destruction to infrastructures and agricultural lands. As unprecedented rainfall intensities are expected in the future, it is important to employ preventive measures for the anticipated possibility of landslides. Various slope reinforcement measures have been proposed by researchers and geotechnical engineers in response to landslides caused by different factors, including the excessive rainfall infiltration. One solution is a sustainable method via green technology, which is an integrated design approach that combines vegetation and engineering design methods to mechanically reinforce slopes, to control erosion, to improve the aesthetics of the environment, to provide visual and noise barriers, and to improve biological diversity.

This Special Issue covers different technologies related to sustainable solution for preventing slope against landslides due to changes in climatic conditions.

Potential themes include:

  • Utilization of recycled materials for slope preventive measures;
  • Smart system for assessment and monitoring of slope stability;
  • Vegetative covers for protection against rainfall-induced landslides;
  • Finite element analyses and discrete element method for slope stability modelling under the effect of climatic conditions;
  • Sustainable adaptation measures for slope stabilization.

Dr. Qian Zhai
Dr. Alfrendo Satyanaga
Dr. Zhong Han
Dr. Lei Zou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable
  • waste materials
  • slope stability
  • landslides
  • slope monitoring
  • vegetative cover
  • finite element analyses
  • discrete element method

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4844 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on Tensile Characteristics of Layered Carbonaceous Slate Subject to Water–Rock Interaction and Weathering
by Erqiang Li, Yanqing Wei, Zhanyang Chen, Paul Archbold and Brian Mullarney
Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 885; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010885 - 3 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1804
Abstract
The transverse isotropy of rock masses formed by sedimentation is a common stratum environment in engineering, and the physical–mechanical properties can degrade due to water–rock interaction (WRI) and natural weathering, which potentially lead to the instability or collapse of tunneling, slopes and mining. [...] Read more.
The transverse isotropy of rock masses formed by sedimentation is a common stratum environment in engineering, and the physical–mechanical properties can degrade due to water–rock interaction (WRI) and natural weathering, which potentially lead to the instability or collapse of tunneling, slopes and mining. Taking the carbonaceous slate of the Muzhailing tunnel as the research object, two types of specimens, which include oven-drying (instant drying in oven after fabrication) and natural air-drying (static weathering for 60 days after fabrication) were prepared, respectively, after which Brazilian tests were carried out and the tensile properties were analyzed under the two conditions. The experimental results showed that the two kinds of carbonaceous slate all show brittle failure, but the mechanical response such as failure displacement and peak load is obviously different. The tensile strength of the specimens is significantly all affected by the bedding, while the cleavage failure patterns of the two kinds are affected to different degrees. The softening coefficient of the natural air-drying specimen is 0.11–0.13, which implies that WRI and natural weathering play a vital role in the course of rock failure but have little influence on the transverse isotropy tensile property of bedding. Moreover, the mechanisms of specimen failure subject to WRI and 60 days’ weathering were explained by the SEM technique, which analyzed the micro-components and observes the process of specimen deterioration due to physicochemical reaction, the gradual development of cracks and erosion by weathering. Full article
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23 pages, 1823 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Emergency Capability of Subway Shield Construction Based on Cloud Model
by Jianhua Cheng, Xiaolong Yang, Hui Wang, Hujun Li, Xuan Lin and Yapeng Guo
Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13309; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013309 - 17 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1670
Abstract
We aimed to enable an accurate assessment of the emergency capability of subway shield construction, and promote the construction of emergency capability of enterprises, so as to better guarantee the sustainable development of subway shield construction. In this paper, the cloud model is [...] Read more.
We aimed to enable an accurate assessment of the emergency capability of subway shield construction, and promote the construction of emergency capability of enterprises, so as to better guarantee the sustainable development of subway shield construction. In this paper, the cloud model is used to evaluate the emergency capability of subway shield construction. First, based on the emergency work of subway shield construction, this paper constructs an evaluation index system for the emergency capability of subway shield construction, with four first-grade indices and 23 second-grade indices. Second, the subjective and objective combination of the DEMATEL and entropy weight methods are used to determine the index weight. At the same time, a cloud model is introduced to construct a model for the evaluation of the emergency capability of subway shield construction. Finally, a case study is carried out, and the results show that this evaluation model can be used to accurately evaluate the emergency capability of subway shield construction, and can determine its level and obtain the cloud map of the emergency capability of subway shield construction of the enterprise. From the evaluation results, we can find the weak links and existing problems in the emergency capability of subway shield construction, which will help enterprises to take improvement measures. The evaluation results are broadly consistent with the conclusions of the annual work report on enterprise emergency management, verifying the scientificity and effectiveness of the evaluation method. Full article
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19 pages, 4117 KiB  
Article
Resilience Evaluation of High-Speed Railway Subgrade Construction Systems in Goaf Sites
by Hui Wang, Jing Zhou, Zhiyuan Dun, Jianhua Cheng, Hujun Li and Zhilin Dun
Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7806; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137806 - 27 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1729
Abstract
When the high-speed railway construction project passes through goaf sites, the uncertain impacts from internal and external environments faced by the system are gradually characterized by complexity and variability, and the disastrous consequences are becoming increasingly prominent. The risk resistance ability and accident [...] Read more.
When the high-speed railway construction project passes through goaf sites, the uncertain impacts from internal and external environments faced by the system are gradually characterized by complexity and variability, and the disastrous consequences are becoming increasingly prominent. The risk resistance ability and accident recovery ability of the high-speed railway subgrade construction system are crucial for improving the safety management level of the construction site. Based on the concept of resilience, this paper discusses the connotation of resilience applicable to the construction system of high-speed railway foundations in goaf sites, and an evaluation index system including 25 indicators is constructed. Then, the resilience evaluation model is constructed by ANP, entropy weight method and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method. Taking the construction system of Taijiao high-speed railway subgrade in the underlying goaf as an example, this model is verified. The verification results show that the grade of construction system is II (high resilience). The evaluation result is consistent with the actual engineering situation, and the evaluation model is effective. It can be used as a theoretical basis for safety management of high-speed railway construction projects, and a full process analysis method based on resilience theory is established. Full article
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20 pages, 9257 KiB  
Article
Field Study on the Side Resistance-Softening and Resistance-Reinforcing Effects of Large-Diameter Combined Grouting Drilled Shafts
by Tao Hu, Guoliang Dai, Zhihui Wan and Weiming Gong
Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6835; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116835 - 2 Jun 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1483
Abstract
The traditional design method for drilled shafts rarely considers the influence of construction effect and tip resistance on side resistance, and lacks attempts to improve the performance of drilled shafts without increasing drilled shafts sizing, economic costs and carbon emissions. In this paper, [...] Read more.
The traditional design method for drilled shafts rarely considers the influence of construction effect and tip resistance on side resistance, and lacks attempts to improve the performance of drilled shafts without increasing drilled shafts sizing, economic costs and carbon emissions. In this paper, the influences of construction-effect and shaft tip resistance on the side resistance of large-diameter drilled shafts before and after combined grouting were studied by full-scale field tests. The reinforcing effect of combined grouting on bearing capacity was confirmed, and the potential of applying combined grouting to realize sustainable development, the economy, and environmental protection was introduced. The mechanisms of softening-effect and reinforcing-effect on the side resistance of large-diameter drilled shaft are discussed in depth. The field test results showed that the construction-effect and shaft tip sediments caused the side resistance to soften, and the lower the shaft tip resistance, the more serious the side resistance softening-effect. The mobilization of side resistance was affected by the soil strength underneath the shaft tip. The shaft tip bearing capacity was improved after sediment compression, which helped to reinforce the side resistance near the shaft tip. Combined grouting improved the side resistance reinforcing-effect even further and broadened the range of soil layers that can benefit from it. The fundamental reason influencing the side resistance softening-effect and reinforcing-effect of the drilled shaft was the change in soil radial effective stress. This research provided certain references for improving the performance of drilled shafts without increasing drilled shafts sizing, economic costs and carbon emissions. Full article
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