The seasonal ratcheting of clay cut slopes in response to seasonal weather cycles

Kevin Briggs, Yuderka Trinidad Gonzalez, Amr Morsy, Alister Smith, Ashraf El-Hamalawi, Anthony Blake, Joel Smethurst, Peter Helm, Stephanie Glendinning

Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceedingChapter in a published conference proceeding

90 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Many cut slopes in the UK are in the later stages of their operational life but continue to support road and rail transportation networks. Some of these slopes experienced delayed, deep-seated, first-time failures between 10 and 50 years after construction. However, some continue to seasonally deform and then fail at shallow depth due to the process of seasonal, downslope ratcheting. This paper reviews the evidence for seasonally-induced, downslope ratcheting movements in clay cut slopes, gathered from physical model tests, in-situ monitoring and numerical simulations. The evidence shows that seasonal ratcheting is an increasingly dominant mechanism of slope deformation and ultimate failure for some high-plasticity clay cut slopes as they are exposed to many seasonal weather cycles. The rate of downslope ratcheting depends on the slope age (i.e., number of seasonal weather cycles since construction), the slope geometry (i.e., slope height and angle) and the strain-softening behaviour of the slope material (e.g., as observed in stiff, high-plasticity clays). This rate, when measured, can be used to inform monitoring and management strategies for old, clay cut slopes (e.g., ageing railway and highway cuttings) by identifying the slopes that are prone to seasonally-induced, downslope ratcheting towards the end of their operational life.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the Geo-Resilience 2023 Conference Cardiff University, 28-29th March 2023
EditorsD. G. Toll, M. G. Winter
Place of PublicationLondon, U. K.
PublisherBritish Geotechnical Association (BGA)
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Mar 2023
EventGeo-Resilience Conference 2023 - Centre for Student Life, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK United Kingdom
Duration: 28 Mar 202329 Mar 2023
https://georesilience2023.org/

Conference

ConferenceGeo-Resilience Conference 2023
Country/TerritoryUK United Kingdom
CityCardiff
Period28/03/2329/03/23
Internet address

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The seasonal ratcheting of clay cut slopes in response to seasonal weather cycles'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this