• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.137-146
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• 2005

299 railroad slopes were investigated and the failure characteristics and reinforcement patterns were analyzed. Stability analyses on the 14 cut-off soil slopes were carried out. Surficial failures were predicted by infinite slope analyses assuming the temporarily perched ground water table at soil surface during rainfall period. Limit equilibrium analyses were also carried out and the influences of rainfall infiltration on the slope stabilities were taken Into account by seepage analyses using finite element method and by assuming ground water tables to be located adjacent to soil surface. The adequacy of those analyses was evaluated by comparing the slope failure characteristics between analysis results and the past failure records. From the comparison results, it was deduced that the limit equilibrium analyses were not appropriate to estimate the shallow failure that occurred at most of the railroad cut-off soil slopes. For the better estimation of the surficial failure, not only the increase of pore-water pressure (reduction of matric suction), but also the influence of water flows over slope surface which erode soil mass, should be evaluated and considered.