Impact on slopes with development of shear band

Abstract

All the major civil engineering structures in the hilly regions lead to strain localization in slope mass significantly during the occurrence of seismic excitation. These activities cause destruction and failure, which are increasing sharply over the last few years. Therefore, the paper is focused to investigate the inelastic deformations in slopes with three different inclinations of slope i.e., 1:2.25, 1:2 and 1:1.75 with the consideration of accumulation of strain in slope. The inelastic deformation in slopes under intense localization of shear strain is observed considering modified cam-clay (MCC) material model in plane strain condition. The non-linear finite element analyses have been conducted on slopes considering Chamoli excitation (1999) with a peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 0.36g. The impact of peak response of acceleration, displacement and deformation has been investigated and found that the amplification response increases with height and inclinations of slope. It is also observed that the development of shear band on slopes results in some degree of instability and intense mark of strain localization in all the slopes. The slope of 1:2 is not found collapsed at all but showing local failure, whereas the slope having inclination 1:2.25 is found relatively stable. The inclination of 1:1.75 results complete collapse due to formation of shear band. The crest of the slope is showing the maximum response in terms of acceleration and displacement in each case. Therefore, the formation of shear bands is thought to be an important aspect in understanding soil-slope stability and failure patterns.