Assessment of the stress-strain state of slopes in landslide-prone areas where critical infrastructure facilities are located

Abstract

Purpose. Ensure the integrity of landslide-prone areas through a developed method for assessing the stress-strain state of slopes based on seismic wave registration. The methods. To solve these tasks, the following steps were conducted: calculation of shear stresses and relative deformations of the landslide-prone soil area; registration of seismic vibrations using a MiniMateplus seismograph, determining the amplitudes of mass vibration velocities and frequency characteristics by components (tangential, vertical, radial), and identification of critical points based on shear stress magnitudes and relative deformations that are close to or exceed critical values. Findings. Through the registration of frequency characteristics at specified distances along the entire profile, it is possible not only to assess the hazard level of soil slopes at each point but also to create conditions ensuring necessary stability against additional special loads. The originality. The study introduces a method for monitoring landslide-prone areas based on seismic data analysis. For the first time, the dependency of stress-strain states of slopes in landslide-prone areas on the impact of amplitude frequencies of multiple stepwise free-fall drops of a load (artificial shock) is established through the registration of artificially induced seismic waves. The method considers only those shear stresses and relative deformations whose magnitudes are close to or exceed critical values within the same frequency range. It has been determined that resonance phenomena occur at specific frequencies, which can initiate landslide processes. The slope stability assessment method has further evolved to account not only for the current state of soil slope hazards but also to ensure stability against additional dynamic loads. Practical implementation. Experimental studies have established that to ensure the seismic resistance of critical infrastructure objects, it is necessary to consider not only the mass vibration velocity of soil particles but also the frequency characteristics of the object itself.