Strength Characteristics and Slope Stability of Expansive Soil from Pingdingshan, China

Abstract

By analyzing the characteristics of expansive soil from Pingdingshan, China, the shear strength parameters at different water contents, dry densities, and dry-wet cycles of expansive soil are obtained. It is found that, at higher soil-water content, the internal friction angle is 0° and the shallow layer of expansive soil slope will collapse and destroy; this has nothing to do with the height of the slope and the size of the slope. The parameters of soil influenced by atmosphere are the ones which have gone through dry-wet cycles, and the parameters of soil without atmospheric influence are the same as those of natural soil. In the analysis of slope stability, the shear strength parameters of soil can be determined by using the finite element method, and the stability coefficient of the expansive soil slope can be calculated.