This paper is concerned with the study of a poroelastic soil layer under impulsive horizontal loading. Building upon Biot's general theory of poroelasticity, a comprehensive set of governing equations addressing three-dimensional transient wave propagation problem are established. Explicit general solutions for displacements and pore-pressures are derived by employing a sophisticated mathematical approach, incorporating decoupling transformation, Fourier series expansion, and Laplace-Hankel integral transform techniques. Subsequently, physical-domain components are numerically obtained by an enhanced Durbin method coupled with inverse Hankel transform. Comparisons the existing transient solutions for the ideal elastic half-space are made to validate the proposed formulations' reliability and precision. Through representative analyses for time-domain results, it is illustrated to study the influence of the soil thickness and types of loading pulse on the transient dynamic response of finite-thickness poroelastic soil layers. The results in comparative analysis show that the magnitudes of the horizontal displacement and pore water pressure can be affected and become more fluctuant when the thickness of the poroelastic soil layer decreases. The basic solutions may be attributed to a variety of wave propagation problems due to transient dynamic loading and illustrate the corresponding distinct wave features elegantly.

Transient seepage analyses, which are becoming more common in practice, carry inherently more complexity compared with traditional saturated steady-state seepage analyses. The results of a four-year remote monitoring investigation were used to investigate common practices used in transient seepage analyses. Initial pore water pressure distributions were found to correspond to predicted infiltration distributions, which were less than typically assumed. The laboratory-measured drying soil water retention curve was found to provide an upper bound to field measurements. Field-measured soil water retention data were found to better correspond to a mean between the laboratory wetting and drying curves. Transient seepage and stability analyses showed that using a drying soil water retention curve resulted in lower factors of safety compared with using a wetting curve. However, a mean curve between the wetting and drying curves proved to be more accurate when compared with representative field measurements. Using unsaturated shear strengths along with conventional saturated shear strengths for levee embankments was found to minimally contribute to the stability factor of safety. Incorporating the findings from this investigation into a transient seepage analysis will help to improve the reliability of the results.

The transient response of porous media is an important aspect of dynamic research. However, existing studies seldom provide solutions to the transient response problem of layered unsaturated porous media. Based on the Biot-type unsaturated wave equations, dimensionless one-dimensional wave equations are established. An appropriate displacement function is introduced to homogenize the boundary conditions. Subsequently, the transfer matrix method is used to obtain the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the homogeneous governing equations. Leveraging the orthogonality of the eigenfunctions, the original problem is transformed into solving a series of initial value problems of ordinary differential equations. The temporal solution within the time domain is then obtained through an improved precise time integration method. The validity of the solution presented in this paper is verified by comparing it with existing solutions in the literature. Analysis of numerical examples shows that reflection waves of opposite phases will be generated at the hard-soft and hard-harder interface, which helps in the accurate identification of weak interlayers in practical engineering applications. With increasing saturation, there is a noticeable increase in the velocities of the P1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$P_{1}$$\end{document} and P3\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$P_{3}$$\end{document} waves, whereas the velocity of the P2\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$P_{2}$$\end{document} waves tends to decrease, which can be used to assess the mechanical property of medium. The peak value of pore pressure in unsaturated can be 1.64 times higher than those in saturated condition.

The deep geological repository for radioactive waste in Switzerland will be embedded in an approximately 100 m thick layer of Opalinus Clay. The emplacement drifts for high-level waste (approximately 3.5 m diameter) are planned to be excavated with a shielded tunnel boring machine (TBM) and supported by a segmental lining. At the repository depth of 900 m in the designated siting region Nordlich Lagern, squeezing conditions may be encountered due to the rock strength and the high hydrostatic pressure (90 bar). This paper presents a detailed assessment of the shield jamming and lining overstressing hazards, considering a stiff lining (resistance principle) and a deformable lining (yielding principle), and proposes conceptual design solutions. The assessment is based on three-dimensional transient hydromechanical simulations, which additionally consider the effects of ground anisotropy and the desaturation that may occur under negative pore pressures generated during the drift excavation. By addressing these design issues, the paper takes the opportunity to analyse some more fundamental aspects related to the influences of anisotropy and desaturation on the development of rock convergences and pressures over time, and their markedly different effects on the two lining systems. The results demonstrate that, regardless of these effects, shield jamming can be avoided with a moderate TBM overcut, however overstressing of a stiff lining may be critical depending on whether the ground desaturates. This uncertainty is eliminated using a deformable system with reasonable dimensions of yielding elements, which can also accommodate thermal strains generated due to the high temperature of the disposal canisters. (c) 2024 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Electronics and other anthropogenic sources of noise in urban environments interfere with the early time signals of traditional transient electromagnetic (TEM) surveys due to the mutual inductance effect of transmitter and receiver coils. This poses problems for the detection of shallow geohazards such as karst dissolution features that lead to the subsidence and subsequent damage to infrastructure. The opposing-coils transient electromagnetic method (OCTEM) provides an alternative to traditional TEM surveys that is less sensitive to anthropogenic noise, and which is applied in this study to characterize shallow geohazards in a residential area responsible for subsidence and ground collapse. An investigation in Xiacun Town, China, was supplemented by ground-penetrating radar (GPR), drilling, and groundwater level monitoring to verify the OCTEM results and develop a conceptual model relating site hydrogeological factors to the ground collapse. OCTEM accurately identified shallow Quaternary gravel aquifers across the study area. However, OCTEM failed to identify additional subsidence structures near the collapsed pit demonstrated by the GPR results or the presence of a large, soil-filled cave below the pit determined from drilling. The site was concluded to be at further risk of subsidence and ground collapse associated with groundwater erosion driven by extreme precipitation events and excessive groundwater abstraction.

To achieve the loading of the stress path of hard rock, the spherical discrete element model (DEM) and the new flexible membrane technology were utilized to realize the transient loading of three principal stresses with arbitrary magnitudes and orientations. Furthermore, based on the deep tunnel of China Jinping Underground Laboratory II (CJPL-II), the deformation and fracture evolution characteristics of deep hard rock induced by excavation stress path were analyzed, and the mechanisms of transient loading-unloading and stress rotation-induced fractures were revealed from a mesoscopic perspective. The results indicated that the stress-strain curve exhibits different trends and degrees of sudden changes when subjected to transient changes in principal stress, accompanied by sudden changes in strain rate. Stress rotation induces spatially directional deformation, resulting in fractures of different degrees and orientations, and increasing the degree of deformation anisotropy. The correlation between the degree of induced fracture and the unloading magnitude of minimum principal stress, as well as its initial level is significant and positive. The process of mechanical response during transient unloading exhibits clear nonlinearity and directivity. After transient unloading, both the minimum principal stress and minimum principal strain rate decrease sharply and then tend to stabilize. This occurs from the edge to the interior and from the direction of the minimum principal stress to the direction of the maximum principal stress on the epsilon 1-epsilon 3 1-epsilon 3 plane. Transient unloading will induce a tensile stress wave. The ability to induce fractures due to changes in principal stress magnitude, orientation and rotation paths gradually increases. The analysis indicates a positive correlation between the abrupt change amplitude of strain rate and the maximum unloading magnitude, which is determined by the magnitude and rotation of principal stress. A high tensile strain rate is more likely to induce fractures under low minimum principal stress. (c) 2024 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Rainfall infiltration is the primary factor affecting slope stability, which may lead to geological hazards such as landslides, collapses, and debris flows. Thus, it is crucial to investigate the rainfall infiltration patterns of unsaturated soil slopes. During a natural rainstorm, the soil volumetric water content at various depths of a significant unsaturated soil slope model was monitored onsite. The soil-water characteristic curve parameters and saturated permeability coefficient of remolded soil were quantified, and the Van Genuchten (VG) model was utilized to forecast the unsaturated permeability coefficient. The numerical simulation method was used to simulate the field rainfall experiment. Based on the mutual verification of the field measurement and numerical simulation, rainfall simulation with different rainfall intensities was added, and its influence on rainfall infiltration depth, pore water pressure, and transient saturated zone was analyzed. The findings revealed that under the rainstorm intensity of the field rainfall test, the rainfall infiltration depth ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 m after a continuous 9-h rainfall period. As the rainfall intensity increased, the range of soil pore water pressure variations expanded, with a maximum value ranging from 9 to 140 kPa under the rainstorm rainfall intensity. By extending the duration of rainstorm rainfall intensity to 14 h, the depth of the transient saturated zone reached 0.2 m. With a duration of 20 h, it reached 0.4 m. The depth reached 0.6 m after 27 h and 1.5 m after 36 h. The research findings of this paper can provide scientific guidance for revealing the hydrological characteristics of slopes during rainfall and for the protection and reinforcement of slopes.

Landslide dams consist of unconsolidated heterogeneous material and lack engineering measures to drain water and control pore water pressure. They may be porous and seepage through them could potentially lead to piping failure. In this research, the internal processes within a long-existing landslide dam are assessed under transient seepage force. The implemented approach includes a 3D finite element numerical simulation executing fully coupled flow-deformation and consolidation methods based on hydraulic data measurements and geotechnical laboratory tests. The nonlinear constitutive model 'Hardening Soil' is applied to accurately calculate the stressinduced pore water pressure, effective stress, deformation, and flow. Further, the possibility of slope failure due to seepage force is investigated through the strength reduction method. The results highlight the dependency of the seepage flow on the corresponding variation of the relative permeability and saturation in the soil mediums under different rates of seepage force. Small rates of seepage force, however, impose deformation at the dam's crown. High effective stress is obtained at negative small rates of seepage force where the long duration of fluctuation is modeled. In the drawdown simulation, there is a reverse relation between effective stress and the rate of the seepage force. Through the modeling process and based on the measured data, two seepage paths are detected within the landslide dam, while their activation depends on the lake level. The modeling approach and the required data analysis are suggested for utilization in further studies regarding the seepage process understanding at the long-existing landslide dams and their hazard assessments in addition to the common geomorphological approaches.

Climate change with extreme hydrological conditions, such as extreme rainfall, poses new challenges to earth dam safety. Reliability analysis helps to reduce the uncertainty of the real behavior of a dam, and provides one more tool to improve dam safety control. Reliability analysis is very important for unsaturated soil dams under rainfall conditions. This paper investigates the safety of an earth dam over time, considering different initial conditions, rainfall intensities, and normal operating conditions (NOC). A direct coupling (DC) method is used to integrate different software. Coupling enables us to use the deterministic software packages Seepage/W and Slope/W with the StRAnD reliability software to perform the numerical investigation. The reliability analyses are performed employing the first-order reliability method (FORM) using the improved Hasofer-Lind Rackwitz-Fiesler (iHLRF) algorithm of optimization. The contribution to failure probabilities of random parameters was analyzed with sensitivity analysis. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (ks) contribution increases when the rainfall intensity increases and when NOC increases or decreases the reservoir. Finally, a critical deterministic slip surface is shown to be very close to the probabilistic one, but a high difference in terms of pore water pressures is reported.

The susceptibility mapping of rainfall-induced landslides is an effective tool for predicting and locating disaster-prone zones at the regional scale. One of the most important parts of landslide susceptibility models is the hydrological model. In this context, the present study considers three pore water pressure (PWP) profiles with surface runoff to estimate the spatiotemporal variation of wetting front depth (WFD) during rainfall episodes. To reasonably simulate the inherent uncertainty and variability involved in the hydrogeomechanical properties of the surficial soil layers at the regional scale, probabilistic analysis based on the recursive first-order reliability method (FORM) is employed to calculate the probability of slope failure. The regional time-dependent landslide susceptibility mapping is realised using a newly developed model called Physically-based probabilistic modelling of Rainfall Landslides using Simplified Transient Infiltration Model (PRL-STIM). The proposed model is applied in a representative area that suffered extensive rainfall-induced landslides in July 2013 (Niangniangba Town, Gansu Province, China). The results indicate that the PRL-STIM model achieved a satisfactory prediction accuracy of 75% AUC compared to existing models like transient rainfall infiltration and grid-based regional slope-stability model (72%) and the probabilistic analysis results based on the first-order second moment method (74%). It also performed well in predicting the spatial distribution of shallow landslides, with a success rate of 81.6%. Regarding the model efficiency, the completion of a raster file for calculating the landslide probabilities of the study area (including 711,051 cells) requires only 17.1 s. It is thus hoped that the proposed calculation framework of PRL-STIM that considers various uncertainties (e.g., nonlinearity of the physical model, non-normal probability distributions, random variable cross correlations, etc.) in geotechnical parameters is better suited for landslide susceptibility mapping at the regional scale, where only limited historical event data is available.