Numerical study on bearing capacity of a pile group next to a slope in unsaturated soils

Abstract

The bearing capacity of a pile group mostly depends on parameters of the soil shear strength affected by the soil-water characteristics, especially in unsaturated soils. The soil shear strength is entirely affected by hydraulic stresses in unsaturated soil, such as precipitation and evaporation. Further, the bearing capacity of the pile installed on unsaturated soil depends on hydraulic stresses applied to the soil. Furthermore, slope vicinity may cause a severe decline in the pile bearing capacity. The present study aimed to investigate a pile group in unsaturated soil adjacent to a slope and analyzed the effect of the rainfall on the soil strength parameters. Thus, a numerical study has been performed using a finite difference software,i.e., FLAC2D. Besides, to investigate the model in a real situation, the intensity and duration of rainfall are considered to evaluate changes in hydraulic stresses. Finally, the results show that the rainfall causes a considerable decrease in soil strength parameters in unsaturated soil, leading to the reduction of the pile group bearing capacity and slope stability.