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A numerical study on the effect of salinity on stability of an unsaturated railway embankment under rainfall

Kolahdooz, A ; Sharif University of Technology | 2020

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  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/202019501004
  3. Publisher: EDP Sciences , 2020
  4. Abstract:
  5. Dispersive soils, as one of the main categories of problematic soils, can be found in some parts of the earth, such as the eastern-south of Iran, nearby the Gulf of Oman. One of the most important factors enhancing the dispersive potential is the existence of dissolved salts in the soil water. The main objective of this study is to explore the influence of water salinity on the instability of a railway embankment due to rainfall infiltration. In order to achieve this goal, the embankment resting on a dispersive stratum is numerically modeled and subjected to transient infiltration flow. The effect of dispersion is simplified through variations in the soil-water retention curve with salinity. The measured water retention curves revealed that by omitting the natural salinity in the soil-water, the retention capability of the soil decreases; therefore, the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil stratum will significantly decline. According to the extensive decrease in the hydraulic conductivity of the desalinated materials, the rainfall cannot infiltrate in the embankment and the rainfall mostly runs off. However, in the saline embankment, the infiltration decreases the soil suction; and consequently, the factor of safety of the railway embankment decreases. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences 2020
  6. Keywords:
  7. Embankments ; Hydraulic conductivity ; Railroads ; Rain ; Safety factor ; Soil moisture ; Dispersive soils ; Factor of safety ; Influence of water ; Railway embankment ; Rainfall infiltration ; Soil water retention curves ; Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity ; Water retention curve ; Infiltration
  8. Source: 4th European Conference on Unsaturated Soils, E-UNSAT 2020, 19 October 2020 through 21 October 2020 ; Volume 195 , 2020
  9. URL: https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/pdf/2020/55/e3sconf_e-unsat2020_01004.pdf